Google has detailed a handful of new iOS widgets it has on the way, following the launch of its new Gmail widget this week. In a blog post, the company says it’s adding widgets for Drive and Google Fit, which appear to be available now, and that it has a Calendar widget planned to launch “in the coming weeks.” A widget for Chrome is due to officially launch next year and is available in beta now.
The widgets vary from providing simple shortcuts to their app’s most commonly used features to showing important information at a glance. The Chrome widget offers quick links to web and voice searches, QR code scanning, and a shortcut to open new incognito mode tabs, while the Drive widget similarly offers shortcuts to your files and a search box. The Google Fit widget shows a running total of steps and heart points, while the Calendar widget shows upcoming appointments.
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Image: Google
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Image: Google
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Image: Google
Chrome’s widget provides a quick link to search.
Google has already rolled out widgets for many of its apps, including Google Photos, YouTube Music, and its official search app. However, in some cases, it’s already running up against the limits of what developers are allowed to do with the iOS 14 feature. You can’t sort through an inbox using the Gmail widget, for example, or control playback of music with the YouTube Music widget. Hopefully this functionality is possible in the future.
