Personalizing your desktop is the first step to making using your smartphone truly convenient and efficient. Owners of brand devices Samsung have a unique opportunity to customize the interface thanks to the shell One UIwhich offers flexible tools for managing screen space. Replacing standard icons with informative tiles allows you to access important data without unlocking the phone or going into applications.
However, the process of changing widgets on Android Samsung may raise questions for beginners, especially after major system updates, when the menu logic changes slightly. Some users experience that familiar elements disappear or no longer display correctly after changing the theme. In this article, we will analyze in detail all the nuances of working with the interface, from simple addition to deep adjustment of the size and transparency of elements.
Basic principles of working with the One UI desktop
Interface One UI is built on the principle of ergonomics, where all important controls are located at the bottom of the screen for ease of use with one hand. To start changing widgets, you need to enter edit mode. To do this, just long press (tap and hold) on any free area of the main screen or simply pinch the screen with two fingers, as if you want to zoom out. This action will activate the customization mode, where new menus will appear at the bottom of the display.
In this mode, you will see several options, including “Wallpaper and Style”, “Widgets”, “Applications” and “Home Screen Settings”. We are interested in the section Widgets. By clicking on it, the system will open a complete list of all available elements that can be placed on the desktop. It contains both system utilities from Samsung and Google, as well as elements from third-party applications you have installed, such as weather services, calendars or players.
It is important to understand the difference between an application shortcut and a widget. A shortcut is simply a button to launch a app, while a widget is a mini-app that can display dynamic information directly on the screen. For example, the weather widget shows real-time temperature, and the calendar widget shows upcoming events. Using these elements turns your lock screen and desktop into a dashboard, saving you time.
⚠️ Warning: When your desktop is crowded with widgets, your system may become slower and consume more power. Do not place more than 10-12 active widgets on one screen, unless you have a flagship model with a large amount of RAM.
Step-by-step guide for adding new elements
The process of installing a new element is intuitive, but has its own characteristics depending on the size of the selected object. After entering the widget menu through a long press on the screen, you will see a vertical list of categories. Scroll down to find the app you want. Some popular apps, for example Google or Samsung Weather, may have several display options: from a small icon to a large panel on half the screen.
Having selected the desired element, click on it and hold your finger. The system will offer you several size options (if provided by the developer). Drag the selected option to an empty space on your desktop. If the space is occupied by other icons, the system will automatically move them to free up space. If there is critically little space, the widget simply will not fit, and you will have to delete something unnecessary or go to another screen.
After placing the widget on the screen, a pop-up menu often appears asking you to configure its settings. This could be choosing a city for the weather, an account for the calendar, or a clock display style. You should not ignore this step, as the default settings may not suit your needs. To re-enter the settings, just click on the installed widget and hold your finger, then select “Resize” or “Settings”.
☑️ Algorithm for installing the widget
It is worth noting that some widgets require an active Internet connection to work correctly. If you have installed a news feed or exchange rate and the data is not updating, check the network access settings for your specific application. Also make sure that the widget is allowed to run in the background, otherwise it may show outdated information.
Deleting, moving and resizing
Sooner or later it becomes necessary to clear the desktop of unnecessary information or change the layout of elements. Removing a widget on Samsung is as easy as installing it. Press and hold the unnecessary element with your finger until vibration appears and an action menu appears. An area labeled “Delete” or a trash can icon will appear at the top of the screen. Drag a widget into this area and it will disappear from the screen, but will remain available in the installation menu.
Resizing is one of the most useful features of the shell One UI. Not all widgets support this option, but most system widgets (calendar, mail, tasks) allow you to stretch them vertically and horizontally. To resize, long-press the widget, release your finger when the menu appears, and select Resize. Blue markers will appear around the element, by pulling which you can set the desired dimensions.
Sometimes the widget takes up too much space and overlaps important icons. In this case, you can move it to another screen or folder. Simply hold an item and drag it to the edge of the screen to move to the next desktop page. You can also create a folder by dragging a widget on top of another icon, although this function is not supported for all types of interface elements.
| Action type | Control gesture | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Editing | Long press on an empty space | Open the table settings menu |
| Move | Long press + drag | Change element position |
| Delete | Drag to the "Delete" zone | Hide an element from the screen |
| Resize | Resize menu + markers | Stretch or shrink solids |
Setting transparency and display style
The visual component of the desktop plays an important role in the perception of information. The shell Samsung One UI allows you to make widgets translucent so that they blend harmoniously with your wallpaper. This feature is especially relevant for dark themes or bright background images, where solid colors can look alien.
To change the transparency, hold down the widget and select the option to change the style or transparency (not available for all widgets, mainly for Samsung system panels). A slider will appear, by moving which you can make the background of the element completely transparent, leaving only text and icons, or make it matte and dense. This helps create the effect of depth and integration of the interface into the overall picture.
