How to Enable and Configure Widgets on Xiaomi Phone: The Complete Guide

Widgets on Xiaomi smartphones are a convenient way to quickly access important information right on the home screen: weather, calendar, notes, smart home management or even health data can all be brought to the desktop in compact blocks. However, many users have difficulty trying to add or customize widgets, especially after the update. MIUI before.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways to include widgets on Xiaomi, from basic actions to solving typical problems, learn how to add standard widgets (weather, clock, calendar), install third-party widgets (for example, from Google or Yandex), and adjust their appearance and location. We will pay special attention to the nuances for different versions of the shell MIUI 12–14 Smartphone models – from budget Redmi to flagship Xiaomi 13/14.

If you’ve never worked with widgets before or your phone suddenly stopped displaying them after the update, don’t worry. Following our instructions, you can get back functionality in 5-10 minutes.

What are widgets and why do they need on Xiaomi

Widgets (from English widget - "mini-application") are interactive elements on the home screen that show the current information from applications without having to open them.

• 🌤️ Weather widget - temperature, precipitation, forecast for the week.
• 📅 Calendar - upcoming events, reminders.
• ⏰ Clock/Alarm clock – time in different time zones, timers.
• 📝 Notes – Quick access to to to-do lists or important notes.
• 🏠 Smart home – management of Mi Home devices (lamps, sockets, robot vacuum cleaners).

Xiaomi widgets integrated into the shell MIUI And it can be both standard (from Xiaomi) and third-party (from Google, Yandex, Microsoft, etc.) The main advantage is that you save time: instead of opening the application, you see the data you need right on the screen.

However, in the latest versions MIUI The 13-14 interface for adding widgets has changed, and some users complain that they disappear after the update.

How to add standard widgets to the main screen

Standard widgets (weather, clock, calendar) are already preinstalled in the MIUI. To add them to the main screen, follow the following steps:

1. Press and hold the empty space on the home screen (not the icon!) and the settings menu will appear.
2. Select Widgets (in some versions – Add a widget or icon «+»).
3. Scroll through the list of available widgets. Standard ones are usually at the top (weather, clock, calendar).
4. Click on the desired widget and hold it, then drag it to the free space on the screen.
5. Release your finger, the widget will appear on your desktop, and if necessary, resize it by pulling corners.

If the widget doesn’t appear in the list, check:

• 🔄 Update. MIUI Up to the latest version (Settings) → The phone. → Updating the system).
• 📱 Make sure there is free space on the screen (widgets are not added over icons).
• 🔧 Reboot your phone – sometimes it helps you get your missing widgets back.

On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T Or Redmi Note 11) widgets can be hidden in the launcher settings to return them:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Launcher. MIUI (Lowncher POCO for POCO-models) and select Warehouse.
3. Click Clear the cache and restart the phone.

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If the weather widget is not updated, check the permissions for the weather app in Settings → Annexes → Permits → Geolocation.

Installation of third-party widgets (Google, Yandex, etc.)

In addition to the standard, Xiaomi can install widgets from third-party applications, for example:

• 🌍 Google Weather is an alternative to the standard widget.
• 📊 Yandex Weather – with detailed forecast and precipitation maps.
• 💰 Tinkoff/SberBank – widgets for quick access to the account.
• 🎵 Spotify/YouTube Music - Managing Playback.

To add a third-party widget:

1. Install the app you want from Google Play (like Yandex Weather).
2. Open the widget menu (as in the previous section) and find the section with the app name.
3. Choose the right size of the widget (usually several options are available: 2×1, 4×2 etc.).
4. Drag the widget to the main screen.

If the widget does not appear in the list:

• 🔄 Restart the phone after installing the app.
• 📥 Update the application to the latest version.
• 🔧 Check if the app supports widgets (some lightweight versions, like Google Go, don’t have them).

Important: Some widgets (e.g. bank widgets) require additional authorization through the app before first use.

Customization of appearance and location of widgets

After adding the widget can be changed to your needs:

Change of size

Most widgets support dynamic resizing:

1. Press and hold the widget.
2. Blue bezels will appear with dots at the corners - pull behind them to change size.
3. Some widgets (like Google Weather) are fixed in size and can’t be stretched.

Personalization of content

Many widgets allow you to customize the displayed information:

• 🌤️ In the weather widget, you can select the city, units of measurement (Celsius / Fahrenheit), whether to display the forecast for the week.
• 📅 In the calendar, show only today’s events or the entire month.
• ⏰ In the clock - change the format of time (12/24 add seconds or date.

