--- title: WidgetKit framework: widgetkit role: collection role_heading: Framework path: widgetkit --- # WidgetKit Extend the reach of your app by creating widgets, watch complications, Live Activities, and controls. ## Overview Overview Using WidgetKit, you can make your app’s content available in contexts outside the app and extend its reach by building an ecosystem of glanceable, up-to-date experiences. The ecosystem that WidgetKit enables consists of: Develop glanceable features iteratively WidgetKit enables features across iPad, iPhone, the Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro, but only in a way that best fits a person’s device and personal needs. For example, WidgetKit powers widgets on all platforms in various sizes. It also powers Live Activities and controls, features that aren’t available on Apple Vision Pro. Even though not every feature that WidgetKit powers is available on every platform or device, widgets, Live Activities, controls, and watch complications share technology and design similarities. This makes it easy to develop features in tandem and to expand usage across contexts. Use an iterative approach and start with support for one feature or select sizes of widgets — for example, start with a small widget as described in Creating a widget extension, but plan and design additional sizes and features across platforms from the beginning. Then allow people to view your content in as many contexts as possible. For more information, refer to Developing a WidgetKit strategy. Understand interactivity and personalization The WidgetKit ecosystem enables people to view your app content in new contexts and offers specific interactions with your app when and where they need it: People tap a widget, watch complication, or Live Activity to launch the corresponding app or the app’s scene with matching information or functionality. For example, tapping an Emoji Ranger widget or watch complication launches the scene in the app that matches the displayed hero. For more information, refer to Linking to specific app scenes from your widget or Live Activity. People use buttons and toggles in widgets, controls, and Live Activities to interact with your app without launching it. For example, the large widget of the Emoji Rangers: Supporting Live Activities, interactivity, and animations sample code project includes a button that people tap to give the healing capability of their hero a temporary boost. In addition to offering relevant information and specific interactivity at a glance, people use widgets, watch complications, Live Activities, and controls to personalize their devices: People configure widgets and watch complications to display details specific to their needs. For example, a widget of the Emoji Rangers: Supporting Live Activities, interactivity, and animations sample code project allows people to configure the hero that appears on the widget. People arrange widgets and watch complications in the way that works best for them. When they stack widgets and enable Smart Rotate on iPhone or iPad, WidgetKit automatically rotates the most relevant widget to the top, making sure people see the most important details at the right time. On Apple Watch, the Smart Stack displays widgets based on contextual relevance, and people pin a favorite widget to a fixed position in the Smart Stack. Update content with timelines and push notifications Widgets and watch complications use a special mechanism to update their content: You create a timeline of data updates and hand it to WidgetKit. WidgetKit then makes sure the widget or complication updates its content in an energy-efficient way. For more information on timelines, refer to Keeping a widget up to date. Additionally, widgets can receive updates by using the Apple Push Notification service (APNs) and remote push notifications. Live Activities don’t use timelines to update their content. Instead, they use ActivityKit and ActivityKit push notifications you send with APNs. For more information, refer to ActivityKit. Controls don’t use timelines to update their content. Instead, your controls update their content when someone uses them, the app reloads them, or the system receives a remote push notification from APNs. Create a focused, glanceable design Widgets, watch complications, Live Activities, and controls are small and require a focused, glanceable design. For design guidance, refer to Human Interface Guidelines > Widgets, Human Interface Guidelines > Complications, Human Interface Guidelines > Live Activities, and Human Interface Guidelines > Controls. ## Topics ### Essentials - [Developing a WidgetKit strategy](widgetkit/developing-a-widgetkit-strategy.md) - [WidgetKit updates](updates/widgetkit.md) - [Creating a widget extension](widgetkit/creating-a-widget-extension.md) - [Emoji Rangers: Supporting Live Activities, interactivity, and animations](widgetkit/emoji-rangers-supporting-live-activities-interactivity-and-animations.md) - [WidgetBundle](swiftui/widgetbundle.md) ### System experiences - [Widgets and watch complications](widgetkit/widgets-and-complications-collection.md) - [Live Activities](widgetkit/liveactivities-collection.md) - [Controls](widgetkit/controls-collection.md) ### Presentation - [Creating views for widgets, Live Activities, and watch complications](widgetkit/creating-views-for-widgets-live-activities-and-watch-complications.md) - [SwiftUI views for widgets](widgetkit/swiftui-views.md) ### Interactivity - [Adding interactivity to widgets and Live Activities](widgetkit/adding-interactivity-to-widgets-and-live-activities.md) - [Animating data updates in widgets and Live Activities](widgetkit/animating-data-updates-in-widgets-and-live-activities.md) - [Linking to specific app scenes from your widget or Live Activity](widgetkit/linking-to-specific-app-scenes-from-your-widget-or-live-activity.md) ### Accessibility - [Adding accessible descriptions to widgets and Live Activities](activitykit/adding-accessible-descriptions-to-widgets-and-live-activities.md) ### Previews and debugging - [Previewing widgets and Live Activities in Xcode](widgetkit/previewing-widgets-and-live-activities-in-xcode.md) - [WidgetPreviewContext](widgetkit/widgetpreviewcontext.md) - [Preview macros](widgetkit/preview-macros.md)