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How to use widgets stacks in iOS 14/iPadOS 14 and later

With iOS 14/iPadOS 14 and later, you can use widget stacks to save space on your Home Screen and in Today View. You can use Smart Stacks or create your own widget stacks.

A Smart Stack is a pre-built collection of widgets that displays the right widget based on factors like your location, an activity, or time. A Smart Stack automatically rotates widgets to show the most relevant information throughout the day. 

To add a Smart Stack

° Touch and hold an area on your Home Screen or in Today View until the apps jiggle. 

° Tap the Add button (the “+” button) in the upper-left corner.

° Scroll down and tap Smart Stack.

° Tap Add Widget.

To create your own widget stacks

° Touch and hold an app or empty area on the Home Screen or Today View until the apps jiggle.

° Drag a widget on top of another widget. You can stack up to 10 widgets.

° Tap Done.

To edit a widget stack

° Touch and hold the widget stack.

° Tap Edit Stack. From here, you can reorder the widgets in the stack by dragging and dropping the app where you want it in the stack. You can also turn Smart Rotate* on or off. Or swipe left over a widget to delete it.

° Tap the Close button (the “x” button) when you’re done.

° When Smart Rotate is on, iOS shows you relevant widgets throughout the day.

By the way, with iOS 15, you can turn on Widget Suggestions, so apps you already use can automatically appear in your Smart Stack at the right time based on your past activity. An option lets you add the widget to your stack so it’s always there when you need it. Just follow steps 1-2, then tap Widget Suggestions to turn it on.

You need iOS 14 or later to use Smart Stacks or create your own widget stacks.

To remove widgets

° Touch and hold the widget that you want to remove.

° Tap Remove Widget.

° Tap Remove again to confirm.

(This how-to is based on my experiences and info on Apple’s support pages — where the images sometimes come from.)

Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.