Android Development

Android Builders Weblog: Introducing Widget High quality Tiers

26 April 2025

Posted by Ivy Knight – Senior Design Advocate

Stage up your app Widgets with new high quality tiers

Widgets could be a highly effective software for participating customers and rising the visibility of your app. They will additionally show you how to to enhance the person expertise by offering customers with a extra handy solution to entry your app’s content material and options.

To construct an ideal Android widget, it must be useful, adaptive, and visually cohesive with the general aesthetic of the gadget house display screen.

So as to show you how to obtain an ideal widget, we’re happy to introduce Android Widget High quality Tiers!

The brand new Widget high quality tiers are right here to assist information you in the direction of a finest follow implementation of widgets, that can look nice and convey your person’s worth throughout the ecosystem of Android Telephone, Tablets and Foldables.

What does this imply for widget makers?

Whether or not you might be planning a brand new widget, or investing in an replace to an present widget, the Widget High quality Tiers will show you how to consider and plan for a top quality widget.

Identical to Massive Display screen high quality tiers assist optimize app experiences, these Widget tiers information you in creating nice widgets throughout all Android units. Now, comparable tiers are being launched for widgets to make sure they are not simply practical, but in addition visually interesting and user-friendly.

Two screenshots of a phone display different views in the Google Play app. The first shows a list of running apps with the Widget filter applied in a search for 'Running apps'; the second shows the Nike Run Club app page.

Widgets that meet high quality tier tips shall be discoverable beneath the brand new Widget filter in Google Play.

Think about using our Canonical Widget layouts, that are primarily based on Jetpack Look elements, to make it simpler so that you can design and construct a Tier 1 widget your customers will love.

Let’s check out the Widget High quality Tiers

There are three tiers constructed with required system defaults and recommended steerage to create an enhanced widget expertise:

Tier 1: Differentiated

Four mockups show examples of Material Design 3 dynamic color applied to an app called 'Radio Hour'.

Differentiated widgets go additional by implementing theming and adapting to resizing.

Tier 1 widgets are exemplary widgets providing hero experiences which might be customized, and create distinctive and productive homescreens. These widgets meet Tier 2 requirements plus enhancements for structure, coloration, discovery, and system coherence standards.

A stylized cartoon figure holds their chin thoughtfully while a chat bubble icon is highlighted

For instance, use the system offered nook radius, and don’t set a customized nook radius on Widgets.

Add extra personalization with dynamic coloration and generated previews whereas guaranteeing your widgets look good throughout units by not overriding system defaults.

Four mockups show examples of Material Design 3 components on Android: a contact card, a podcast player, a task list, and a news feed.

Tier 1 widgets that, from the highest left, correctly crop content material, fill the structure bounds, have appropriately sized headers and contact targets, and make good use of colours and distinction.

Tier 2: High quality Normal

These widgets are useful, usable, and supply a top quality expertise. They meet all standards for structure, coloration, discovery, and content material.

A simple to-do list app widget displays two tasks: 'Water plants' and 'Water more plants.' Both tasks have calendar icons next to them. The app is titled 'Plants' and has search and add buttons in the top right corner.

Ensure that your widget has applicable contact targets.

Tier 2 widgets are practical however easy, they meet the fundamental standards for a usable app. However if you wish to create a very stellar expertise to your customers, tier 1 standards introduce methods to make a extra private, interactive, and coherent widget.

Tier 3: Low High quality

These widgets do not meet the minimal high quality bar and do not present an ideal person expertise, that means they don’t seem to be following or lacking standards from Tier 2.

Examples of Material Design 3 widgets are displayed on a light pink background with stylized X shapes. Widgets include a podcast player, a contact card, to-do lists, and a music player.

Clockwise from the highest left not filling the bounds, poorly cropped content material, low coloration distinction, mis-sized header, and small contact targets.

A stylized cartoon person with orange hair, a blue shirt, holds a pencil to their cheek. 'Kacie' is written above them, with a cut off chat bubble icon.

For instance, guarantee content material is seen and never cropped

Construct and elevate your Android widgets with Widget High quality Tiers

Dive deeper into the widget high quality tiers and begin constructing widgets that not solely look nice but in addition present an incredible person expertise! Take a look at the official Android documentation for detailed data and finest practices.

This weblog put up is a part of our collection: Highlight Week on Widgets, the place we offer sources—weblog posts, movies, pattern code, and extra—all designed that will help you design and create widgets. You possibly can learn extra within the overview of Highlight Week: Widgets, which shall be up to date all through the week.