Xiaomi’s current smartphones, which run MIUI shells or the new HyperOS, offer users a wide range of desktop personalization options. Widgets turn the lock screen and homepage into an information center, allowing them to access the weather, currency rates, calendar and smart home management without running apps. These are not just beautiful pictures, but functional tools that greatly speed up interaction with the device.
The process of adding design elements may vary depending on the version of the Android operating system and the specific version of the firmware. In recent updates, the company changed the logic of working with the desktop, separating the screens of applications and widgets or combining them into a single tape. Understanding these differences will help quickly customize the interface to your needs and make using your smartphone more comfortable.
In this guide, we will take a look at all the ways to install widgets, from standard methods to using third-party launchers, learn how to resize already installed items, where to find hidden Google widgets, and what to do if the standard system functionality does not meet your customization needs.
The main ways to add widgets to the desktop
The fastest and most obvious way to add a new element to the screen is to use a context menu, which requires you to press your finger on the free space of the desktop and hold the touch until the vibration and menu appear at the bottom, and in the panel that appears, you need to select the Widgets item, which is usually located in the lower right corner or in the center, depending on the the theme of the design.
Once you select a category, you'll open a library of available items, which will show both Xiaomi system widgets and elements from installed applications. Scrolling through the list, you can find the clock, weather, step counter or music management tools. You can select a specific item by simply touching it, and then it automatically appears on your desktop.
There is an alternative method that works in many versions of MIUI. If you swipe to the right of the left edge of the main screen, you will be taken into the widget tape (often called the "Slider" or "Assistive Touch"). At the top of this tape is often an add or edit button that allows you to transfer the desired item to the main desktop, this method is especially convenient if you are used to navigation gestures.
It's important to consider that the number of widgets on a single screen is limited by the resolution of the grid. If you're trying to add a large element and there's not enough space, the system will suggest moving existing icons or automatically create a new desktop page. For the precise fit of the elements, it's better to temporarily increase the screen grid in the settings.
Size and appearance of elements
Once the widget is on the screen, it often needs to be adapted to the desktop design. Most modern widgets in HyperOS and MIUI 14 support resizing. To do this, you press the widget and hold your finger until the frame with markers on the edges appears. By dragging these markers, you can stretch or narrow the element, changing its format from square to rectangular or vice versa.
Some widgets have advanced style settings. If you click on the center of the widget (not holding, but just touching), you can open the editing menu. Here you can change the color scheme, background transparency, font and a set of display data. For example, the weather widget can switch from displaying temperature to displaying humidity or wind speed.
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Use monochrome widgets in combination with dark interface theme to reduce the power consumption of the AMOLED screen and make the interface more stylish and minimalistic.
Not all widgets are scalable, but elements developed by third-party developers or older versions of Google widgets can be fixed in size, and in such cases, the only way out is to find an alternative application with more flexible settings or use special launchers that can crop images.
To keep the style consistent, we recommend choosing widgets from one thematic line, and Themes Themes store offers entire widget packages that blend harmoniously with each other in color and icon form, allowing you to create a truly unique and professional-looking interface without having to be a designer.
Working with Google widgets on Xiaomi smartphones
Xiaomi smartphones come with a full range of Google services, but their widgets are sometimes hidden or require separate activation. To find the widgets "Google", you need to scroll the list in the widget menu to the section with the letter "G" or "Google", Here are classic elements: search, Google Lens, Maps, Fit and others.
Often users are faced with a situation where the widget "Google Search" (search string) disappears or does not work correctly. This may be due to an update to the Google application or a failure in the launcher. To restore functionality, it is recommended to clear the cache of the Google application through the Settings menu → Apps → All applications.
What to do if Google widgets are not displayed?
The Google Assistant and Discover widgets are particularly noteworthy, and they provide quick access to the news feed and voice assistant, and these elements are customized through a Google account, where you can select news topics that interest you, which will make the feed personalized and useful, but it is worth remembering that an active news feed can consume additional traffic and battery power.
The table below shows the main Google widgets available for installation, and their brief description of the functionality:
| Name of the widget | Functional | Requires connection |
|---|---|---|
| Google search | Quick search, voice input, Lens | Yes (to search) |
| Google Maps | Routes, traffic jams, chosen ones | Yes (GPS + Internet) |
| Google Photo | Random photos, memories | No (for local) |
| Google Fit | Steps, pulse, activity | No (synchronization) |
| Keep Notes | Notes, to-do lists | No (offline access) |
Use of third-party applications for widgets
If Xiaomi’s standard widget suite isn’t enough, Google Play apps come to the rescue, with Widgetsmith, KWGT Kustom Widget Maker, and OverWidget leading the way, allowing you to create widgets from scratch, customizing every pixel, font, and animation.
Annex KWGT It's a powerful editor that takes time to learn, but it's almost limitless, and you can create a widget that displays the phase of the moon, the status of the server, the quotes of the day, or the complex graphics. To work such widgets often require the installation of an additional plugin or purchase. PRO-version.
☑️ Choosing a third-party widgetizer
When installing third-party widgets, it's important to pay attention to the permissions they're asking for. The weather widget needs geolocation access, and the calendar widget needs access to your events. Excessive rights requests can be a sign of developer dishonesty. Always check the app's rating and reviews before installing.
In addition, third-party widgets can consume more battery power than system widgets, as they often update data in the background. If you notice an accelerated discharge of the smartphone after installing a new set of widgets, try to increase the refresh interval in the settings of the widget itself or delete it.
Solution: Widgets don't work or go missing
Xiaomi users sometimes have a problem when widgets stop updating, show old data or disappear after a reboot. Most often this is due to the aggressive MIUI energy saving system, which "kills" background processes to save charge. To fix this, you need to go to the battery settings and for the application that provides the widget, select "No restrictions" mode.
Another common reason is a lack of RAM: If a smartphone runs a lot of heavy applications, the system can unload the processes of widgets, in which case it helps periodic memory cleaning or avoiding the use of too heavy animated widgets on devices with 4 GB of RAM or less.
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The main reason for the widgets on Xiaomi is aggressive energy saving: the solution is to remove the background activity restrictions for a particular application.
If the widget crashes or appears in a black square, try removing it and adding it again. Sometimes cleaning the launcher cache helps. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Find System Launcher (or Launcher) → Clear the cache. Note: clearing the data (not the cache) will reset all icons on the desktop.
In rare cases, the problem is a conflict of themes: if you have a third-party theme, some system widgets may not display correctly. Switching to a standard theme often solves the problem of visual artifacts.