A standard weather widget on the lock screen or desktop often becomes an integral part of the Android interface, providing instant access to the latest weather reports. However, over time, the list of tracked locations may grow, displaying unnecessary cities, or the device may incorrectly determine your location, showing data for a neighboring town. This not only clutters up useful screen real estate, but can also be confusing if you travel frequently or have moved.
The process of removing an extra city or changing the priority location varies depending on your smartphone manufacturer and operating system version. While stock Android uses Google services, brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi or Huawei often implement their own shells with unique weather data algorithms. Understanding the differences between these systems will help you quickly get your screen in order without the need to install third-party software.
In this guide, we will analyze in detail the algorithms of actions for the most popular launchers and widgets. You'll learn how to turn off automatic location detection, manually remove saved cities from the list, and reset the app cache if the settings aren't being applied correctly. Follow the instructions below to customize the weather display to suit your needs.
Managing the Google weather widget on pure Android
On smartphones with a “pure” operating system, such as Google Pixel or Android One series devices, the standard Google application or built-in widget is responsible for displaying weather data. To remove a city, you need to go into editing mode of the widget itself. Typically, this requires a long press with your finger on the area with the temperature, after which a context menu or settings button in the form of a gear appears.
In the menu that opens, you will see a list of all saved locations. Deleting a city This occurs by swiping the name to the left or clicking on the trash can icon next to it. If the problem is that the phone shows the wrong location by default, you need to check your geolocation settings. Go to Settings → Location and make sure that the coordinate determination mode is set to “By all sources” for maximum accuracy.
Sometimes the widget continues to display the old city even after it is removed from the list. In this case, a forced stop of the service is required. Go to Settings → Applications → Google → Storage and press the button Clear cache. This action will not delete your personal data, but will update the information loaded by the widget from the servers.
⚠️ Attention: If you use power saving mode, the system may Limit location data updates in the background. This may result in the widget showing an outdated city until the screen is unlocked.
To quickly access Google weather settings, you can use the voice command “Ok Google, weather settings” if you have the voice assistant enabled.
Weather settings in the One UI shell (Samsung)
Owners of Samsung devices are faced with with a weather widget that is deeply integrated into the One UI system. Here, the list of cities is managed not through the Weather application itself, but through the widget settings on the desktop. Press and hold your finger on the widget, then select the item Widget settings or simply tap on the area with the temperature, if such an option is available in your firmware version.
Inside the control menu you will find a switch Automatic update. If it is active, the phone will try to determine your current position. To fix a specific city or remove an unnecessary one, disable this function and manually edit the list. Clicking on the pencil icon or the three-dot menu will allow you to delete unnecessary locations from the application memory.
It is worth noting that on Samsung devices, weather data may be duplicated in the Health application or on the lock screen. Synchronization between these modules occurs automatically, so deleting a city in one place should be reflected in others. However, if you are using a third-party theme, the logic of the widget may be changed, and standard removal methods may not work.
- 🌍 Check permission to access your location in the Weather application settings.
- 🗑️ Use the "Edit Cities" function to change the display order.
- 🔄 Reboot the device after changing the settings to apply changes to the system.
Specifics of deleting cities in MIUI and HyperOS (Xiaomi)
Xiaomi shells have its unique structure for working with widgets. Here we often encounter a situation where a city gets stuck due to aggressive optimization of the battery or the peculiarities of the location service. To remove a city from the weather on Android in Xiaomi smartphones, open the application Weather directly from the application menu, and not through the widget.
At the top of the application screen you will see the current city. Clicking on it will open a full list of tracked locations. Swipe the unwanted city to the left to delete it or tap the edit button. Particular attention should be paid to the Default Location setting. If a specific city is selected here, the widget will always show it, ignoring your current coordinates.
Reset widget settings may be required if the interface is frozen. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications → Weather. Click Clear data. This will return the widget to its factory state, deleting all saved cities, after which you will have to add the desired city again. This method is the most radical, but effective in case of software failures.
⚠️ Attention: Interfaces MIUI and HyperOS are updated frequently. Menu items can change names or move to other settings sections. If you do not find the described options, check the “Advanced settings” section.
Why does the widget show two cities at the same time?
Sometimes this happens due to a synchronization error between the system widget and the weather application. Try deleting the widget from the desktop, restarting the phone and adding it again.
