A watchOS widget requires you set a container background:
.containerBackground(for: .widget) {
Color.black
}
But I see some .accessoryRectangular widgets, on the Smart Stack, using a glass background. From what I know there is no way to set this using .containerBackground. Does anyone know how to do this?
Thank you
WidgetKit
RSS for tagShow relevant, glanceable content from your app on iOS and iPadOS Home Screen and Lock Screen, macOS Desktop, Apple Watch Smart Stack and Complications, and in StandBy mode on iPhone.
Posts under WidgetKit tag
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I have a Live Activity on iOS. Love it.
However, that Live Activity via remote hosting (I'm not building for other targets) shows the Live Activity on watchOS, macOS and CarPlay.
disfavoredLocations are for widgets, but I don't appear to have a method to limit or provide exclusive locations the live activity should appear.
Problem
After launching the host app by tapping the widget (widgetURL), calls to:
WidgetCenter.shared.reloadAllTimelines() WidgetCenter.shared.reloadTimelines(ofKind: ...)
are ignored/deferred for an initial period right after the app opens. During this window, the widget does not reload its timeline and remains unupdated, no matter how many times I call the reload methods. After some time passes (typically ~30 seconds, sometimes shorter/longer), reload calls start working again.
There is also no developer-visible signal (no callback/error/acknowledgement) that the reload was ignored, so the app can’t detect the failure and can’t reliably recover the flow.
Question: Is this expected behavior (throttling/cooldown) after opening the app from a widget ? If so, is there any recommended workaround to update the widget reliably and quickly (or at least detect that the reload was not accepted)?
Any guidance would help.
I need help designing the image of a ControlWidgetToggle.
do I understand correctly that I can only use an SFSymbol as image and not my custom image (unless setup via a custom SFSymbol)?
is there any way I can influence the size of the image? I tried multiple SwiftUI modifiers (.imageScale, .font, .resizable, .controlSize) none of them seem to work. My image remains too tiny
the image size of the on and off state is different. Seems to be enforced by the system. Is there any way to make both images use the same size?
the on-state tints the image. Is there a way to set the tint color? .tint and .foregroundstyle seem to be ignored.
Thank you for your help
I am encountering an issue where the Lock Screen Quick Action fails to visibly open my app.
My app is a camera application that utilizes a CameraCaptureIntent to launch a standalone, lightweight camera view (accessible while the device is locked), distinct from the main application.
Steps to Reproduce:
Open the lightweight camera view using the Lock Screen Quick Action.
From this view, launch the Main App.
Lock the iPhone (put it to sleep).
Attempt to launch the lightweight camera view via the Quick Action again.
A slight animation occurs, but the camera view does not appear on screen. After multiple tests, it seems the view is actually launching but remains in an "invisible state."
I suspect that the system hides the lightweight camera view when transitioning to the Main App, but fails to reset this hidden state when the Quick Action is triggered subsequently.
I would appreciate any guidance on a potential workaround or confirmation if this is a known issue awaiting a system update.
Problem
After launching the host app by tapping the widget (widgetURL), calls to:
WidgetCenter.shared.reloadAllTimelines()
WidgetCenter.shared.reloadTimelines(ofKind: ...)
are ignored/deferred for an initial period right after the app opens. During this window, the widget does not reload its timeline and remains unupdated, no matter how many times I call the reload methods. After some time passes (typically ~30 seconds, sometimes shorter/longer), reload calls start working again.
There is also no developer-visible signal (no callback/error/acknowledgement) that the reload was ignored, so the app can’t detect the failure and can’t reliably recover the flow.
Question:
Is this expected behavior (throttling/cooldown) after opening the app from a widget ?
If so, is there any recommended workaround to update the widget reliably and quickly (or at least detect that the reload was not accepted)?
Any guidance would help.
Has anyone been able to create a Control Center widget that opens a snippet view? There are stock Control Center widgets that do this, but I haven't been able to get it to work.
