Weather is one of those parameters that we check automatically as soon as we unlock the phone. Instead of opening the application every time and searching for the information you need, it is much more convenient to place weather widget right on your desktop. Yandex offers Android users one of the most functional and beautiful solutions in this segment.
However, despite the popularity of the service, the process of adding a widget may raise questions among those who have recently changed their phone or updated the operating system version. The shell interfaces of different manufacturers (Samsung, Xiaomi, Pixel) differ, but the general principle remains the same. In this article, we will look in detail at how to correctly install and configure Yandex Weather on your device.
Correct setup allows you to see not only the current temperature, but also a forecast for several days, humidity levels and even a precipitation map, without making unnecessary clicks. Let's move from theory to practice and make your screen more informative.
Preparing the device and installing the application
The first and most obvious step is to have the application itself on your smartphone. The widget cannot work autonomously; it requires a connection with the main software. If you just bought a new phone or reset the settings to factory settings, make sure that Yandex Weather is installed. Go to the official application store Yandex Weather installed.
Go to the official app store Google Play Market or Galaxy Store (for Samsung devices). Enter the name of the service in the search bar. Pay attention to the developer: this must be a company Yandex Apps. Download the application and wait for the installation to complete.
After installation, be sure to launch the application at least once. This is a critical point that beginners often miss. When you first start it, the system will ask for permission to access geolocation. Without this, the widget will not be able to show the weather specifically for your city.
⚠️ Attention: If you deny the application access to the location at the initial setup stage, the widget will display the weather for a random city or require manual input each time the data is updated.
It is also worth checking in the settings of the application itself whether data synchronization is enabled. Sometimes energy-saving modes of a smartphone can block background updating of the widget, causing the information on the screen to become outdated.
☑️ Check before installing the widget
Adding a widget to the desktop: a universal method
The procedure for adding elements to the home screen in Android is standardized, but the names of menu items may differ slightly depending on the model of your gadget. We will look at an algorithm that works on most devices running pure Android and popular shells.
Find free space on one of the desktops. Make a long press (tap and hold) with your finger on an empty area of the screen where there are no application icons. After a second, a toolbar with additional options will appear at the bottom of the screen.
In the menu that appears, select the item Widgets (or Widgets). A list of all available widgets installed on your phone will open. The list can be quite long, so scroll down to find the section you need.
- 📍 Find a section in the list Weather or specifically Yandex Weather.
- 🖱️ Click on the section name to reveal the available options for sizes and styles.
- 📏 Select the appropriate size: from a compact strip to a large square with a map.
- 👆 Hold the selected option with your finger and drag it to an empty space on the desktop.
After When you release your finger, the widget will be fixed on the screen. If the space is occupied by other icons, the system will automatically move them to free up space. Now the current temperature is displayed on your screen.
If the widget does not appear in the general list, try finding it through the search inside the widget menu by entering the word "Yandex" or "Weather".
Customizing the appearance and size
Yandex offers users flexibility in choosing a design. A widget is not just a static image, but an interactive element that can be adapted to the style of your theme. Different sizes of widgets carry different information loads.
A compact widget (usually 4x1 or 2x1) shows only the current temperature and weather conditions icon. This is an ideal option for minimalists who do not want to clutter the screen with unnecessary details. The medium size (4x2) adds a forecast for the coming days and sunrise/sunset times.
The most informative is the large widget (4x4 or 4x5). It includes an interactive precipitation map, detailed hourly forecast, humidity, wind and pressure data. The choice of a specific size depends on your needs and the available space on your desktop.
| Widget size | Displayed information | Recommended space |
|---|---|---|
| Small (2x1) | Temperature, icon | Top status line |
| Medium (4x2) | Forecast for 3 days, time | Central part of the screen |
| Large (4x4) | Map, detailed forecast, wind | Bottom of the main screen |
| Horizontal (4x1) | Temperature + short forecast | Second row of icons |
To resize an already installed widget, click on it and hold your finger until a frame with markers around the edges appears. Drag the handles to stretch or shrink the element. Not all widget models support on-the-fly resizing; some require deleting and adding a new instance of the desired format.
Selecting a location and manually managing cities
One of the key functions is the ability to track the weather not only where you are right now, but also in other cities. This is especially true for travelers or those who want to know the weather in the city where relatives live.
