• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Moto G Phone Guide

  • Home
    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Forum
  • User Manuals
    • Moto G8 User Manual for Moto G8 Plus and Moto G8 Play
    • Official Moto G7 user manual
    • Official Moto G6 user manuals, Moto G6 Play user manuals and Moto G6 Plus user manuals
    • Official Moto G5 User Manual and Moto G5 Plus User Manual
    • Moto G4 User Manual: official PDF user guide for Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus and Moto G4 Play
    • Moto G 2015 user guide
    • Moto G 2nd Gen User Manual (Moto G 2014 User Manual)
    • Moto G Manual (Mot G user guide)
  • how-to guide
    • Moto G8 vs Moto G8 Power vs Moto G8 Power Lite vs Moto G Power vs Moto G Stylus vs Moto G Pro vs Moto G fast: What are the differences?
    • Moto G8 Plus vs Moto G8 Play: Differences and common features
    • Moto G5 vs Moto G5 plus: the major differences between Moto G5 and Moto G5 plus
    • How to install Moto G5 SIM card?
    • Moto G5 Plus SIM card guide
    • How to take screenshot on Moto G (without using apps)
    • How to use Moto G camera and change camera settings?
    • How to access developer options menu in Moto G?
    • How to use FM radio on Moto G?
    • Moto G wireless display: the problem and the solution
    • Meaning of Moto G notification icons
    • How to use Moto G voice command?
    • How to use Motorola Assist on Moto G?
    • How to Silence Moto G Notifications and Ringtones
    • How to use dual SIM cards on Moto G?
    • How to connect Moto G with PC through USB cable? (for Moto E and Moto X as well)
    • How to use Bluetooth to transfer files on Moto G, Moto E and Moto X?
    • How to use Wi-Fi Direct to transfer files on Moto G, Moto E and Moto X?
    • How to block certain callers on Moto G, Moto E and Moto X?
    • How to use Moto G safe mode (applies to Moto X and Moto E safe mode as well )?
    • Moto G USB OTG guide (also for Moto X)
  • Online Manual
    • Moto G layout
    • How to remove Moto G back cover?
    • Moto G Home screen
    • Insert SIM card into Moto G and Moto E
    • How to add apps to Moto G home screen (for Moto E and Moto X as well)
    • Add new home screen pages on Moto G, Moto E and Moto X
    • Use widgets on Moto G home screen (for Moto X and Moto E as well)
    • How to update Moto G, Moto E and Moto X?
    • Moto G 2015 camera guide
    • Top 10 new features in Android Nougat update for Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus
    • What’s new in Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus?
  • Accessory Guide
    • Moto G case guide

Use widgets on Moto G home screen (for Moto X and Moto E as well)

This guide applies to Moto G (including Moto G 2nd Gen, Moto G 3rd gen), Moto E (including Moto E 2nd Gen), Moto X  (including Moto X 2nd Gen, Moto X 3rd Gen), Nexus 5, Nexus 6 and Nexus 9, although in the text, only Moto G is used.

What are widgets on Moto G home screen?

Widget is unique to Android.  Sadly, iPhone users don’t have it yet.

Widgets on Moto G home screen are just “at-a-glance” views of an app. In other words, you can access some info or get control of the app directly on Moto G home screen without launching the app.

This is surely a step further from adding apps to Moto G home screen.

Proper use of widgets on Moto G home screen will boost your productivity on using the phone. In other words, you can get more values from the phone than other owners.

Widgets on Moto G home screen also offer more options for home screen customization.

Some widgets also allow you to adjust its size to meet you needs.

How to add widgets to Moto G home screen?

To add widgets to Moto G home screen, please follow these steps.

Step 1: Return to Moto G home screen

You can return to Moto G home screen in two different ways as detailed in this page:

  • Tapping the on-screen Home button at any time.
  • Keep tapping the on-screen Back button.

Step 2: Enter home screen edit mode

Once you are in any pages of Moto G home screen, tap and hold any empty locations (not occupied by apps or widgets) as shown below.

Moto G now should enter home screen edit mode as shown below.

In home screen editing mode, you will notice:

  • Favorite tray disappears.
  • You get 3 options: wallpapers (for you to customize the wallpaper), widgets (adding widgets to home screen) and settings as shown below.
  • User accessible part of the home screen is marked  as a shaded area.

use_widgets_on_moto_g_moto_e_moto_x_1_tap_hold_home_screenuse_widgets_on_moto_g_moto_e_moto_x_2_widgets

Step 3:  Enter widgets list

Tap Widgets as shown above in home screen edit mode. This will direct you to the widget list page as shown below.