Here's what I tried:
struct SnippetButton: ControlWidget {
var body: some ControlWidgetConfiguration {
StaticControlConfiguration(
kind: "xxx.xxx.snippetWidget"
) {
ControlWidgetButton(action: SnippetIntent()) {
Label("Show Snippet", systemImage: "map.fill")
}
}
.displayName(LocalizedStringResource("Show Snippet"))
.description("Show a snippet.")
}
}
struct SnippetIntent: ControlConfigurationIntent {
static var title: LocalizedStringResource = "Show a snippet"
static var description = IntentDescription("Show a snippet with some text.")
@MainActor
func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult & ProvidesDialog & ShowsSnippetView {
return .result(dialog: IntentDialog("Hello!"), view: SnippetView())
}
}
struct SnippetView: View {
var body: some View {
Text("Hello!")
}
}
Hi all,
I’m stuck on a WidgetKit/SwiftUI layout issue.
I have a systemMedium widget that shows a block of text. What I want is simple:
The text should be as large as possible
But it must always fully fit inside the widget
No ellipsis (“…”)
Short text → big font
Longer text → shrink only as much as needed
The problem: when I try to make the font larger, the widget often shows only a couple of words and then “…” (or it looks like it’s truncating/clipping), even though I’m using multiline text (lineLimit(nil) etc.). If I keep a small fixed font size, the entire text shows fine — so the input string isn’t truncated.
I tried a few approaches:
ViewThatFits seeing which font size fits
minimumScaleFactor
Measuring with NSAttributedString.boundingRect + binary search to calculate the biggest font size that should fit
But WidgetKit still behaves inconsistently and I can’t get a reliable “largest size that fits” result.
Is there a recommended, production-safe way to do this in WidgetKit?
Also: can a SwiftUI Text still end up showing “…” in a widget even with .lineLimit(nil) when it’s constrained vertically?
Thanks in advance — any pointers or known patterns would really help.
Environment
iOS 17.2, Xcode 16.2, physical iPhone (12 Pro)
Main app in Flutter
WidgetKit extension written in Swift (Swift‑PM package)
Shared App Group: group.cool.glance.shared
Widget uses an AppIntent (FeedSelectionIntent) + custom entity (FeedAppEntity)
Flutter bridge writes JSON snapshots for the widget
Observed behaviour
Flutter prints the snapshot payload and writes /…/AppGroup/<uuid>/Library/Caches/feed_snapshots.json.
Widget gallery only shows the plain grey system placeholder (my sample placeholder never appears).
Console log every time WidgetKit runs:
chronod: Unable to resolve default intent (appintent:FeedSelectionIntent) for extension cool.glance.app.widget
Error Domain=LNMetadataProviderErrorDomain Code=9000
LinkMetadata.BundleMetadataExtractionError.aggregateMetadataIsEmpty
Added os_log in the widget + bridge (WidgetsBridgePlugin, FeedSnapshotStore, FeedEntityQuery, FeedSummaryTimeline), but none of them ever appear. That suggests the widget bundle can’t see the compiled AppIntent metadata or the snapshot file even though it’s there.
Code (trimmed to essentials)
FeedSelectionIntent.swift
struct FeedSelectionIntent: AppIntent, WidgetConfigurationIntent {
static var title: LocalizedStringResource = "Feed"
static var description = IntentDescription("Choose which feed should appear in the widget.")
