How to Fix iPhone Widgets Not Working

With the release of iOS 14, Apple finally made it possible for iPhone users to enjoy widgets on their Home Screens. This has done wonders to improve the usability and functionality of different apps. While also opening up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to customizing the look and feel of your iPhone and its different screens.

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• iOS 16 Lock Screen: How To Customize iPhone

Fast forward to the release of iOS 16, and Apple has turned things up another notch, as it has completely reimagined the Lock Screen experience. You can now go so far as to add an array of widgets that appear above and beneath the clock on your Lock Screen. Unfortunately, users quickly discovered that they ran into instances where they needed to fix iPhone widgets not working.

How to Fix iPhone Widgets Not Working

There are a couple of steps you can take, if you need to fix iPhone widgets not working, and they don’t require you to simply wipe the device and start from scratch.

Remove and Add The Widget Again

The simplest way to try and fix iPhone widgets not working is to simply remove the widget and the add it back again. This applies to both the Home Screen and the Lock Screen. However, the steps you need to take to remove and add the widget back are a bit different between the Home Screen and Lock Screen.

1. Long-press the widget that you want to remove.
2. From the drop-down menu, tap the Remove Widget button.
3. Restart your iPhone.
4. Once restarted, long-press on an empty space on your Home Screen.
5. Tap the + icon in the top left corner.
6. Search for the widget that you wish to add.
7. Select the widget and place it on your Home Screen.

If you are wanting to fix iPhone widgets not working on the Lock Screen, here’s how you can remove the widget and add it back:

1. Tap your iPhone’s screen (or press the Side button) to wake it.
2. Long press on the Lock Screen.
3. Tap the Customize button at the bottom of the screen.
4. Tap the widget that is not working.
5. When the Add Widgets panel appears, tap the – icon in the top left corner of the widget to remove it.
6. Tap the empty space between your widgets and the widget picker on your Lock Screen.
7. Tap Done in the top right corner.
8. Restart your iPhone.

Once your iPhone is finished restarting, you’ll need to enter your passcode before being able to proceed. After you’ve authenticated yourself, you can follow these steps to add the lock screen widget back:

1. Press and hold on to an empty area until you feel your iPhone vibrate.
2. Tap the Customize button at the bottom of the screen.
3. Tap the widget outline for where you want to place the widget.
4. Scroll through the list and locate the widget that you wish to add.
5. Drag and drop the widget into place.
6. Tap Done in the top right corner.

Now, the widget should be back to working properly, displaying whatever information you need, or just providing a shortcut to open an app when the iPhone is unlocked. If you are still needing to fix iPhone widgets not working, then there’s another set of steps you might need to take.

Delete And Reinstall The App

The next easiest way to try and get an app and its widgets to work properly is to simply delete it and reinstall it. Doing so will remove the data stored on your device, and restarting your iPhone after deleting the app helps to make sure that there aren’t any lingering “crumbs” that could continue to cause issues.

1. Unlock your iPhone.
2. Locate the app that you are experiencing issues with.
3. Long-press the app icon until you enter “jiggle” mode.
4. Tap the – button in the top left corner of the app icon.
5. When prompted, confirm that you want to delete the app.
6. Restart your iPhone.
7. Once restarted, open the App Store and re-install the app.

Once the app is reinstalled, make sure that you open and interact with it for at least a minute or two. This includes simply signing into the app if you need to, or just leaving it open and running in the foreground.

Some have found this to be an easy way to fix iPhone widgets that aren’t working properly. But your mileage may vary, and you might even want to restart after reinstalling the app and opening it before trying to add the widget to your Home Screen or Lock Screen.

Change Your iPhone Language

While app developers have had most of the summer to work out the kinks in their apps along with bringing support for Lock Screen widgets, there are almost always bugs that can cause issues. This is also the case with the update to iOS 16, as some users found that they were unable to get a widget to appear or function properly. Thankfully, there is a workaround available if you need to fix iPhone widgets not working on iOS 16:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap General.
3. Scroll down and tap Language & Region.
4. At the top of the page, tap Add Language…
5. Select a language from the list of options.
6. If prompted, restart your iPhone.
7. In the event that you are not prompted, make your language selection and then manually restart your iPhone.

It appears as though this will work for some users, provided that you perform a restart after the language has been changed. From there, you can try and follow the steps above to add the widget to your Home Screen before proceeding. However, if you find that this doesn’t work for you, follow these steps without changing the language back:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap iPhone Storage.
4. Locate and select the app that you are experiencing issues with.
5. Tap the Offload App button.
6. From the pop-up prompt, tap Offload App again to confirm.
7. Wait a few moments.
8. Tap the Reinstall App button from the App Info screen.

Once the app is finished reinstalling, you can go back to your Home Screen and try to add the widget that you were having issues with previously. With iOS 16 specifically, this is said to fix iPhone widgets not working, but just make sure you go into the Settings app and change the language back to your default language after confirming that everything is working properly.

Andrew Myrick

Andrew Myrick is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US. He enjoys everything to do with technology, including tablets, smartphones, and everything in between. Perhaps his favorite past-time is having a never-ending supply of different keyboards and gaming handhelds that end up collecting more dust than the consoles that are being emulated.