By default, the widget uses the function Geolocation. It automatically detects your coordinates via GPS or cell towers. However, automatic detection can sometimes fail, especially if you are in a building with a poor signal or use VPN services.
To add an additional city, click on the widget itself to open the full application. The name of the current city is usually displayed at the top of the screen. Click on it or the magnifying glass/plus icon. In the list that opens, you can enter the name of the desired locality.
After adding several cities, you can switch between them directly from the widget (swipe left-right), if the selected widget style supports this function. This allows you to instantly compare the weather in Moscow and, for example, in Sochi.
⚠️ Attention: When using VPN services, automatic city detection may show incorrect data (for example, the weather of the server country). In such cases, it is recommended to manually assign the desired city in the widget settings.
Also in the application settings, you can disable automatic location detection and use only manually added cities. This helps save battery power, since the GPS module will not be constantly polled by the system.
Solving problems with data updating
Sometimes users encounter a situation where the widget “freezes”: it shows yesterday’s temperature or the sun icon, although it is raining outside the window. This is a common problem associated with the aggressive energy-saving policies of modern smartphones.
The Android system strives to maximize battery life, so it can “freeze” the background activity of applications that, according to the algorithms, are not currently in use. The weather widget falls into this risk category.
To fix this, you need to go to your phone settings. Find the section Applications → All applications → Yandex Weather. Inside the application menu, find the item Battery or Energy consumption.
Change the operating mode to No restrictions or No restrictions. This will let the system know that the application is allowed to run in the background and update widget data even when the screen is turned off.
Why does the widget show the old weather?
Most often the reason is that the system killed the update process to save energy. Less commonly, there is a problem with the Internet connection at the time of the last update. Try swiping down on the widget to force an update.
Another reason may be the lack of a stable Internet connection. The widget does not store the weekly forecast in the phone's memory; it requests fresh data from Yandex servers. Check if you have access to a Wi-Fi network or mobile data.
For stable operation of the widget, you must allow the application to run in the background and access to the mobile data in the battery settings.
Personalization: themes and transparency
The visual component plays an important role in the perception of information. Yandex Weather allows you to adapt the appearance of the widget to your desktop wallpaper. This makes the interface more holistic and pleasing to the eye.
In some versions of the application and Android shells, you can adjust the transparency of the widget background. You can make the background completely transparent so that only numbers and icons are visible, or choose a translucent background for better readability on colorful wallpaper.
It is also worth paying attention to the dark theme. If you use dark wallpapers or the system's night mode, the widget will automatically adjust by inverting the text colors from black to white. This reduces eye strain in the dark.
- 🎨 Use light wallpapers to contrast with the dark elements of the widget.
- 🌙 Enable dark theme in your phone settings to automatically adapt colors.
- 🔍 Make sure the widget text is readable against your background screensavers.
Remember that excessive detail and a large number of widgets can visually overload the desktop. Try to maintain a balance between functionality and aesthetics, leaving enough "air" between interface elements.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why did the weather widget disappear from the home screen after a reboot?
This can happen if the application was uninstalled or moved to an SD card (which is not recommended for system widgets). Also check to see if Space Saver or Simple Mode is enabled, which may hide widgets. Try adding it again through the widget menu.
Is it possible to change the font or color of the numbers on the widget?
You cannot change the font or color of individual elements inside the widget using standard Yandex Weather application tools. Colors depend on the selected theme (light/dark) and background. To change fonts globally, you will need third-party launchers or themes for the entire Android system.
The widget shows the temperature in Fahrenheit, how can I change it to Celsius?
Go to the Yandex Weather application itself, click on the profile icon or menu (three bars/dots). Go to Settings → Units of measurement and select Degrees Celsius (°C). The widget will update automatically within a few seconds.
Why does the widget take up a lot of space on the screen and overlap the icons?
Widgets have a fixed grid. If you choose a large size (eg 4x4), it will physically take up the space of 16 icons. Try removing this widget and adding a smaller version (such as 4x2 or 2x1) to free up space for app shortcuts.
Does the widget work without the Internet?
No, the widget requires an Internet connection to display the current temperature and forecast. Without a network, it can show the latest saved data, but it will quickly become out of date. For geolocation to work, access to the network to clarify coordinates is also desirable.