Creating widgets on Xiaomi: from basic settings to customization

Widgets on Xiaomi devices are not just a desktop decoration, but a powerful tool for quick access to information. Whether you want to display the weather in real time, control a smart home with one touch or create a unique widget for your Mi Band – the possibilities are limited only In this article, we'll look at all the ways that you can add widgets, from standard solutions to the standard. MIUI before creating custom elements using Kivy or Android Studio.

The peculiarity of the Xiaomi ecosystem is that widgets work not only on smartphones (Redmi Note 12, POCO F5, Xiaomi 14, but also on the Mi TV, We will look at each case separately, and give advice to developers who want to publish their widgets in the Mi App Store.

It is important to understand that the functionality of widgets depends on the firmware version. MIUI 14 there was support for dynamic widgets with animation, and in MIUI 15 (beta 2026) adds integration with HyperOS, which opens up new customization options. If your device runs on an older version, some features may not be available, which we'll mention too.

Standard widgets in MIUI: How to add and customize

Let's start with the simplest of them all: built-in widgets that are available out of the box on any Xiaomi smartphone, and you can add them in seconds without installing any additional apps.

To add a widget to the main screen:

1. Touch and hold your finger free space on the desktop.
2. At the bottom of the screen will appear menu – select “Widgets” (icon with squares).
3. Scroll through the list of available widgets (e.g., "Weather", "Calendar", "Notes") and select the one you want.
4. Hold the widget and drag it to the free space of the screen. Some widgets (such as the "Clock") allow you to resize - to do this, pull around the corners after placing.

List of standard widgets in MIUI 14/15 include:

• 🌦️ Weather: displays temperature, humidity and 5-day forecast, and you can choose the city manually or you can turn on geolocation.
• 📅 Calendar – shows the current date and upcoming events from Google Calendar or Mi Calendar.
• ⏰ An alarm clock – analog or digital clock with the ability to quickly create an alarm clock.
• 📝 Notes – Displays the latest notes from the Mi Notes app with quick editing capability.
• 🎵 Music – track playback management (works with Mi Music, Spotify, YouTube Music).
• 🔋 Battery – Charge consumption schedule and list of the most “gluttonous” applications.

Some widgets support interactive elements. For example, in the Weather widget, you can flip through a forecast for several days, and in Music, you can control playback without opening the application. To check the available actions, tap the widget — if it supports interaction, a hint will appear.

💡

If the widget is not updated (for example, the weather shows old data), reboot the device or clear the cache of the application to which it is attached. → Annexes → Application management → [Title of the annex] → Clear the cache

2. widgets for Xiaomi smart watches (Mi Band, Mi Watch)

Xiaomi smartwatches and fitness bracelets also support widgets, but their setup is different from smartphones. Here, widgets are displayed on the watch’s home screen and allow you to quickly access key information: pulse, steps, weather or notifications.

Add or change widgets to Mi Band 7/8 Mi Watch 2 Pro:

1. Open the Mi Fitness app (or Zepp Life for new models) on your smartphone.

The list of available widgets depends on the model of the watch. For example, the Mi Band 8 supports up to 10 widgets, and the Mi Watch 2 Pro - up to 15. Some widgets can be customized: change the order of the displayed data, choose the style of the dial or turn on night mode.

Important: The widgets on Xiaomi watches are only updated when connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth. If the data is not synchronized, check the connection and restart the Mi Fitness app.

3. Widgets on Mi TV: Content management from the main screen

Xiaomi TVs (Mi series) TV A2, Mi TV Q2, Xiaomi TV 65" 2026) also support widgets, but their functionality is limited due to the features of the PatchWall interface or Google. TV (The widgets here are quick shortcuts to run apps, manage a smart home or display the weather.

To add a widget to the Mi main screen TV:

1. Turn on the TV and go to the main screen (the Home button on the remote).
2. Select the free area of the screen and press the "Settings" button (cogs) on the remote.
3. Select "Add widget" or "Change layout" (depending on firmware).
4. In the list of available widgets, select the desired one (for example, "YouTube", "Netflix", "Weather") and confirm the addition.

On Mi. TV The following types of widgets are available:

• 📺 Apps: Quick launch of Prime Video, Disney+, Twitch and other services.
• 🌡️ Weather - data from AccuWeather with a forecast for 3 days.
• 🏠 Smart home – management of Mi Home devices (lamps, sockets, cameras).
• 🎮 Games – shortcuts to run Google Stadia or Xiaomi Game Center.
• 📊 Statistics – viewing times, popular channels (only on PatchWall).

The limitation of Xiaomi TVs is that they do not support third-party widgets (unlike smartphones). APK-File via Send Files to TV or ADB. For example, a Tasker widget for action automation or a Kodi widget for a media library, but this requires the developer mode to be enabled and may violate the warranty.

💡

On Xiaomi TVs with Google TV (Like Mi. TV Q2 2026) Widgets sync with your Google account. If you delete the widget on one device, it will disappear on your TV.

4.Creating custom widgets for Xiaomi (no programming)

If standard widgets aren't enough, you can create your own unique element without knowing the code, and there are special applications that allow you to design widgets from scratch or modify existing ones.