@Parameter(title: "Feed",
requestValueDialog: IntentDialog("Select which feed to display."))
var feed: FeedAppEntity?
static var parameterSummary: some ParameterSummary { Summary("Show \(\.$feed)") }
init() { feed = FeedAppEntity.sample }
init(feed: FeedAppEntity?) { self.feed = feed }
static var defaultValue: FeedSelectionIntent { FeedSelectionIntent(feed: .sample) }
func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult { .result() }
}
FeedSnapshotStore.loadSnapshots()
guard let containerURL = fileManager.containerURL(
forSecurityApplicationGroupIdentifier: appGroupIdentifier) else {
os_log("FeedSnapshotStore: missing app group container %{public}s", log: Self.log, type: .error, appGroupIdentifier)
return []
}
let fileURL = SharedConstants.feedSnapshotRelativePath.reduce(containerURL) { url, component in
url.appendingPathComponent(component, isDirectory: component != SharedConstants.feedSnapshotFileName)
}
guard let data = try? Data(contentsOf: fileURL), !data.isEmpty else {
os_log("FeedSnapshotStore: no snapshot data found at %{public}s", log: Self.log, type: .info, fileURL.path)
return []
}
// decode FeedSnapshotEnvelope…
WidgetsBridgePlugin.writeSnapshots (Flutter → widget)
guard let containerURL = fileManager.containerURL(
forSecurityApplicationGroupIdentifier: SharedConstants.appGroupIdentifier) else {
result(FlutterError(code: "container-unavailable", message: "Unable to locate shared app group container.", details: nil))
return
}
let targetDir = SharedConstants.feedSnapshotRelativePath.dropLast().reduce(containerURL) {
$0.appendingPathComponent($1, isDirectory: true)
}
try fileManager.createDirectory(at: targetDir, withIntermediateDirectories: true)
let targetURL = targetDir.appendingPathComponent(SharedConstants.feedSnapshotFileName, isDirectory: false)
try data.write(to: targetURL, options: .atomic)
WidgetCenter.shared.reloadTimelines(ofKind: "GlanceSummaryWidget")
os_log("WidgetsBridgePlugin: wrote snapshots for %{public}d feeds at %{public}s",
log: WidgetsBridgePlugin.log,
type: .info,
envelope.feeds.count,
targetURL.path)
Info.plist for the widget contains only:
<key>NSExtensionPointIdentifier</key>
<string>com.apple.widgetkit-extension</string>
<key>NSExtensionAttributes</key>
<dict>
<key>WKAppBundleIdentifier</key>
<string>cool.glance.app</string>
</dict>
(If I add NSExtensionPrincipalClass, the install fails with “principal class not allowed for com.apple.widgetkit-extension”, so it stays out.)
What I’ve double‑checked
App Group entitlement present on Runner.app and the widget extension.
Snapshot file definitely exists under Library/Caches/feed_snapshots.json (size updates when Flutter writes).
Code matches Apple’s “Making a configurable widget” sample (custom WidgetConfigurationIntent, entity, and timeline provider).
Cleaned build folders (Flutter + Xcode), reinstalled app from scratch, but I still don’t see any of the os_log messages from the widget extension-only the LinkMetadata error above.
Placeholder entry (SampleSnapshots.recentSummary) is wired up; yet the system never uses it and always drops to the generic grey preview.
Questions
Does LinkMetadata.BundleMetadataExtractionError.aggregateMetadataIsEmpty mean WidgetKit can’t see the compiled AppIntent metadata? If so, what could cause that when the extension is built via Swift Package Manager inside a Flutter project?
Are there extra build settings or plist keys required so the AppIntent metadata gets embedded in the widget bundle?
Any reason the widget would never reach my FeedSnapshotStore logs even though the file is written and the App Group is configured?
Any help connecting the dots would be hugely appreciated.
Hello,
in my widget the user displays images filling the whole widget with overlayed texts (via ZStack). Via shadows or text background color the text gets better readable.
However, when a user chooses transparent or tinted colors for the home screen, the text is barely or not readable anymore since e.g. white text on white image background. How to resolve this issue?
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Widgets & Live Activities
Tags:
SwiftUI
Visual Design
WidgetKit
I was very excited to see the addition of push notifications for widgets. However upon further inspection, the way it is implemented seems too limiting for real life apps.
I have an app for time tracking with my own backend. The app syncs with my backend in the main executable (main target). My widgets are more lightweight as they only access data in the shared app container, but they don't perform sync with the server directly to avoid race conditions with the main app.
