How to add widgets in Android 12 – Easy Steps

Each new Android update brings visual and thematic changes that update the stock experience. We almost took it for granted that the new versions will make the Android experience better, smoother, and more functional. But some things, like the widget selector, have been asking for a major review for a long time, but haven’t received it. Up to now.

Android 12 Developer Preview 2 brings some fundamental changes to the way the widget picker appears, making it easier to see, easier to find, and placing widgets on the home screen for quick access.

A cleaner and more compact redesign of Widget Picker

The Widget Picker redesign is one of the biggest visual redesigns in Android 12. As you can see below, you still get a list of side scrolling widgets. But widgets are now categorized into collapsible app carousels, making them easier to read. Only one app carousel can be developed at a time. Extended carousels will collapse once you access a new one.

In previous iterations of Android, widgets were listed alphabetically and then by widget name. But the changes made in Developer Preview 2 clear up the clutter and organize it in a list. The number of widgets available to an application is listed below the application title.

However, there are some system applications that do not highlight it, although there are several widgets for this category.

Add widgets from the new widget picker

Fortunately, the method of adding the widget to the home screen remains the same.

Press and hold the home screen to access the widget selector. Subsequently, with the new widget picker, you will first need to tap on the app category and choose the widget. Then touch and hold a widget and drag it to the appropriate position on the home screen.

The scrolling app carousel is definitely a refreshing and welcome change to the outdated widget chooser we’ve had so far. We can still see additional tweaks to the widget picker ahead of a stable version of Android 12. However, as it stands, Google has made it so that widgets are no longer in your face.

Although categorizing the widgets by apps would mean an extra touch to access the widgets, the redesign makes the whole process of selecting and applying widgets on the home screen a bit quicker.

conclusion

In this guide, you have learned how to add widgets in Android 12. If you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know in the comments. Also, check out this guide too if you want to learn how to take a scrolling screenshot on Android 12.