How to Add a Photo Widget on iPhone

See your best photos right on the home screen

What to Know

  • Press and hold an empty area of the screen and tap the + icon to open the widget menu.
  • Tap Photos, select the size you want, and tap Add Widget.
  • Prevent an image from appearing: Open image in Photos > tap Share icon > tap Remove from Featured Photos.

This article explains how to add a photo widget on an iPhone.

To use iPhone widgets like the photo widget, you need to have iOS 14.0 or newer.

How Do I Add a Photo Widget on iPhone?

You can customize your iPhone’s home screen in a variety of ways, and adding a photo widget is one of the options. When you add the photo widget to your home screen, a selection of your photos will appear in a set position. You can move the location of the widget if you don't like where the system put the widget.

Here’s how to add the photo widget on iPhone:

  1. Press and hold an empty area on your screen until the icons start to jiggle.

  2. Tap the + symbol on the top right.

  3. Swipe down until you reach the list of widgets, and then tap Photos.

    iPhone screen with Add symbol (+) and Photos highlighted

    Several popular widgets are automatically listed at the top of this menu. If you see the photos widget here at the top, you can tap it instead of scrolling down and tapping the photos app icon.

  4. Swipe right and left to examine and choose a widget size.

  5. When you know which widget size you want, tap Add Widget.

    Swipe to see different widget sizes and Add Widget highlighted in iPhone photo widget setup.
  6. The photo widget will appear on your screen.

  7. To move the photos widget, press and hold an empty space on the screen.

  8. When the icons start jiggling, press and hold the photo widget.

  9. Drag the photo widget to a new location.

    iPhone widget screen with showing wiggling icons, press and hold oh photo, and moving photo downward
  10. Release the photo widget.

  11. Tap an empty area of the screen, and the widget will be locked in its new location.

    Release the widget in its new location, then tap a blank spot and the widget will be in its new spot.

How Can I Change Photo Widget Pictures on iPhone?

You can select the size and location of the photos widget on your iPhone, but you can’t choose specific iPhone photo albums or photos to appear in the widget. Apple uses an algorithm to automatically select your best shots, and there’s no way to force specific pictures to appear, to prevent it from showing specific people, or even steer it in any particular direction.

The only control you have over the content of the photo widget on the iPhone is to prevent it from showing specific images the algorithm has already picked out. If you see a photo in the widget you don’t want to see in the widget, you can open it in the Photos app and opt to remove it from your featured photos. That will prevent the photo widget from displaying that particular image in the future.

Here’s how to remove an image from the photo widget on iPhone:

  1. Wait for the photo you want to remove to appear in the widget.

  2. Tap the photo.

  3. Tap the Share icon.

  4. Tap Remove from Featured Photos.

    Share icon and Remove from Featured Photos highlighted in iPhone share settings.
  5. The photo will no longer appear in your photo widget.

FAQ
  • How do I get a Google widget on iPhone?

    To add the Google app widget to your iPhone's home screen for easy access to Google Search, touch and hold the home screen, tap the plus sign, search for the Google app, and tap it. Select the widget size, tap Add Widget, move the widget to where you want it on your home screen, and tap Done.

  • How do I add the Google Calendar widget to an iPhone?

    Touch and hold the home screen, tap the plus sign, search for the Google Calendar app, and tap it. Swipe left to customize the widget size, tap Add Widget, and then tap Done.

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