Tag: widget
TikTok quietly unveils a search widget for iPhone users
TikTok makes searching easier than ever before.
TikTok’s search widget is now available for iPhone users, giving you a shortcut to its search. So, instead of opening the app and then clicking the search button, when you tap the widget you’re automatically brought to TikTok’s search screen. It saves you 5 seconds max but suggests that the platform is doubling down on its status as a search engine. Members of Gen Z told Mashable they use TikTok to find recipes, travel recommendations, and workouts.
TikTok hinted at its desire to be recognized as a search engine with an ad ran in the UK earlier this year that featured the slogan, “Search it with TikTok.” And now with its quiet rollout, TikTok is directly competing with Google’s own search widget.
TikTok’s emphasis on search comes after Google’s Prabhakar Raghavan, a senior vice president in charge of Google Search, shared that a study conducted by the company last summer found that 40% of 18 to 24-year-olds in the US use TikTok or Instagram to search for lunch spots instead of Google Search.
TikTok is also a place where people search for news. A survey conducted last summer by Ofcom found that TikTok was the fasted growing news source among UK adults. But research conducted by News Guard late last year found that TikTok’s search suggests misinformation almost 20 percent of the time. To be taken seriously as a search engine TikTok needs to address its rampant misinformation problem.
Microsoft brings Facebook widget to Windows 11 – and expect many more
Spotify Now Offers Lock Screen Widget on iPhone
Lock Screen widgets require iOS 16 or later. To add a widget, tap and hold the Lock Screen, tap on the Customize button, tap on the Lock Screen, tap on Add Widgets, select Spotify from the list that appears, and tap on the widget. For emphasis, the Spotify widget will only appear in the list if the app has been updated to the latest version.
While a Lock Screen widget is nice, Spotify has still yet to implement native support for the HomePod, meaning that Spotify cannot be fully controlled with Siri on the speaker like Apple Music can be. Spotify also lacks support for AirPlay 2, which launched in 2018 with less buffering, support for stereo-paired HomePods, and more.
This article, “Spotify Now Offers Lock Screen Widget on iPhone” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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iOS 16.4 Adds Order Tracking Widget, Lets You Share Order Information
There’s now a dedicated Home Screen widget for tracking orders placed with Apple Pay, and an updated Apple support document clarifies that it is also possible to share order tracking options with others using the Share button.
Orders can be sent using Messages, email, and other apps, allowing you to share tracking with friends and family.
Apple added Apple Pay order tracking to the Wallet app with iOS 16, but it is limited to participating merchants.
iOS 16.4 is available as of today on all devices capable of running iOS 16.
This article, “iOS 16.4 Adds Order Tracking Widget, Lets You Share Order Information” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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How to turn any website into a custom Android widget
Android widgets are awesome. That much is obvious, right?
But as is the case with many tech-scented treasures, sometimes, it takes a teensy bit of digging to unearth the most wonderful widget options of all.
This week, I stumbled onto an especially clever and practical Android widget possibility I’d never before considered. It’s a super-simple setup that empowers you to create your very own Android widgets from almost any website on this wide, wild internerp of ours. And it’ll take you all of two minutes to get it all up and running in any way you want.
Video: App, Widget and Lock Screen Design Recommendations
Give Dan’s video a watch and then tell us in the comments below about your own favorite apps, games, and Home and Lock Screen designs.
This article, “Video: App, Widget and Lock Screen Design Recommendations” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Everything New in iOS 16.2 Beta 2: 5G in India, Medication Widget and More
We’ve outlined all of the changes found in the second betas of iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 in this article.
Lock Screen Camera Bug Fix
Apple has fixed an annoying bug that did not allow you to exit out of the Lock Screen camera with a swipe. The swipe gesture has been re-enabled, so it is no longer necessary to lock the iPhone to get out of the Camera interface if it is accessed from the Lock Screen.
5G Connectivity in India
The second beta of iOS 16.2 adds 5G support in India for select carriers including Airtel and Jio. Users in India who are running the beta and who use supported carriers can connect to 5G networks.
It’s active for Airtel and Jio pic.twitter.com/PKSfrvqes2
— Ruben Roy (@rubenroy2005) November 8, 2022
Medication Widget
The first beta of iOS 16.2 added a Sleep widget, and the second beta adds a Medication widget. There are two options, one that is a single pill icon and a second that lets you know when you need to take a medication. It will alert you if all your medications are logged or if you have no more medications for the day.
More Features
Know of an iOS 16.2 beta 2 feature we left out? Let us know in the comments below.
This article, “Everything New in iOS 16.2 Beta 2: 5G in India, Medication Widget and More” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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iOS 16.2 Beta Adds New Sleep Widget to Lock Screen
The Sleep widget is the only new widget addition in iOS 16.2, and it draws from data stored in the Health app and collected by the Apple Watch or other sleep tracking devices. It provides information such as time spent in bed and sleep quality, with three variants available.
A simple one tile widget shows the amount of time that you spent in bed, and two multi-tile options display either a bar chart that shows sleep quality or a larger widget that shows time in bed along with a visual representation. Tapping on the widget opens up the Sleep section of the Health app.
On iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models, the Sleep widget is collapsed down when the display is dimmed for the always-on display mode, with a series of lines available for the two tile widget and a bed icon available for the single tile widget.
iOS 16.2 is limited to developers at the current time, with Apple having provided one beta so far. The update is likely to expand to public beta testers in the near future.
This article, “iOS 16.2 Beta Adds New Sleep Widget to Lock Screen” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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