Add a clock widget on iPhone
Long-press an empty part of the Home Screen, tap + in the top-left, find WidgetClock, swipe to the size you want and tap Add Widget. Long-press the placed widget → Edit Widget to choose the design and the city.
Guide
Add a clock widget
in about forty seconds.
The Home Screen, the Lock Screen and StandBy each take a different path. Here are all three, plus what to do when a widget freezes.
- 40 s
- to first widget
- 3
- surfaces
- 0
- account required
Every screen you own
Adding a widget on
iPhone and iPad.
The same gesture on both, with one extra size on the larger screen. Neither takes longer than a minute.
Add a clock widget on iPad
The same gesture, with one extra size: iPad offers an extra-large slot that fits a full month grid or a world map with eight cities. Long-press the Home Screen, tap +, then pick the XL option in the size swiper.
Lock Screen
Unlock, long-press the wallpaper, tap Customise → Lock Screen, tap the widget row, choose WidgetClock, pick a shape, then tap the placed widget to configure it. Full walkthrough on the Lock Screen page.
StandBy
Settings → StandBy → on. Put the iPhone on charge, on its side, and leave it still. Swipe to the clock panel, long-press, tap +, and choose a face.
Stacking widgets
Drag one widget on top of another of the same size to build a stack, then turn on Smart Rotate — or off, if you want it to hold a single face.
Live previews
Pick a face before you start
Tap through and remember the one you want.
When a widget stops updating
Nine times out of ten it is Low Power Mode, which throttles widget refreshes system-wide. Turn it off in Settings → Battery and the widget catches up within a minute.
If that is not it: check Settings → General → Background App Refresh is on for the app, then remove the widget and add it again. Re-adding rebuilds the timeline iOS had cached.
A widget showing a time several hours out is almost always a time-zone setting on that specific widget instance rather than a bug — long-press it, tap Edit Widget, and check which city it is pointed at.
Step by step
Home Screen, step by step
- 1
Long-press an empty area of the Home Screen
Hold until the app icons start to jiggle.
- 2
Tap the + in the top-left corner
The widget gallery opens.
- 3
Search for WidgetClock
Or scroll the list — it appears under its own name.
- 4
Swipe to choose a size
Small, medium and large are three separate designs, not one crop. Look at all three before deciding.
- 5
Tap Add Widget, then Done
The widget lands on your screen and you can drag it where you want.
- 6
Long-press the widget → Edit Widget
Pick the design, the city and whether seconds and the date show.
Questions
Guide, answered.
Why is my iPhone widget not updating?
Low Power Mode is the usual cause — it throttles widget refreshes. Turn it off, confirm Background App Refresh is enabled for the app, and if it persists, remove and re-add the widget to rebuild its timeline.
How do I resize a widget after adding it?
You cannot resize in place. Remove it and add the size you want — each size is a distinct design anyway, so it is worth looking at all three.
Can I put the same widget on screen twice with different cities?
Yes. Each instance keeps its own configuration, so two identical designs can show two different zones.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no sign-up, no login, and no account of any kind.
Is adding a widget on iPad any different?
Same long-press flow, one extra option: iPad offers an extra-large slot that fits a full month grid or a world map with eight cities. It appears at the end of the size swiper.
Add a clock widget
in about forty seconds.
Free on the App Store. iOS 16+. No account, no ads, no tracking.