What you need to know
- Apple is introducing Home Screen widgets to iOS 14.
- Siri Suggestions might just be the coolest one yet.
- It can change the apps on your Home Screen based on usage.
This article has been updated after it emerged that you can actually app multiple Siri Suggestions Widgets to the Home Screen on iOS 14
Apple announced Home Screen widgets for iOS 14, and Siri Suggestions might be one of the best.
Widgets, more generally, give users snippets of information on the Home Screen from various apps, for example, the Weather app, Calendar, News, etc. They've been prominent on Android for years and iOS users have really been clamoring for them, so this is a really great step forward.
Widgets have been totally redesigned to give you more information at a glance — and now you can add them to your Home Screen. Choose from different sizes and arrange however you like.You can also add a Smart Stack of widgets intelligently curated based on the apps you use most, and the right widget will show up automatically at the right time in your day.
We've already seen some users take full advantage of iOS 14's widgets in the earliest betas, and the results look absolutely fantastic. However, one more obscure widget might just steal the show, Siri Suggestions.
Apple introduced Siri Suggestions in iOS 12 as a way to give users access to cool functions quickly, based on usage. For instance, if you order a drink every morning using the Starbucks app, Siri can offer a lock screen notification that will do this for you. The new widget takes things one step further.
As Noah Gilmore has noted on Twitter, the Siri Suggestions widget doesn't have a background (so you can't tell it's a widget), but it contains a selection of apps that will automatically change based on your usage. Check it out!
Favorite part of iOS 14 so far: aftern configuration, the bottom two rows of apps are actually a Siri suggestions widget, and they update dynamically! pic.twitter.com/GjtqRHdYuVFavorite part of iOS 14 so far: aftern configuration, the bottom two rows of apps are actually a Siri suggestions widget, and they update dynamically! pic.twitter.com/GjtqRHdYuV— Noah Gilmore (@noahsark769) June 25, 2020June 25, 2020
There aren't any live examples, but it likely works a lot like Siri Suggestions does already. Say you use apps in the morning to commute to work, listen to podcasts and check the weather, over time those apps will start to show up on your Home Screen automatically. But when you get home, this might changed based on how you use your phone in the evening.
It means that, over time, your iPhone will learn how you use your iPhone and update your Home Screen accordingly, all without you having to lift a finger!
And as one Reddit user has noted, you can actually have multiple Siri Suggestions widgets running on your Home Screen, and they won't duplicate, giving you even more automatically curated apps on your Home Screen!
Top apps are from the Siri Suggestions. Love this new layout! pic.twitter.com/eETVEjKaWTTop apps are from the Siri Suggestions. Love this new layout! pic.twitter.com/eETVEjKaWT— 🅳🆈🅻🅰🅽 (@DylanMcD8) June 25, 2020June 25, 2020
The only thing to note is that iOS 14 is currently in Beta, which means it is subject to change prior to being released. Apple may tweak (or even totally remove) features, so just bear that in mind. iOS 14's Widgets are arguably one of its most prominent features, however, so we'd be very surprised if this one disappears.