Top.-3 Applications for creating widgets on Xiaomi:

• 🎨 KWGT Kustom Widget Maker is the most powerful solution with support for animations, variables and integration with Tasker.
• 📱 UCCW (Ultimate Custom Clock Widget – A simplified version KWGT Creating watches and minimalist widgets.
• 🌈 Widgetsmith – an application with ready-made templates (calendar, weather, battery) that can be customized a little.

Let’s look at the process of creating a widget in KWGT:

1. Install. KWGT From Google Play and open the app.
2. Press "+" In the bottom menu and select "Create a new widget".
3. Select the size of the widget (for example, 4×2 or 2×1).
4. In the editor, add text, icons, graphics. For example, for a weather widget, use a variable. $wi_temp$ temperature.
5. Save the widget and add it to the home screen as described in the first section.

Example of code for displaying time and date in KWGT:

[time_h]:[time_m]


$df(EEE, d MMM yyyy)$

Where [time_h] and [time_m] — hours and minutes, and $df()$ — date.

Install KWGT Pro (Free version with limitations)|Download additional fonts (if you need non-standard ones)|Connect API weather (for dynamic data)|Export widget in.kwgt format for backup-->

5. Develop widgets for Xiaomi from scratch (for programmers)

If you're familiar with Android, you can create a widget with unique functionality and publish it to the Mi App Store. Kotlin/Java.

The main steps of development:

1. Create a new project in Android Studio with support for App Widget.
2. In the file AndroidManifest.xml Add permissions and widget announcement: <receiver android:name=".MyWidgetProvider"> <intent-filter> <action android:name="android.appwidget.action.APPWIDGET_UPDATE" /> </intent-filter> <meta-data android:name="android.appwidget.provider" android:resource="@xml/widget_info" /> </receiver>
3. Configure the widget layout in the file res/layout/widget_layout.xml.
4. Implement the logic of updating data in the AppWidgetProvider class.
5. Test the widget on an emulator or a real Xiaomi device.
6. Post the widget to the Mi App Store through the Mi Developer Console.

Features of development for Xiaomi:

• 📱 Widgets must support dark theme (required to be published in the Mi App Store).
• 🔄 For dynamic widgets (such as weather), use WorkManager to update periodically.
• 🛡️ The application must request minimum permissions (e.g, INTERNET weather-wise, ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION geolocation).
• 📦 Size APK You must not exceed 50 MB (or you will need to use the App Bundle).

Example of code to update the widget every minute:

override fun onUpdate(context: Context, appWidgetManager: AppWidgetManager, appWidgetIds: IntArray) {


val updateIntent = Intent(context, MyWidgetProvider::class.java)




updateIntent.action = APPWIDGET_UPDATE_ACTION




val pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getBroadcast(




context,




0,




updateIntent,




PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT or PendingIntent.FLAG_IMMUTABLE




)




val alarmManager = context.getSystemService(Context.ALARM_SERVICE) as AlarmManager




alarmManager.setRepeating(




AlarmManager.RTC,




System.currentTimeMillis(),




60,000, // 1 minute




pendingIntent




)




}

💡

Widgets for Xiaomi must be moderated in the Mi App Store, which takes up to 7 days.The main reasons for the rejection: lack of support for Cyrillic, the design mismatch with the guidelines MIUI and excessive data collection.

6.Widget Problems on Xiaomi and Their Solutions

Sometimes widgets stop working, don't update, or disappear after a firmware update, and let's look at the typical problems and ways to solve them.

If the widget stopped working after the MIUI update, try the following steps:

1. Remove the widget from the main screen and add it again.
2. Check if the background mode for the associated application is disabled (Settings) → Annexes → Permits → Auto-start).
3. Update the app that the widget is attached to (e.g. Mi Weather or Google).
4. If the problem persists, reset your desktop settings: Settings → Desktop → Resetting settings.

7. Xiaomi Smart Home Widgets (Mi Home)

The Mi Home app allows you to create widgets for quick control of smart devices: lamps, sockets, cameras and sensors, these widgets can be placed on the home screen of a smartphone or on the screen of a smart watch.

To add a smart home widget:

1. Open the Mi Home app and make sure all devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Scroll through the list to the “Mi Home” section and select the widget you want: 💡 Lamp control – on/off, changing brightness and color. 🔌 Socket - button on / off with display of power consumption. 📹 The camera is a quick stream view from the Mi Home Security Camera. 🌡️ Sensors - temperature, humidity, level CO₂ (Mi Temperature and Humidity Sensor).

Place the widget on the screen and set it up (for example, select a specific lamp from the list).

For smartwatches (Mi Band 8, Mi Watch 2 Pro), smart home widgets are added via the Mi Fitness app:

1. Open Mi Fitness and go to the Device Management section.
2. Select a smart device (such as Mi Smart Plug).
3. Click "Add to the screen watch" - the widget will appear in the list of available.

Limitation: Mi Home widgets only work when you’re connected to the Internet, if Wi-Fi or mobile is disabled, device management will be unavailable, and some devices (such as Mi Robot Vacuum) don’t support widgets, but you need to use XiaoAI voice assistant.

💡

If the smart home widget doesn’t update the status of the device (for example, the lamp is turned on and the widget shows off), reconnect the device to the Mi Home app: Device Settings → Three points. → Reconnect.

FAQ: Frequent questions about widgets on Xiaomi