I was under the impression that the general direction of the platform is to be doing most things in the main app target (also App Intents work that way for the most part), so the fact that the WidgetPushHandler just calls the widget's method to reload the timeline is very unfortunate. In an ideal scenario I also need the main app to be 'woken up' to perform the sync with the server, and once that's done I'd update the widget's timeline and where I would just read data from the shared app container.
So, my questions are:
What is the recommended way of updating the widgets when this push notification arrives in the case that the main app target needs to perform the sync first?
Is there any way how to detect that the method
func timeline(for configuration: InteractiveTrackingWidgetConfigurationAppIntent, in context: Context)
was called as a result of the push notification being received?
Can I somehow schedule a background task from the widget's reloadTimeline() function?
How can I get the push token later, in case that I don't save it right away the first time the WidgetPushHandler's pushTokenDidChange() is called?
Thank you for your work on this and hopefully for your answers.
FB19356256
Issue Description:
Tapping the app widget sometimes triggers the Universal Link twice, causing duplicate navigation or actions within the app
Steps to Reproduce:
Add the app widget to the home screen
Tap the widget to open the app via the Universal Link
Observe that the Universal Link is sometimes fired twice
Expected Behavior:
Tapping the widget should trigger the Universal Link only once.
Actual Behavior:
Universal Link is triggered twice, causing duplicate
navigation or actions.
Since watchOS 26, watch face sharing has stopped working completely.
I tested the following:
Sharing via CLKWatchFaceLibrary
Other public APIs
Sharing via iMessage
In all cases, the watch face cannot be reinstalled after being shared.
This issue is not limited to my app. Large third-party apps such as Facer and other major watch face platforms are also affected, which suggests this is a system-level change or bug.
Everything worked correctly before watchOS 26.
Has Apple officially acknowledged this issue?
Is there a recommended place to report or track this bug?
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Widgets & Live Activities
Tags:
Face Sharing
watchOS
Watch Complications
WidgetKit
Hello everybody!
Does anybody know how to set default values for string array intent field provided dynamically? I want to have preset array field values just after widget added
I have a simple accessory widget with circular and rectangular representation (the first one is for 1 currency value and the second one is for 3 values).
I created CurrencyWidgets.intentdefinition and added AccessoryCurrency custom intent. Here I added string parameter field currencyCode. For this parameter I set the following options:
Supports Multiple Values
Fixed Size (AccessoryCircular = 1, AccessoryRectangular = 3)
User can edit value in Shortcuts
Options are provided dynamically
Then I created CurrencyTypeIntent extension and added IntentHandler for my custom intent AccessoryCurrency. The code is below
class IntentHandler: INExtension, AccessoryCurrencyIntentHandling {
override func handler(for intent: INIntent) -> Any { self }
func provideCurrencyCodeOptionsCollection(for intent: AccessoryCurrencyIntent) async throws -> INObjectCollection<NSString> {
return INObjectCollection(items: [NSString("USD"), NSString("EUR"), NSString("RUB"), NSString("CNY")])
}
func defaultCurrencyCode(for intent: AccessoryCurrencyIntent) -> [String]? {
return ["USD", "EUR", "RUB"]
}
}
The problem is in func defaultCurrencyCode(...): when I return something except nil (for example ["USD"] or ["USD", "EUR", "RUB"]) then I got a broken widget. It hangs in a placeholder state in lock screen and at add widget UI (see the image below).
Otherwise when I return nil then my widget works fine. But when I try to customise widget then I don't have default values for my currencyCode field, only Chose placeholders.
At the same time everything works fine for the single string parameter (without "Supports Multiple Values"). Does anybody know how to make default parameters work for array (multiple) field?
