A medication widget puts your next dose where you already look: the Lock Screen you see dozens of times a day and the Home Screen you open apps from. A good setup has one small Lock Screen widget for what is next, a Home Screen widget you can log from and, for medication taken every few hours or as needed, a live countdown to the next dose.

Notifications are great at interrupting you. Widgets are good at something different: they are there whenever you glance, without making a sound. Together they cover both the moment a dose is due and the hours in between. This guide explains how to add medication widgets on iPhone and which ones are worth the space.

Kinds of widget

iPhone has a few places a widget can live:

  • Lock Screen widgets. Small circular, rectangular or single-line widgets above and below the clock. You see them every time you lift your phone.
  • Home Screen widgets. Larger squares and rectangles among your apps. Some have buttons you can tap.
  • Live Activities. A live, updating view on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island on supported iPhones, for something happening right now, like a delivery or a timer.
  • Watch complications. Small widgets on your Apple Watch face. See our guide to fixing Apple Watch medication reminders for watch setup.

Adding a Lock Screen widget

  1. Lock your phone, then wake it so you see the Lock Screen.
  2. Touch and hold the Lock Screen until Customise appears, then tap it.
  3. Choose Lock Screen, then tap the widget area under the clock.
  4. Find your medication app in the list and pick a widget.
  5. Tap Done.

A rectangular widget showing your next dose and its time is the most useful for most people. A circular one can show a single number, such as days of supply left.

Adding a Home Screen widget

  1. Touch and hold an empty part of the Home Screen until the apps jiggle.
  2. Tap Edit, then Add Widget.
  3. Choose your medication app and swipe through the sizes.
  4. Tap Add Widget and drag it where you want it.

A medium or large widget can show the whole day's doses. Some widgets let you tap Take or Skip right on the Home Screen, without opening the app. Put it on your first Home Screen page if you want to see it often.

What a countdown adds

Most medication is taken at set clock times, and a "next dose at 8:00 pm" widget covers it. Two kinds of medication need something else:

  • Medication taken every few hours. If you take something every six hours from your first dose, the next time depends on when you took the last one. A countdown shows "next dose in 2 h 15 min" so you do not have to work it out.
  • As-needed medication with a minimum gap. If a dose is allowed no sooner than four hours after the last, a countdown shows when that time is up. Our guide to tracking as-needed medication explains why the gap matters.

A live countdown on the Lock Screen updates by itself, with a progress bar that fills as the time passes. You can see it whenever you pick up your phone, without opening an app or doing sums. Live Activities on iPhone are designed for things happening in the next several hours, so a countdown is best for doses coming up soon rather than tomorrow.

Tips for a useful setup

  • Keep it to one or two widgets. A Lock Screen covered in widgets is easy to stop seeing.
  • Choose what matters most to you. Next dose, days of supply left or your week at a glance.
  • Put the logging widget where your thumb goes. Bottom row of the first Home Screen page works well.
  • Check privacy. Lock Screen widgets are visible to anyone who sees your phone. If you would rather not show medication names, choose a widget that shows times or counts only.
  • Keep notifications on. Widgets do not replace reminders. They are a second way to see what is due.

How Cadence widgets work

Cadence has Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets for your schedule, your next dose, supply left and your rhythm over the past week or month. The Home Screen schedule widget lets you tap Take or Skip without opening the app. For medication taken every few hours or as needed, Cadence can show a Lock Screen countdown that runs live until the next dose is due or allowed, with a progress bar, and in the Dynamic Island on iPhones that have it. You can turn the countdown on or off in Reminder settings. All widgets are free, with no account.

Frequently asked questions

Can I log a dose from a widget?

On iPhone, interactive Home Screen widgets can have buttons, so yes, if your app supports it. In Cadence you can tap Take or Skip on the schedule widget.

Why does my widget not update straight away?

iPhone refreshes widgets on its own schedule to save battery. Opening the app or logging a dose usually updates it. A Live Activity countdown updates continuously.

Does a countdown show for every medication?

In Cadence, the countdown is for medication taken every few hours and for as-needed medication with a minimum gap. Doses at fixed clock times show in the regular widgets.

Can other people see my widget?

Lock Screen widgets are visible without unlocking. Choose what you show with that in mind.

Cadence is a free medication reminder app for iPhone and Apple Watch. It is not medical software and does not give medical advice. Cadence Pro is a one-time purchase, with no subscription.