Please note, it is up to app developers to decide whether widgets are available for their apps.

So, it is not strange that you cannot find widgets for some apps.

Navigate through widget list pages by flicking right or left.  All widgets are listed in alphabet order corresponding to the app names.

You can also navigate through widget list pages by tapping the page indicators (small white dots in the bottom of each page) .

use_widgets_on_moto_g_moto_e_moto_x_3_hold_widget use_widgets_on_moto_g_moto_e_moto_x_4_drop_widget

Step 4:  Find widgets

In this guide, for example, you want to add Google Play Newsstand widget to Moto G home screen.

Tap and hold the widget as shown above.

Step 5: Add widgets to home screen

Now, you are directed to the home screen as shown above.

Similar to adding apps to Moto G home screen, you can move your finger on the screen and drop the widget to any locations in any home screen pages (shown as  shaded area) by releasing your finger from the screen.

You can also drop the widget to a new home screen page as shown above. A “+” sign will be added in the screen indicator if you cross the board of the rightmost home screen page.

In this way, you add a new home screen page and put the widget on this new home screen page.

Once you find the desired location, you can release your finger from the screen to drop the widget to the location.

Now as shown below, the Google Play Newsstand widget is added to a new home screen page.

use_widgets_on_moto_g_moto_e_moto_x_5_widgets_addeduse_widgets_on_moto_g_moto_e_moto_x_6_remove_widgets

How to remove widgets on Moto G home screen?

You can remove widgets on Moto G home screen by tapping and holding the widget as shown above.

Then move the widget to the Remove button on top of the screen as shown above.

This is actually identical to that of removing apps from Moto G home screen.

Please note, removing widgets on Moto G home screen does NOT uninstall the app or widget. You only remove or hide them from Moto G home screen.

How to re-size widgets on Moto G home screen?

You can also re-size some widgets on Moto G home screen based on your needs.

Please note, it is up to the app developers to decide whether they offer re-sizable widgets or not, not by Moot G. Some apps do not support this feature.

To re-size widgets on Moto G home screen, you may follow these steps.

Step 1: Tap, hold and then release the widget

You can tap, hold the widget. Once you see the Remove button in the top, release your finger from the screen.

This will bring up the re-sizing options for this widget (if the widget supports resizing).

For example, Google Play Newsstand widget supports re-sizing as shown below.

You can find there are four anchor points indicated in the  green box as shown below.

use_widgets_on_moto_g_moto_e_moto_x_7_size_indicator use_widgets_on_moto_g_moto_e_moto_x_8_size_1

use_widgets_on_moto_g_moto_e_moto_x_9_size_2 use_widgets_on_moto_g_moto_e_moto_x_10_resized

Step 2: Drag the size indicator to adjust size

You can drag any of the 4 anchor points (size indicators) to 4 direction to make it longer or shorter or wider or narrower, as shown above.

Step 3: Enjoy the re-sized widget.

Once you are happy with the size, tap anywhere outside of the widget to confirm the changes.

Now, you get the re-sized widget as shown above.

What does the size mean for widgets on Moto G home screen?

When you add widgets on Moto G home screen, you probably already noticed there is a 4×3 for Google Play Newsstand in the widget list page. Some apps may have multiple sizes.

4×3 is the default size of this Newsstand widget. It is measured by multiplies of rows and columns of app icons in the home screen. One app icon is always 1×1 in size.

For Moto G, Moto E and Moto X and most Android phones, the maximum size is 4×4.

When you re-size widgets on Moto G home screen, the same size rules will be enforced. You cannot re-size a widget to 4×3.5, for example.

Can you use widgets on Moto G home screen (or on Moto E or Moto X)?

If you have problems or questions on how to add widgets on Moto G home screen, or how to re-size widgets on Moto G home screen, please let us know them in the comment box below.

The community will try to hep you.

For more Moto G online manual pages, please check this page.

For detailed step-by-step guides, please check Moto G How-to guides page.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mr D H Williams says

    August 10, 2021 at 10:49 pm

    It says too hold ur finger down and a menu pops up for wigets bet when i do nothing pops up I’ve tried searching for hours to see if I can do it but nothing is working anyone able to help me out

    Reply
    • simon says

      August 11, 2021 at 11:56 am

      hold your finger on any empty area on the home screen.


