Xiaomi's smartphone today is not just a communication tool, it's a personal control center, where every interface element is designed to work for the user. One of the most effective ways to personalize and speed up access to the right information is by using widgets. These miniature apps, located right on the desktop, allow you to see the weather, currency rates, step statistics, or manage your smart home without opening the apps themselves.
Owners of devices based on the MIUI shells and the new HyperOS often face the nuances of installing these elements, since the logic of the menu can be different from the “pure” Android or iOS. Some widgets hide in the depths of the menu, others require special actions to activate. Understanding the principles of the interface will allow you to create a truly convenient and functional desktop.
In this article, we will discuss all the ways to add widgets to lock screens and desktop. You will learn how to fix the situation if the widgets disappeared after the update, and what hidden features are available to owners of Redmi and Poco smartphones. We will look at both standard system tools and the capabilities of third-party launchers for advanced users.
Basic way to install widgets through the main menu
The simplest and most obvious method available to every user is to use the built-in menu of the system. On most current Xiaomi models, it is enough to swipe to the right of the first desktop screen. The Minus First Screen or Google Discover page will open, where the top of the page is often the Add Widgets button or icon «+».
Once you click on the button, you'll see a library of all the widgets available, sorted by category or application, and you'll find the clock, calendar, weather, voice recorder, and many other useful tools, and you'll just click on the selected item and select a size, and then confirm the action with the Add to Desktop button.
⚠️ Note: If you can't see the add widget button when you swipe to the right, you may have Google Discover or Minus First Screen disabled. Check your desktop settings under "More» → «Minus the first screen».
An alternative way to do the same is to use the context menu of the blank area of the screen. A long-term click on the free desktop space (where there are no application icons) will call the bottom toolbar. Among the options for Wallpaper, Effects and Settings, there will necessarily be a button for “Widgets”.
This is especially useful when you want to place a widget on a specific page rather than the first one, and you get into the right context and you can choose a cell size that fits harmoniously into your current icon layout, and the system will highlight the sizes available for the widget you choose.
Features of widgets in the new shell HyperOS
With the release of the global version of the HyperOS operating system, Xiaomi has significantly redesigned the visual style and logic of widgets, now they are more informative, animated and interactive, the new system has the ability to change not only the size, but also the color scheme of widgets to fit with the theme of the design.
Accessing the advanced widget settings in HyperOS often requires not just drag and drop, but a special editing menu. After adding the widget to the screen, prolonged clicking on it can open a menu where you can choose to change style, edit or set the widget, for example, select a specific city for the weather or a to-do list for the scheduler directly from the widget interface.
Secret MIUI/HyperOS widgets
An important feature of the new shell is the support for interactive widgets, which means that you can like music tracks, switch tracks, mark tasks completed or control the timer directly from the desktop, without running the main application. This significantly saves time and battery life, since the heavy application does not unfold completely.
Instructions for setting up the Mi (Mi Widget) widget
One of the most popular and functional widgets in the Xiaomi ecosystem is the Mi Widget, which is a universal dashboard that combines system information, fast switches and usage statistics, and is not just a picture, but a full-fledged tool for monitoring the state of the smartphone.
To add and customize this widget, follow the step-by-step instructions:
☑️ Setting up the Mi Widget
- Call the widget menu through a long tap on the empty area of the screen.
- Find the category Systems or Tools in the list and select Mi Widget.
- Drag it to the desktop. By default, it can only display time and date.
- Click on the edit button (usually it is a gear or pencil icon in the corner of the widget).
- In the widget settings menu that opens, you can turn on the display of memory, processor, battery temperature or number of steps.
The flexibility of this element allows you to turn it into a pilot dashboard. You can turn off the indicators you don't need to clutter the screen, or, conversely, output the maximum amount of data to monitor the device. The widget automatically updates the data in the background, but the refresh rate can be adjusted in the battery settings to save energy.
⚠️ Attention: Frequent updates of data with widgets (especially weather and news) can increase battery consumption.If you notice a quick discharge, check the power saving settings for specific widgets.
Managing widgets on the lock screen
The lock screen in Xiaomi smartphones is another space that can be used efficiently, and widgets allow you to get important information without even unlocking your phone, but they have different features than the desktop.
To add widgets to the lock screen, you need to go to the system settings. The path usually looks like this: Settings → Lock screen. In this section, you'll find "Widgets" or "Lock screen functions." Here you can activate the pedometer, voice recorder, calculator or scanner. QR-code.
The lock widget management interface often allows you to change their order. A swipe left or right on a locked screen (depending on the firmware version) can allow you to access additional features, for example, the Notes widget will quickly record a thought, and the Dictator widget will start recording a conversation.
| Type of widget | Functionality | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|
| Clock and Date | Basic time mapping | Minimum |
| Weather. | Temperature, forecast, humidity | Medium (requires networking) |
| Stepper | Counting of steps taken | Low (using sensors) |
| News | Internet headlines | High (constant traffic) |
It is worth noting that in some models with AMOLED-Screens in the Always On Display mode (AOD) Full interactive widgets can only be limited to hours and dates to save screen life. Full interactive widgets are only available when the screen is active or when the device wakes up.
💡
Use black widgets on the AMOLED-The black pixels on these displays are off, saving battery power and making the widget less visible when it's not needed.
Problem Solving: Widgets are missing or not working
Users often find themselves in a situation where, after a system update or reset, all widgets disappear from the desktop, leaving gray squares labeled "Widget Problem" in their place, a common problem with access rights or launcher cache.
The first thing to do is check the permissions for the app that owns the widget. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find the app you want (like Weather or Calendar) and select Permissions. Make sure the app is allowed to display information over other windows and have access to geolocation if the widget is weather-like.
The second step is to clear the system launcher cache, which won’t delete your data or photos, but will reset the icon and widget settings. Go to Settings → Applications → All Applications → System Launcher (or Desktop) and click Clear → Clear Cache. After that, the phone can reboot and you’ll have to add the widgets again.
If widgets aren’t working properly (data isn’t updated), check your power saving settings. MIUI is known for aggressive optimization that can kill background widget processes. Add important applications to the exclusion list or set “No Limits” mode for them to work in the background.
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In 90% of cases, the problem with broken widgets is solved by removing the energy saving restrictions for the parent widget application.
Third-party widgets and interface customization
Xiaomi’s standard set of widgets may seem limited to advanced users. Fortunately, the Android platform allows you to install widgets from third-party apps that open up huge customization opportunities. The Google Play Store offers thousands of solutions for every taste.
Popular widget applications like KWGT, Google Chronus, or Overdrop allow you to create unique designs, change fonts, add animations, and display any information from the Internet. Install widgets are standard: you install a designer app, and then add the created element to the desktop through the widget menu.
- 🎨 KWGT Kustom Widget Maker is a powerful tool for creating widgets of any complexity, from simple watches to entire information panels with support for scripts.
- 🌤️ Overdrop – specializes in weather widgets with beautiful design, perfect for minimalist desktops.
- 📅 Google Calendar – Google’s standard widget often works more stable and syncs better than the built-in widget MIUI.
- 🎵 Spotify / Yandex.Music – widgets of music services allow you to control playback, which is especially convenient when using wireless headphones.
When using third-party widgets, it is important to remember compatibility, some of which may not display correctly on screens with necklines or dynamic islets if the developer has not foreseen such scenarios, and heavy widgets with live animations can reduce the overall smoothness of the interface on budget models of smartphones.