Don’t loose, just pile up: how I controlled my growing Android widget obsession

Although I like its abundance unique widget The affection that Android provides me is slipping away. I admit, I probably don’t need dozens of widgets on my device, even though I’ve grown to like my awkward setup.

To fuel this passion, I use Quesitso As my favorite launcher because it offers vertically scrolling (daisy chained) widgets on its homepage. This layout gives me the freedom to add as many widgets as possible, making the list quite long. However, as much as it pains me, I must simplify my widget layout to increase productivity. So, I searched for a solution to my widget hoarding problem and I found one: Stacks.

While Quexitso remains my favorite launcher, it lacks one key home screen management feature: widget stacking. Stacks allow multiple, different widgets to reside on top of each other in the same part of your home screen. They can be rotated through a simple horizontal or vertical scroll, freeing up the rest of the home screen for other important information or icons. As you can probably imagine, this is a handy way to manage the myriad widgets on my phone, but it introduces natural restrictions.

Unfortunately, widget stacking is not an innate feature on Android (unless you’re a Samsung One UI user). Many third-party launchers offer this and my favorite of these is niagaraso i downloaded it again And set it as my default launcher.

I have a history with Niagara, I purchased it back in 2022, but I’ve barely used it on my device. As a maximalist, I struggle with this as my main launcher, but since January is the best time to make resolutions you’ll stick to for a few weeks, I’m giving it another go. Its distraction-free focus and clean design make it the perfect solution for my promiscuous widget use.

To create widget stacks on Niagara, you will need the premium version of the app. Once you buy it:

1. Long press the watch to access Niagara’s main settings
2. choose Add Custom WidgetThen select your widget.
3. After this, repeat the first two steps. A new dialog will welcome you explaining how the widget stack system works. Tap Create widget stack.
4. Your home and other widgets will now be on the same area of ​​the home screen. You can add up to four widgets to the stack.

So, did this fix my Android widget problems? Mostly, yes! Niagara is a unique launcher that oozes simplicity. The widget stack feature feels like an afterthought, done to please users rather than stick to its core belief. Still, this helped me reduce the number of widgets I deemed necessary.

Niagara isn’t the only launcher that supports Android widget stacking, even though it was the best solution for me. I tried two other options, namely Action Launcher and Smart Launcher.

action launcher Feels like a mix between Nova Launcher and Pixel Launcher. It introduced widget stacking to its repertoire in 2021, long before Samsung added it to One UI. I like the simplicity of this implementation, which allows enough space to place multiple stacks on the home screen and important icons above or below them. Unlike Niagara, scrolling through widgets requires a vertical flick, which is a problem for some of my vertically scrolling widgets (my calendar events list, for example).

It’s a powerful launcher for those who want a Nova equivalent with widget management, but I couldn’t get past its annoying subscription nag boxes and weird default font. It’s important to note that Actions offers widget stacking in the free version.

related to smart launcherIt locks widget stacking behind its premium offering, which you can’t even try before you buy. Still, adding a widget stack is just as simple in action, except Smart offers four different sizes for your stack. Like Niagara, widgets rotate horizontally – a more sensible arrangement for my needs.

What other widget-taming options exist?

If you’re willing to look beyond the Android launcher, several third-party apps helped me cure my widget madness.

Instead of sticking a noticeboard of widgets on your home screen as I do, Popup Widgets hides these within app shortcuts. The benefits are obvious: Excessive widgets are hidden and accessed only when you need them, but this strength is also a hindrance. Ironically, opening each data-heavy widget by swiping on an icon wasted more of my time. I want this information to be ready immediately.

popup widget However, there is still space on my phone. This is beneficial for opening shortcut widgets like Google Home or SmartThings widgets. You can see how it handles widgets from one of my favorite apps, daily words,

panels Attempts to solve this problem but keeps widgets hidden until they are needed. As its name suggests, it offers fly-out panels for shortcuts, apps, and widgets on the sides of your phone’s screen. The free version allows a single widget panel, which has made me even more conscious of my choices. This is great for hiding cluttered widgets like a calendar, event list or vertical weather forecast. The example above uses a widget from the Weather app breezy,

Making sudden, sweeping changes to my smartphone workflow probably wasn’t the most straightforward idea, but I’ve enjoyed the practice. After a few weeks of experimenting with various Android widget stacking tools and management solutions, I intend to stick with one set, namely Niagara and Panels. retro icon For complete aesthetic freshness.

I know many users don’t like installing a third-party launcher to access a specific feature, and perhaps Google will eventually add widget stacking. android 16It’s definitely on my wish list for upcoming Android updates. Thankfully, developers have already acknowledged the usefulness of this feature.

How long can I go without my essential Android widgets? I’m not entirely convinced, but I’m willing to adopt a less cluttered home screen for the foreseeable future.