In addition to transparency, many widgets support changing color schemes. In the settings of the widget itself, you can often choose between a light and dark theme, as well as an accent color that adapts to the overall palette of the system. If you use the Color Palette (Color Picker) function in the wallpaper settings, widgets will automatically adjust to the dominant color of your background.
Use a dark theme for widgets if you have an AMOLED screen. Black pixels on such screens are not backlit, which significantly saves battery power when there are a large number of widgets on the desktop.
It is worth considering that third-party widgets from the store Google Play may not support Samsung's native transparency. In such cases, you have to rely on the internal settings of the developer application itself. Some launchers and customization utilities allow you to apply filters on top of any elements, but this may require advanced access rights.
Problems with widgets and ways to solve them
Often, users are faced with a situation where widgets stop updating, display black squares, or disappear after rebooting the phone. Most often, the reason lies in aggressive battery optimization, which kills background application processes. To solve this problem, you need to go to the battery settings and disable optimization for the specific application whose widget is not working.
To do this, go to Settings → Device maintenance → Battery → Background restrictions. Find the application responsible for the problematic widget in the list and make sure that it is not in the “Applications in Deep Sleep” or “Sleeping Applications” list. Move it to the “Unlimited” category so that the system does not interrupt its operation.
Another common problem is incompatibility of widgets after updating the Android version. Application developers may not have time to adapt their products to new security requirements or changes in the system API. In this case, clearing the application cache or completely reinstalling it helps. If the widget continues to work incorrectly, it may be worth looking for an alternative application with similar functionality.
Why does the widget show old data?
Most often this is due to the fact that the application does not have permission to run in the background or access geolocation. Check permissions in the application settings.
If the widget does not display correctly (overlaps other elements or has distorted borders), try changing the desktop grid. Go to the main screen settings and select a different grid configuration, such as 5x5 instead of 4x5. This will change the size of the cells, and the widget can fit into place correctly.
Third-party widgets and expanded functionality
The standard set of widgets from Samsung and Google covers the basic needs, but sometimes you want something unique. The app store offers thousands of customization solutions, from beautiful retro-style clocks to complex smart home control panels. Installing third-party widgets is no different from working with standard ones: after downloading the application, it automatically appears in the general list of widgets.
- 🌤 Weather & Widget - popular weather applications with animated backgrounds and detailed forecasts.
- 📅 Business Calendar - powerful calendar widgets with support for tasks and color coding of events.
- 🎵 Music Widget - stylized players that change design depending on the album cover.
- 🔋 Battery Widget Reborn —informative charge indicators not only of the phone, but also of connected devices.
When using third-party solutions, it is important to monitor the permissions. A beautiful clock widget with a second hand may require constant access to the Internet to synchronize time, which will affect battery life. Always check what data the application asks for during installation. Some widgets require Accessibility to work, which gives them extensive control over the system.
Optimization and impact on performance
Each active widget is a small process running in the background. The more widgets you have, especially those that frequently update data (news, social networks, mail), the higher the load on the processor and RAM. On modern Samsung flagships this is almost unnoticeable, but on budget series models Galaxy A or older devices, an excess of widgets can lead to interface sluggishness.
To optimize system performance, it is recommended to use static widgets where possible. For example, a calendar widget that updates once an hour is less resource-intensive than a Twitter feed widget that updates every minute. It is also worth disabling animations in the settings of the widgets themselves if you notice a decrease in the smoothness of your smartphone.
Regularly inspect your desktop. Remove app widgets that you no longer use. Often we install a news aggregator widget, read it for a week, and then forget, and it continues to consume traffic and resources in the background. A clean desktop is the key to fast operation of your device.
⚠️ Attention: The interface and settings may vary slightly depending on the version of the One UI shell and the model of your smartphone. If you do not find this option, check for system updates in the settings menu.
The optimal number of active widgets for a balance between beauty and performance is no more than 5-7 pieces on one screen.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why do widgets reset after rebooting the phone? disappear?
This may occur due to a malfunction of the launcher or a conflict with the installed theme. Try resetting your home screen in Settings → Applications → One UI Home → Storage → Reset. Also check if the power saving mode is enabled, which may block widgets from loading at startup.
Is it possible to place a widget on the Samsung lock screen?
Yes, on many Samsung models with One UI 3.0 and higher, you can add widgets to the lock screen. To do this, go to “Settings → Lock screen → Widgets” and select the desired elements. However, the number of slots is limited, and some system widgets may not be available for this zone.
How to make a widget transparent if there is no such option in the settings?
If the standard transparency setting is not available for a specific widget, you can try using third-party launchers (for example, Nova Launcher), which allow you to adjust the transparency of any elements. Or use add-on applications that create a transparent background on top of the widget, although this may not always look aesthetically pleasing.
Why does the weather widget show the wrong location?
Most likely, the Weather application or widget does not have access to geolocation. Go to “Settings → Applications”, find the weather application, select “Permissions” and make sure that access to the location is allowed (it is better to select “Allow only when in use” or “Always” if the widget should work on the lock screen).