      NEW!! Facebook page || Moto G How-to guides || Moto G online manual || Official Moto G user manual (PDF) || Android Guides || Chromecast Guides || Fire tablet guide || Moto E guide || Galaxy S6 Guides || Galaxy S7 Guides || Galaxy S8 Guides || Galaxy S9 Guides || Google Home Guides || Galaxy S10 Guides || Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides || Samsung Galaxy S21 Guides || Headphone and Earbuds Guides

      Reply
  2. Robert Maynard says

    August 21, 2020 at 10:44 pm

    My Moto G Power had a widget at the top that had weather, time/date, and the outside ring showed the battery level. Suddenly, the battery level ring is gone replaced by a broken circle. No battery level.

    Reply
    • simon says

      August 28, 2020 at 1:13 am

      Did you try to reboot the phone? Does it show battery level if you wake up the screen? (by default when you pick up the phone or double-tap the screen, the widget should show up and show battery level instead of temperature.)

      It is the time and weather widget. You can also try to add a new one to see whether you can get the battery level back. There are no other settings.


      NEW!! Facebook page || Moto G How-to guides || Moto G online manual || Official Moto G user manual (PDF) || Android Guides || Chromecast Guides || Fire tablet guide || Moto E guide || Galaxy S6 Guides || Galaxy S7 Guides || Galaxy S8 Guides || Galaxy S9 Guides || Google Home Guides || Galaxy S10 Guides || Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides || Samsung Galaxy S21 Guides || Headphone and Earbuds Guides

      Reply

Leave your comments Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Moto G Update Newsletter

RSS Galaxy S22 Gudies

  • How to use multiwindow on Galaxy S22, S21, and S20?
  • How to Use the Help Icon and Histogram for Pro Camera Mode in Android 13 (One UI 5) Update for Galaxy S22, S21, and S20?
  • How to customize the call background on Galaxy S22, S21, and S20 with the Android 13 update (One UI 5)?
  • How to Automatically Add and Customize Watermarks on Photos on Galaxy S22, S21, or S20 with the Android 13 update (One UI 5)?
  • The Definite Guide to Stack Widgets in One UI 5 on Galaxy S22, S21, and S20
  • Top 13 new features in One UI 5 update (Android 13 update) for Galaxy S22, S21, and S20
  • Master Galaxy S22 Lock Screen Settings
  • The complete guide to Home Screen panels on Galaxy S22
  • How to Use Galaxy S22 Home Screen Edit Mode?
  • Lockdown Mode On Galaxy S22: The Definite Guide

RSS Samsung Galaxy S21 Guides

  • Top 12 new features in Android 12 update for Galaxy S21, S20 and S10
  • Android 12 update vs One UI 4.0 vs One UI 4.1: update Galaxy S21, S20 and S10 to Android 12
  • How to set and resize photo size on Samsung Galaxy S21, S20, S10, and S9 without using any third-party apps?
  • How to Customize Galaxy S21 Home Screen?
  • Master Galaxy S21 Lock Screen Settings
  • How to use widgets on Galaxy S21?
  • How to Use and Customize Galaxy S21 Side Key?
  • How to hide Galaxy S21 password and PIN when typing?
  • How to power on, power off, and reboot Galaxy S21,even when the phone hangs?
  • How to use Galaxy S21 quick settings panel?

RSS Headphone Guides

  • AirPods Pro 2 New features explained
  • What is Samsung Seamless Codec? 4 things you should know about this new codec
  • How to use widgets to check battery levels and control Galaxy Buds 2, Galaxy Buds Pro, Galaxy Buds Live, Galaxy Buds+, and Galaxy Buds?
  • AirPods 3 vs AirPods Pro: which one should you choose?
  • AirPods 3 vs AirPods 2: Top 8 improvements and new features of AirPods 3
  • How to Use and Adjust Force Sensor on AirPods Pro like a Pro?
  • Galaxy Buds 2 vs Galaxy Buds Pro: the Top 8 Pros and Cons
  • 4 ways to check Galaxy Buds Live battery level

RSS Galaxy Note Tips & Tricks

  • Top 11 disappointments of Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
  • How to use the Dynamic Lock screen on Galaxy Note 10?
  • Galaxy Note 10 LED View Cover Guide and Review
  • Install S Note app and Extension pack on Galaxy Note 10
  • How to Use Galaxy Note 10 Camera App?
  • Galaxy Note 10 SIM Card Guide
  • How to use Samsung DeX for PC with Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+?
  • How to use Galaxy Note 10 Clear View cover (S View cover)?

RSS Kindle Fire For Kids

  • How to Use Dark Theme on Fire Tablets with Fire OS 8?
  • How to use Quick Settings on Fire tablets?
  • How to take a screenshot on a Fire tablet without using any apps like a pro?