Working with third-party weather applications
Many users prefer to replace standard tools with more functional solutions from third-party developers, such as Weather & Radar, AccuWeather or YoWindow. The logic for deleting cities is the same in them, but the paths to the settings are different. As a rule, managing the list of locations is located in the main menu of the application, accessible through the “hamburger” button (three stripes) or by swiping on the side of the screen.
In most of these applications there is the concept of “Main City”. Even if you delete secondary locations, the widget will display the one that is designated as the main one. To change this, go to the application settings, find the section Managing cities and change the priority. Deletion occurs with a standard swipe or by long pressing on the name of the city in the list.
If you are using a widget from a third-party application, After deleting a city in the app, you may need to re-create the widget on the desktop. Delete the old widget, click on an empty space on the screen, select the weather widget and configure it again by selecting the only desired location.
| Application | Path to deletion | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Weather & Radar | Menu → My places → Edit | Requires deletion confirmation |
| AccuWeather | Settings → Location management | Automatically adds a GPS point |
| YoWindow | Settings → Location | Visual selection on map |
| Today Weather | Profile → Locations | Support for multiple data sources |
☑️ Checking a third-party widget
Problems with geolocation and GPS module
Sometimes the desire to remove a city is dictated not by the number of saved points, but by incorrect GPS operation. The phone may identify your city incorrectly, for example, show a regional center instead of a small village. In this case, simply removing the city from the list will not help, since the system will automatically pull it up again based on the coordinates.
To solve this problem, it is necessary to calibrate the sensors. Open the application Maps and click on the target icon. If the beam is not aimed accurately, walk around with the screen on for a few minutes. Also in the phone settings you can select the GPS operating mode: “GPS only”, “By network” or “By all sources”. To accurately determine the city, we recommend the mode By all sources.
If automatic detection continues to work incorrectly, the best solution is to disable the “Use current location” function in the widget settings and manually fix the desired city. This will save you from jumping indicators when moving within a city or when there is a poor satellite signal.
⚠️ Attention: The accuracy of determining a city depends not only on GPS, but also on cell towers. In dense urban areas, the signal can be reflected from buildings, causing an error of several kilometers.
Manual fixation of the city is more reliable than automatic detection if you are in an area with a weak GPS signal or on the border of populated areas.
Resetting settings and extreme measures
In situations where none of the above methods does not help to remove the city from the weather on Android, there may be a failure in the system files of the launcher. The last resort is to reset the screen (launcher) settings. This action will return the arrangement of icons and widgets to the factory appearance, removing all customizations.
To perform a reset, go to Settings → Applications. Find your desktop application in the list (it may be called One UI Home, Pixel Launcher, MIUI Home or simply Launcher). Go to the section Storage and click Clear data. After the reboot, you will have to rearrange the widgets again, but the weather display error should disappear.
Remember that before performing a hard reset, it is advisable to make a backup copy of important settings, if such a function is provided by the manufacturer. In most cases, the problem is solved at earlier stages, and a complete reset of the launcher is rarely required, only in case of deep software conflicts after updating the firmware.
- 📱 Resetting the launcher deletes only the location of the icons, without affecting personal files.
- ⚙️ Check for updates for the Weather application in the Play Market.
- 🔋 Disable ultra-power saving mode while setting up the widget.
What to do if the delete button is inactive?
In some system widgets, you cannot delete the only remaining city. First add the second city, then delete the first, and then the second if you need to clear the list completely.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why does the city appear in the widget again after deleting?
This happens if the automatic geolocation function is enabled. The widget rescans your location and adds the current city to the list. Disable the “Use GPS” option in the widget settings to prevent automatic addition.
Is it possible to remove a city only from the lock screen, leaving it on the desktop?
Yes, the widget settings on the lock screen and on the desktop are often independent. Go to Settings → Lock screen (or a similar section in your shell) and find the widget settings. There you can choose what information and for which city will be displayed when the screen is off.
How to change the city if the phone shows the wrong location?
If the GPS is wrong, do not rely on automatic detection. Disable geolocation for the weather application in the privacy settings and manually enter the name of the desired city in the search inside the widget or application.
Does removing a city from the weather affect battery consumption?
Yes, each additional city in the list requires periodic updating of data from the network. Removing unnecessary locations and disabling automatic geolocation can have a slight but positive effect on the battery life of the device.
Why does the widget display “My location” instead of the city name?
This is standard behavior when GPS is turned on. The widget shows dynamic status. To display a specific name, you need to disable GPS binding and select a static city from the list manually.