The modern smartphone has long ceased to be just a means of communication, becoming a center for managing the digital life of the user. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices often seek to personalize their gadget to get the most personalized possible access to the weather, currency rates or news without having to open applications. The standard shell MIUI and the new HyperOS provide ample opportunities for customization, but the interface may not be obvious to beginners. Understanding how to work with a desktop allows you to significantly improve the efficiency of using a smartphone in everyday tasks.
The process of installing widgets on the Chinese giant’s devices has its own features that differ from pure Android. The system launcher that controls the display of icons and additional items plays an important role. In recent versions of HyperOS, the algorithm for calling the widget menu has changed, which often causes confusion among users who have updated with MIUI 14. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to add widgets, consider the settings of the screen and answer frequent questions when working with the interface.
The main ways to call the widget menu
The first step to personalization is to open a special menu where all available items are stored. Depending on the firmware version and launcher settings, access to this partition can be done in different ways. Most users use a standard long-term press on the free desktop area. This universal method works in most MIUI scenarios.
However, the updated versions of the shell have an alternative option that changes the logic of interaction, so if you have Swipe down to open the widget menu, a long tap may not work as you expect, in which case you just have to pull your finger down the center of the screen to see the list of available plugins, which is an approach borrowed from iOS and is designed to simplify one-handed management.
There's also a third, less obvious method available through the weather widget settings or watches, if they're already on the screen, and clicking on them can move you to editing or adding a new element of the same category, which is handy when you need to quickly replace the old widget with a more informative counterpart without unnecessary movement on the menu.
- 📱 Make a long tap (tap and hold) on the empty desktop space until the vibration and menu appear from the bottom.
- 👇 Pull your finger down from the middle of the top of the screen if the appropriate control style is activated.
- ⚙️ Use the Edit button in existing weather widgets to access the element library.
It’s important to note that on different models, whether it’s the flagship Xiaomi 14 or the budget Redmi Note 13, the system behavior may differ slightly due to different pixel density and the Android version. If standard methods don’t work, it’s worth checking if there’s a third-party launcher installed that completely changes the logic of the interface.
Set up the grid and desktop sizes
Before you add complex widgets, you need to make sure that you have enough space on your desktop. Widgets occupy the grid cells, and if they are set up too small, the large elements simply won't stand on the screen. To change the grid settings, you need to go to the editing menu, which was discussed above, and select "Settings" or "Grid".
The system will offer several options for aspect ratio, such as 4x6, 5x6 or 6x6. The choice depends on the diagonal of your smartphone and personal preferences. The more cells in the grid, the smaller the application icons, but the more widgets can be placed, a critical parameter for users who love the information saturation of the screen.
⚠️ Note: When changing the grid size, already installed widgets can shift or change their size, which will require re-manual adjustment.
Once you have chosen the optimal configuration, the system will apply the changes instantly. You can now estimate how much space is occupied by standard icons and how much free space is left for weather widgets, calendar or pedometer. If space is scarce, consider migrating rarely used applications to the All Apps menu or creating folders.
Step-by-step instructions for installing widgets
Now that the menu is open and the grid is configured, you can start installing it directly. The choice interface is usually divided into two tabs: "Vidgets" and "Tools." The first one is dynamic elements, and the second one is system utilities like a flashlight or a screenshot, and we're interested in the first category.
Select the widget you want from the list. Often, the system offers multiple design options for the same application, such as for a watch, it can be analog, digital or minimalist versions. Click on the option you like, and it will automatically move to the desktop. If the widget is large, it can occupy several cells at once.
☑️ Checklist for widget installation
Once you have the widget on the screen, you can change the position of the widget, and you can press it again, long enough, until it's stuck on the surface, and drag it to the right place. Some widgets allow you to resize, pull at the edges of the markers to stretch or compress the widget vertically or horizontally.
Some widgets require additional permissions to work properly, such as a news widget requiring internet access and a pedometer widget requiring permission to track physical activity, and HyperOS will request these rights when it first runs, and they must be validated, otherwise the widget will display an error or blank data.
Working with third-party widgets and Google
The standard MIUI widget set may seem limited, but the Android ecosystem allows you to install thousands of additional plugins. To add a widget from a third-party app, you first need to install the app itself from Google Play or GetApps. Once installed, its widget will appear in the general list of available items.
Even on Chinese firmware (CN ROM) you can often find Google services if your account is tied. Google Photos, Google Translate or Google Pay widgets significantly expand functionality. If you don't see Google widgets on the list, make sure that the screen settings include Google widgets.
There are also specialized aggregator applications, such as KWGT or Widgetsmith, that allow you to create widgets with a unique design. The installation process is similar: download an application, create a design inside it, and then add to the desktop through the standard widget menu, selecting the name of the widget created in the list.
| Type of widget | Source | Requirements | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clock and Date | Systemic | No. | Low. |
| Weather. | Systems/Google | GPS, Internet | Average. |
| News | Yandex/Google | Internet | High. |
| Stepper | Mi Fitness | Motion sensors | Average. |
Why doesn’t the widget display data?
Elimination and optimization
Users often experience widgets that stop updating or disappear after a reboot, which is due to aggressive optimization of memory in the MIUI shell. The system tries to keep the battery power by closing the background processes, including the processes responsible for updating widgets. The solution is manually setting priorities.
Another common problem is sizing incompatibility: you try to put a 4x2 widget on the screen, and only 3x2 is available on the screen, in which case the system will not allow the action to be completed, you either need to make room by removing unnecessary icons, or choose a smaller widget. Some widgets support dynamic sizing, but most have a fixed grid.
If the widget is black or doesn't show graphics, try changing the theme. Castomic themes downloaded from the theme store may not have full support for all system widgets, especially if the theme was created for another version of Android.
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To save battery power, turn off updates to news and weather widgets in Power Saving mode. Leave only the clock and calendar as they consume minimal CPU resources.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the weather widget show the wrong location?
Can the transparency of the widget be changed?
The widget disappeared after the system update, what to do?
How to remove the widget from the main screen?
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The right widget setup is a balance between functionality and autonomy. Don't overload your desktop with heavy widgets with frequent updates if you want your smartphone to run long without recharging.
Using widgets wisely turns the lock screen and desktop into a powerful smartphone management tool. Experiment with sizes, data sources, and design to create an interface that is convenient for you. Remember that Xiaomi's interface is flexible, and most settings can be returned to the original state if the result does not suit you.