RSS Chromecast Guide

  • Chromecast 4th Gen (Chromecast with Google TV) is coming!
  • How to use VLC media player on PC to stream music and video to Chromecast and Chromecast Audio?
  • How to use VLC for Android to stream local media to Chromecast?
  • How to play games on Chromecast from mobile devices (Android and iOS)?
  • How to use Chromecast Audio to stream music? and how to control Chromecast Audio?
  • How to use Ethernet Adapter for Chromecast?

RSS Moto E Guide

  • How to use Moto E6 camera?
  • How to use SIM cards on Moto E6, E6 Plus, E6 Play, and E6s 2020?
  • How to remove Moto E6 back cover (including Moto E6, Moto E6 Plus, Moto E6 Play)?
  • Official user manual for Moto E6, Moto E6 Plus, Moto E6 Play, and Moto E6s

RSS Samsung Galaxy S20 Guides

  • How to Use Enhanced Processing on Galaxy S20 with Android 11 update?
  • How to access, use, and customise widgets on Galaxy S20 lock screen and AOD screen with Android 11 update for Galaxy S20?
  • How to update Galaxy S20 to Android 11?
  • How to use Galaxy S20 lockdown mode?
  • Top 11 new features in Galaxy S20 Android 11 update

RSS Chinese Classical Music

  • How to Cast Chinese Music Radio to Chromecast or Google Home?
  • 十面埋伏 (Ambushed,Pipa,琵琶曲,Shi Mian Mai Fu)
  • 高山流水(High Mountain and Running River, Gao Shan Liu Shui, Guzheng, 古筝曲)
  • Meet in Yurt(敖包相会, Ao Bao Xiang Hui,Hulusi,葫芦丝)
  • Meet in Yurt(敖包相会, Ao Bao Xiang Hui,Folk song,民歌)

Top Moto G Guides

  • Meaning of Moto G notification icons
  • Moto G USB OTG guide (also for Moto X)
  • How to connect Moto G with PC through USB cable? (for Moto E and Moto X as well)
  • How to remove Moto G back cover?
  • Moto G wireless display: the problem and the solution
  • How to use Moto G voice command?
  • How to use dual SIM cards on Moto G?
  • Moto G how-to guide
  • How to use Moto G camera and change camera settings?
  • Moto G case guide

Footer

RSS Moto X Guide

  • Official Moto X4 User manual (User guide for Moto X 4th Gen , Moto X 2017)
  • What’s new in Android Marshmallow update for Moto X (Moto X 2015, Moto X 2014, Moto X Style and Moto X Pure edition)?
  • Top 5 new features in Moto X 2015 (Moto X Style, Moto X Pure edition and Moto X Play) vs Moto X 2014

RSS Galaxy S5 Guide

  • Samsung Galaxy S5 Android Lollipop Update Guide
  • How to enter Galaxy S5 recovery mode?
  • How to boot Galaxy S5 into safe mode?

RSS Drive in Singapore

  • Top 5 rules of driving in Singapore safely and legally during COVID-19 Circuit Breaker period
  • Understand COE Price by 10 Simple Questions
  • How to convert a foreign driving license to a Singapore driving license?
  • How to get a Touch ‘n Go card as a Singapore driver?
  • What is covered in the car warranty in Singapore? What is not?
  • What is the Singapore Road Speed Limit?
  • How to register, collect and use Malaysia Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP)?
  • Why are cars in Singapore are so expensive?
  • Drive to Malaysia
  • Car Maintenance and Servicing in Singapore

RSS Google Home Guides

  • How to Use Quick Gestures on Nest Hub 2nd Gen and Nest Hub Max?
  • Nest Audio Guides
  • Google Nest Mini vs Home Mini: what’s new and what’s not changed?
  • Nest Hub Guides
  • How to adjust alarm volume and timer volume in Google Home, Google Home Mini, Nest Audio and Google Home Max?
  • How to reset Google Home Mini?
  • How to find and redeem Google Home promotional offers?
  • How to change Google Home WiFi network settings?
  • How to factory data reset Google Home?
  • Contact Us

© 2013–2023 · Moto G Guides: Everything about Moto G: how-to guide, user manuals, tips and tricks for Motorola/Lenovo Moto G, Moto G2, Moto G3, Moto G4, Moto G5, Moto G6, Moto G7, and Moto G8 · Hosted by PTRHosting · Powered by Genesis framework for WordPress

Disclaimer: Motorola, Moto G are trademarks of Motorola Mobility. This website is NOT affiliated with Motorola Mobility LLC in any way. All the information provided on this website is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis and you agree that you use such information entirely at your own risk.

Add Moto G Phone Guide to your Homescreen!

Add
pixel