iOS 14 widgets make Android's look like an absolute embarrassment

[FFR]

I was surprised to find this article written and published by android central:

“iOS 14 widgets make Android's look like an absolute embarrassment”

“Android has had home screen widgets for a decade, and they've been surpassed by iOS widgets in a single day. A single day.”

https://apple.news/AWiRfKLETT6q2EW2mLJSSJw

And they aren’t the only ones:

 

[Tartarus]

This thread made my already awesome day

 

[FFR]

This thread made my already awesome day

You should read the Twitter thread.

 

[Highrisedrifter]

Widgets on iOS are incredibly good. Smart Stack is a genius idea, not gonna lie. They are a game changer and I’m excited to see what app developers and Apple come up with in the future on this front.

 

[parker5011]

How do you get the google widget?!?!

 

[calebt]

How do you get the google widget?!?!

Need the Google App or Google Chrome.

 

[anon(50597)]

Saw this earlier and have to agree. It took Apple long enough but they did a good job. Hopefully it’s just a start.

 

[Spencerdl]

How do you get the google widget?!?!

Just download Google on your device and edit your widget area to include the Google...

 

[Spencerdl]

LOL . Nice thread. Who would have ever thought Apple would finally add customization to their platform. It's about time .

 

[gnirkatto]

“Android has had home screen widgets for a decade, and they've been surpassed by iOS widgets in a single day. A single day.”

Well....to be a little more accurate.....a single day, plus a decade.

 

[calebt]

Even when I was using Android I was never big into using widgets, but I do like the Smart Stack.

 

[Spencerdl]

Even when I was using Android I was never big into using widgets, but I do like the Smart Stack.

I'm a fan of the Smart Stack widget as well.

 

[joemd60]

Just download Google on your device and edit your widget area to include the Google...

I don’t see a lot of the widgets posted here. I like your battery level widget.

 

[FFR]

Well....to be a little more accurate.....a single day, plus a decade.

You are incorrect, for the sake of accuracy.

If the author of the article was talking about widgets
on the Home Screen launching, then yes you would be correct. It took apple more than a decade and a day to create the Apple Watch, refine it, and then take what was learned on watch os to iOS widgets on the Home Screen. Instead of just copying mac OS X widgets wholesale over to iOS, like what google did with android.

That’s where the criticism from android central, Dieter bohn of the verge, and many android users on Twitter stem from. The fact that android widgets have been stagnant for a very long time. Especially since android and google have had a decade headstart.

Now back to the inaccurate point you were trying to make.

I was surprised to find this article written and published by android central:

“iOS 14 widgets make Android's look like an absolute embarrassment”

“Android has had home screen widgets for a decade, and they've been surpassed by iOS widgets in a single day. A single day.”[

The point made by android central was on iOS widgets on the Home Screen Surpassing androids implementation in a day, basically when it launched, not how long it took Apple to launch it.

 

[gnirkatto]

You are incorrect, for the sake of accuracy.

If the author of the article was talking about widgets
on the Home Screen launching, then yes you would be correct. It took apple more than a decade and a day to create the Apple Watch, refine it, and then take what was learned on watch os to iOS widgets on the Home Screen. Instead of just copying mac OS X widgets wholesale over to iOS, like what google did with android.

That’s where the criticism from android central, Dieter bohn of the verge, and many android users on Twitter stem from. The fact that android widgets have been stagnant for a very long time. Especially since android and google have had a decade headstart.

Now back to the inaccurate point you were trying to make.



The point made by android central was on iOS widgets on the Home Screen Surpassing androids implementation in a day, basically when it launched, not how long it took Apple to launch it.

Well...1st of all, I tried to be a little ironic, not totally serious - and apparently failed.
2ndly, I don't understand the correlation between Watch OS development and iOS widgets. My lack of insight, probably.
Last, but not least, I don't understand in which way the new iOS widgets are supposed to be superior to Android's. Based on my somewhat outdated knowledge about Android widgets, they are:

free sizable (iOS 3 predefined sizes max)
can be positioned anywhere on screen (iOS not entirely)
updating dynamically (same as iOS)

iOS widgets may look nicer, but that is with many iOS things, it seems more effort is being spent on the design aspect of everything. Oh yes, and there are widget stacks, which Android can't do, afaik (not sure).

But I might not be up to date on all widget aspects on both platforms - so I'm happy to learn more about how iOS widgets surpassed Android's.

 

[gnirkatto]

I would like to further comment on this, after havind re-read the article.
It focuses mainly on Google widgets "not being nice", "not looking" good etc.
They also state that 3rd party widgets, sometimes do look better, are less "stagnant" than Google's.

All of this is mainly about looks, which is a developer thing.
In case of Google, they not only have had widgets since a decade, but also thousands of 3rd party app developers, creating widgets.
Apple never had that, until last week.
Now they have it, and of the 15 or so widgets that were released initially, many look nice.
All Android apps that I'm aware of, that were released in the last decade, came with a load of widgets to choose from.
Some look great, some look pathetic.
If Apple had widgets since a decade or so, I'm sure we would face a similar situation.

I appreciate Apple widgets looking nicer, and said so in my previous post, but I can't see any functional advantages over Android's implementation. That was/is my point.

If it's about looks, yes, iOS stock widgets may have surpassed Android's.
If it's about what can be done with widgets, no (exception: stacks, maybe).

P.S. I do love the fact that we now have home screen widgets in iOS, and am sure more functionality will arrive. Just to be clear about that.

 

[doogald]

All of this is mainly about looks, which is a developer thing.
In case of Google, they not only have had widgets since a decade, but also thousands of 3rd party app developers, creating widgets.
Apple never had that, until last week.
Now they have it, and of the 15 or so widgets that were released initially, many look nice.
All Android apps that I'm aware of, that were released in the last decade, came with a load of widgets to choose from.
Some look great, some look pathetic.
If Apple had widgets since a decade or so, I'm sure we would face a similar situation.

FWIW, iOS has had widgets, including for third party apps, for quite a few years. They were just not able to be placed on any home screen - they were all placed on a special "Today" home screen.

 

[gnirkatto]

FWIW, iOS has had widgets, including for third party apps, for quite a few years. They were just not able to be placed on any home screen - they were all placed on a special "Today" home screen.

I've been aware of that of course.
Didn't feel like having to mention this explicitly, as the entire thread is about the new iOS14 home screen widgets.

 

[anon(50597)]

FWIW, iOS has had widgets, including for third party apps, for quite a few years. They were just not able to be placed on any home screen - they were all placed on a special "Today" home screen.

As with everything else Apple.
“We’ll give you these but only here, and you can only do this with them”.

I like the new widgets but hope they continue to develop them and allow more customization in the future.

 

[Chris Cook5]

it’s so amazing to see widgets, fonts apps etc