A weather widget puts the live forecast right on your Home Screen — no app to open. This complete guide explains what weather widgets are, why they're useful, and the exact steps to add and customize one on your iPhone.
A weather widget is a small, glanceable panel that lives on your iPhone Home Screen, Lock Screen, or Today View and displays current weather conditions in real time. Instead of opening a full weather app, you see the temperature, conditions, and forecast the moment you look at your phone.
Most weather widgets show the essentials at a glance: the current temperature, a condition icon (sunny, cloudy, rain), the high and low for the day, and often an hourly or multi-day outlook. Premium widgets add live radar, air quality, sunrise and sunset times, and dynamic backgrounds that change with the weather and time of day.
Weather widgets exist to save you time and keep you prepared. Because the information is always visible, you make faster decisions about your day without tapping through an app.
iOS supports widgets in several places and sizes, so you can pick the level of detail you want.
Placed among your app icons in small, medium, or large sizes. The large size can show an hourly timeline plus a multi-day forecast.
Compact widgets that sit above or below the clock, ideal for a quick temperature or condition check the instant you pick up your phone.
Swipe right from the Home or Lock Screen to see a scrollable column of widgets, including weather, with room for more detail.
Adding a weather widget to your Home Screen takes less than a minute. Here's exactly how:
Touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, choose Lock Screen, then tap a widget slot above or below the clock and select your weather widget.
Once a widget is on your screen, touch and hold it and tap Edit Widget to change its options — for example the location it tracks or the units it displays. Many widgets let you choose between Celsius and Fahrenheit, switch locations, or pick a visual style.
A great weather widget needs to be accurate, beautiful, and genuinely glanceable. Weather Widget Magic combines a clean, precise weather app with dynamic, innovative widgets that adapt to conditions and the time of day — complete with live radar and one-hour rain and hail alerts.
Dynamic widgets, live radar and precise forecasts — free on the App Store.
Make sure Background App Refresh and Location Services are enabled for your weather app in Settings, and that you have an internet connection. Widgets update periodically to save battery, so brief delays are normal.
Many weather widgets are free, including Weather Widget Magic. Some apps offer optional premium features such as advanced radar or extra widget styles.
Yes. Touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, select a widget slot, and choose your weather widget — available on iOS 16 and later.
Touch and hold the widget, tap Edit Widget, and change the location to any city you like instead of your current location.