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Widgets & Live Activities
Tags:
WidgetKit
Intents
App Intents
I'm working on the control widget which should display the SF image on the UI, but I have found that it cannot be displayed stably. I have three ExampleControlWidget which is about the type egA egB and egC, it should all be showed but now they only show the text and placeholder. I'm aware of the images should be SF image and I can see them to show perfectly sometimes, but in other time it is just failed. This's really confused me, can anyone help me out?
public enum ControlWidgetType: Sendable {
case egA
case egB
case egC
public var imageName: String {
switch self {
case .egA:
return "egA"
case .egB:
return "egB"
case .egC:
return "egC"
}
}
}
struct ExampleControlWidget: ControlWidget {
var body: some ControlWidgetConfiguration {
AppIntentControlConfiguration(
kind: kind,
provider: Provider()
) { example in
ControlWidgetToggle(
example.name,
isOn: example.state.isOn,
action: ExampleControlWidgetIntent(id: example.id),
valueLabel: { isOn in
ExampleControlWidgetView(
statusText: isOn ? Localization.on.text : Localization.off.text,
bundle: bundle,
widgetType: .egA //or .egB .egC
)
.symbolEffect(.pulse)
}
)
.disabled(example.state.isDisabled)
}
.promptsForUserConfiguration()
}
}
public struct ExampleControlWidgetView: View {
private let statusText: String
private let bundle: Bundle
private var widgetType: ControlWidgetType = .egA
public init(statusText: String, bundle: Bundle, widgetType: ControlWidgetType) {
self.statusText = statusText
self.bundle = bundle
self.widgetType = widgetType
}
public var body: some View {
Label(
statusText,
image: .init(
name: widgetType.imageName,
// the SF Symbol image id bundled in the Widget extension
bundle: bundle
)
)
}
}
This is the normal display:
These are the display that do not show properly:
The results has no rules at all, I have tried to completely uninstall the APP and reinstall but the result is same.
i export apple SF as custom sf for test.
code is simple:
var body: some ControlWidgetConfiguration {
StaticControlConfiguration(
kind:"ControlWidgetConfiguration"
) {
ControlWidgetButton(action: DynamicWidgetIntent()) {
Text("test")
Image("custom_like")
}
}.displayName("test")
}
as we can see, it can't show image in the preview. but it can show image in the Control widget center.
am i do some thing wrong?
How do I set a custom icon for an app control that appears in Control Shortcuts (swipe down from iOS) ?
Where is the documentation for size and where to put the image, format etc?
Thank you.
Working Code (sfsymbol)
import Foundation
import AppIntents
import SwiftUI
import WidgetKit
// MARK: - Open App Control
@available(iOS 18.0, *)
struct OpenAppControl: ControlWidget {
let kind: String = "OpenAppControl"
var body: some ControlWidgetConfiguration {
StaticControlConfiguration(kind: kind, content: {
ControlWidgetButton(action: OpenAppIntent()) {
Label("Open The App", systemImage: "clock.fill")
}
}
})
.displayName("Open The App") // This appears in the shortcuts view
}
}
Sample Image
These apps use their own image. How can I use my own image?
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Widgets & Live Activities
Tags:
SwiftUI
WidgetKit
App Intents
Using desaturated mode on an image in a widget will break any links or buttons that use the image as their 'label'.
Using the following will just open the app as if there was no link at all - therefore just using the fallback userActivity handler, or any .widgetURL() urls provided.
Link(destination: URL(string: "bug://never-works")!) {
Image("puppy")
.widgetAccentedRenderingMode(.desaturated)
}
The same goes for buttons:
Button(intent: MyDemoIntent()) {
Image("puppy")
.widgetAccentedRenderingMode(.desaturated)
}
I've tried hacky solutions like putting the link behind the image using a ZStack, and disabling hit testing on the image, but they don't work. Anything else to try?
Logged as Feedback #15152620.
In iOS 26, when using the liquid glass and the custom clear mode, the pictures of the widgets all display as gray squares and cannot show the actual images anymore.
What should I do to display them?
I'm creating an app and I want the user to see the PNG image with the background removed in the widget, but I want the background to be transparent. I've seen this done before in some apps' CarPlay widgets. How can I do this?