Simple App Widget Android Studio Tutorial

What is an android app widget? You can imagine them as "at-a-glance" views of an app's most important data and functionality that is accessible right from the user's home screen. Users can move widgets across their home screen panels, and, if supported, resize them to tailor the amount of information within a widget to their preference.How do I create a widget for my Android app? To create a widget, you: Define a layout file. Create an XML file ( AppWidgetProviderInfo ) which describes the properties of the widget, e.g. size or the fixed update frequency. Create a BroadcastReceiver which is used to build the user interface of the widget. Enter the Widget configuration in the AndroidManifest.How do you turn an app into a widget? Some app icons can be changed into a convenient widget to use on your Home screen. Touch and hold the icon you want to customize, then release the icon. ... Drag the corners of the frame to make it larger and change it into a widget. What is the difference between an app and a widget? Widgets and apps are separate types of programs that run on an Android phone and they serve different purposes. Widgets are basically self-contained mini programs that live and run on the phone's home screen. ... Apps, on the other hand, are typically programs you tap open and run.Can you make your own widget? There's a way to take the customization you get with widgets even further by getting an app that lets you design your own widget from scratch. This gives you even more control over the look and content that is always at the ready on your home screen. Here are four apps that get you on the road to widget customization.