To open the widget settings:

1. Then, touch the widget once (without holding!).
2. If the widget supports settings, a menu with settings will open (for example, Settings). → Display the forecast for 5 days).

Removal and removal

Widgets can be moved between screens or removed:

• 🔄 To move: Hold the widget and drag it to another screen or to another part of the current one.
• ❌ To remove: Hold the widget and drag it up to the Remove (or basket) inscription).

Problem Solving: Widgets Are Not Working or Losing

If the widgets suddenly disappeared or stopped updating, try the following methods:

Widgets disappear after MIUI update

This is a common problem when moving to MIUI 13/14. Decisions:

1. Reset the launcher settings: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Launcher MIUI → Warehouse → Clear the data.
2. Enable widgets in screen settings: hold the empty space on the screen → Home screen settings → Widgets → Turn on.

The widget is not updated (for example, weather)

Causes and solutions:

• 📶 No Internet – Check the connection to the network.
• 📍 Geolocation disabled – turn it on in Settings → Confidentiality → Permits → Geolocation.
• 🔄 App cache – clear the cache for the app that the widget belongs to (e.g. Weather).
• ⏳ Background Limitation – Check if the application is limited in Settings → Battery → Background restriction.

No widget added (grey when dragging)

Possible causes:

• 📱 Lack of space – free up space on the screen (remove unnecessary icons or widgets).
• 🔧 Launcher error – restart your phone or reset your launcher settings (as described above).
• 🚫 Limitations MIUI — on certain models, for example, POCO F5) Widgets are disabled by default. Include them in Settings → Additionally. → Widgets.

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If the widgets disappear after each update MIUI, Try using an alternative launcher (like Nova Launcher or Apex Launcher) that supports widgets more stable.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models for China (with China firmware) ROM) widgets can be blocked due to regional restrictions, in which case changing the region in the settings will help (Settings) → Additionally. → Region) to Russia or India.

Additional features: widgets for smart home and health

On Xiaomi smartphones, you can display widgets for managing a smart home (Mi Home) and monitoring health (Mi Fitness) on the home screen.

Widget Mi Home (Smart Home)

To add a widget to manage Mi Home devices:

1. Install the Mi Home app and add your devices (lamps, sockets, robot vacuum cleaner) to it.
2. Open the widget menu and find the Mi Home section.
3. Select the Device Management widget (size) 4×1 or 4×2).
4. Drag it onto the screen and set up which devices to display (e.g., only lamps or a robot vacuum cleaner).

Mi Home widgets support:

• 💡 Lights on/off.
• 🔌 Socket management.
• 🤖 Starting a cleaning robot vacuum cleaner.
• 🌡️ Viewing data from sensors (temperature, humidity).

Mi Fitness widget (stepmeter, pulse)

To display health data:

1. Install the Mi Fitness app (or Zepp Life for new models).
2. Connect a compatible device (e.g., Mi Band) 7/8 Xiaomi Watch S3).
3. Add the Mi Fitness widget (size) 2×2 or 4×1) and choose which data to display:

• 👟 Number of steps.
• ❤️ Pulse rate.
• 🔥 Calories spent.
• 😴 Sleep data.

⚠️ Note: Mi Fitness widgets only work when a device is connected (for example, Mi Band). If the gadget is dead or disconnected, the data on the widget will not be updated.

Alternative launchers for advanced widget work

If the standard launcher MIUI limits the functionality of widgets (for example, does not allow you to change the size or add third-party), you can use alternative launchers:

• 🌟 Nova Launcher – supports customization of widgets, gestures, backup settings.
• 🎨 Apex Launcher - flexible configuration of appearance and animations.
• 🔄 Lawnchair - lightweight launcher with support for widgets and themes.
• 📱 POCO Launcher – optimized for devices POCO, It works for other Xiaomis as well.

To install an alternative launcher:

1. Download the launcher from Google Play (like Nova Launcher).
2. Open the app and follow the setup instructions.
3. Select a new launcher as your main one: Settings → Annexes → By default. → Launcher.
4. You can now add widgets through the new launcher menu (usually a long tap on the screen). → Widgets).

Advantages of alternative launchers:

• 🎚️ More customization options (size, transparency, style of widgets).
• 🔄 Support for widgets that don’t work in a standard launcher.
• 📁 Ability to back up screen settings.

Disadvantages:

• 🔋 Minor increase in battery consumption (due to background work).
• 🔄 Certain functions MIUI (Super Wallpapers may not be supported.

FAQ: Frequent questions about widgets on Xiaomi