⚠️ Attention: The Settings menu interface may differ depending on the manufacturer of your device (Samsung, Xiaomi, Pixel, Realme) and operating system version. Some items may have a different name or be moved to other subcategories.
Displaying the current air temperature on the desktop or in the status bar is a popular feature that allows you to quickly assess weather conditions without opening third-party applications. However, users often encounter the fact that after purchasing a new Android smartphone, the degrees icon disappears, or the system does not offer such a widget by default. This is puzzling, especially if the weather was always displayed on the previous device.
In fact, weather widget is a standard component of most Android skins, but it can be disabled or removed accidentally. In other cases, the geolocation service must be activated for correct operation, since the system cannot determine your location to display the latest data. In this article, we will look at all the possible ways to return the treasured numbers to the screen, from using built-in tools to installing third-party solutions.
Activating the built-in weather widget
The easiest and most energy-efficient way to see the temperature is to use the system widget that is already preinstalled on your device. Smartphone manufacturers, such as Samsung, Xiaomi or Honorusually integrate a weather module directly into the launcher. In order to place it on the desktop, you need to perform a few simple steps in the screen control interface.
Press and hold your finger on a free area of the desktop for 2-3 seconds. An editing menu will appear on the screen, where you need to select the item Widgets or Widgets. In the list that opens, find the “Weather” category or the icon with the image of a sun and a cloud. Select a block of appropriate size and drag it to the free space.
- ☀️ Choose a widget with a minimalist design if you want to see only the current temperature.
- 🌤️ Give preference to large widgets that show the forecast for several days ahead.
- 📍 Make sure that the widget supports automatic data updating without manual intervention.
After placing the widget on the screen, the system may request permission to access the geolocation. This is a critical step: without coordinates location services they will not be able to calculate the weather for your specific city. If you deny access, the widget may show data for the capital by default or remain blank.
If the widget shows the wrong city, click on it once to open the weather application, and manually change the location in the application settings.
Setting access rights and geolocation
Often the problem with the lack of degrees lies not in the absence of a widget, but in the ban on using the GPS module for background applications. In order to save battery power, the Android operating system may limit the operation of weather services if they are not given the appropriate ones. This causes the widget to display outdated data or an error icon. permissions. This causes the widget to display outdated data or an error icon.
To correct the situation, go to the menu Settings → Applications → All applications. Find the “Weather” system application in the list (it may be called differently, for example, “Mi Weather” or “Samsung Weather”). Go to the “Permissions” section and make sure that the “Location” item is activated and has the status “Always allowed” or “Allowed only when used.”
⚠️ Attention: For accurate operation of weather services, you must enable the GPS module itself in the notification shade. If the geolocation icon is turned off, no application will be able to determine your coordinates.
It is also worth checking your energy saving settings. In some shells, for example in MIUI or OneUI, there is an “Autorun” or “Work in the background” function. If it is disabled for a weather app, the widget will not be able to update data when the smartphone screen is turned off. Enable this option to ensure that the information is up to date at any time of the day.
☑️ Checking geolocation settings
Using third-party weather applications
If the standard system tools do not suit you in terms of design or functionality, you can always install a specialized application from the store Google Play. Third-party developers offer more flexible display settings, including choice of units of measurement, data sources, and icon styles. This is an excellent option for those who want to customize their desktop.
Among the most popular solutions are open source applications or those that have a high rating in the store. After installing such an application, the process of adding a widget is similar to the built-in one: long tap on the desktop, select the “Widgets” section and search for the name of the installed application. Often such widgets look much more modern and more informative.
When choosing an application, pay attention to the presence of advertising and battery consumption. Some "beautiful" weather applications require constant synchronization in the background, which can significantly reduce your battery life. Read reviews before installation to avoid hidden problems. Android smartphone. Read reviews before installation to avoid hidden problems.
| Application name | Features | Resource consumption |
|---|---|---|
| Google Weather | Minimalism, accurate data | Low |
| Today Weather | Selecting a data source, dark theme | Medium |
| Overdrop | Beautiful animations, customization | High |
| AccuWeather | Detailed forecast, radar | Average |
Changing units of measurement: Celsius or Fahrenheit
Sometimes users are looking for a way to “set degrees,” meaning changing the temperature measurement scale. By default, in Russia and most CIS countries, the Celsius scale (°C) is used, however, when changing the region in the settings of your Google account or the application itself, the interface may switch to Fahrenheit (°F). Returning the usual values is quite simple through the settings menu.
Open the weather application that is used by your widget. Go to its settings (usually this is a gear icon or three dots in the corner of the screen). Find the “Units of Measurement” section or Units. Here you can switch the toggle switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit, as well as select wind speed units (km/h or m/s).
If you do not have a separate weather application, check the general system settings. Go to Settings → System → Language and input → Region. Make sure your country of residence is selected. Changing the region often automatically adjusts the display format of temperature values in all system widgets.
Why are Fahrenheit displayed?
This often happens if the US or UK region was selected when initially setting up the smartphone, or if The system language is set to English (USA). Changing the region to “Russia” or “Ukraine” fixes the problem.
Solving problems with data updating
It happens that the widget is installed, the rights are issued, but the numbers on the screen do not change or a dash is displayed instead of the temperature. This indicates a network connection problem or background synchronization is blocked. First of all, check the stability of your Internet connection, since weather data is not stored in the device’s memory, but is downloaded from the server.
Try to forcefully update the data. To do this, you usually need to click on the widget itself or swipe down on it (refresh gesture). If this doesn't help, clear the weather app cache. Go to Settings → Applications → Weather → Storage and press the button Clear cache. This action is safe and will not delete your personal data.
- 📶 Check if Airplane mode or data restriction for background applications is enabled.
- 🔄 Reboot your smartphone to reset possible errors in the operation of network services.
- 🗑️ Delete the widget and add it again to initiate re-binding to the service.
In rare cases, the problem may lie in an outdated version of the software. Check for system updates in the menu Settings → About phone → System update. Installing fresh firmware often fixes bugs related to the operation of system widgets and geolocation services.
⚠️ Attention: If the widget stops working after updating the system, try uninstalling updates to the Weather application itself (if it is a system application) through the app settings menu to roll back to the factory version, and then update it again through the store.
Stable operation of the weather widget depends on three factors: GPS is on, active Internet and permission to work in background.
FAQ: Frequently asked questions
Why did the weather widget disappear after rebooting the phone?
This may occur due to the aggressive operation of the memory optimization system. Check if the weather app is set to "Deep Sleep" or "Background Restrictions" in Battery Settings. Also make sure that you are not using third-party launchers that may conflict with standard widgets.
Is it possible to display the temperature in the status bar (at the top of the screen)?
It is not possible to display the temperature in the narrow status bar using standard Android tools. This requires special tweaker applications or custom firmware. However, many launchers (for example, Nova Launcher) allow you to place compact widgets at the top of the desktop, simulating the status bar.
The widget shows the temperature of another city, how can I change it?
Tap on the widget to open the full weather application. In the list of cities, find the incorrect city, delete it (usually by swiping left or through the edit menu) and add your current city. Make sure that the “Current location” option is enabled in the settings.
Why is the temperature not updated when roaming?
Data transfer may be disabled or charged separately when roaming. If the mobile data is turned off and there is no Wi-Fi nearby, the widget will not be able to download the latest data. In addition, some operators block certain ports, which can interfere with the operation of weather services.
Does a weather widget affect the speed of battery drain?
Modern widgets are optimized and are updated rarely (every 30-60 minutes), so their impact is minimal. However, if you choose a widget with live animation or an update rate every 5 minutes, battery consumption will increase significantly.