📌 Introduction
Android widgets have been around for years, but building them used to be painful—old APIs, RemoteViews, and tons of limitations.
But now in 2025, Google has introduced a fresh way to build beautiful, modern widgets using Jetpack Glance, a new UI toolkit inspired by Jetpack Compose.
In this post, you’ll learn:
- What Jetpack Glance is
- Why it matters in modern Android
- How it compares to the old system
- When and where to use it
Let’s get started 👇
🚀 What is Jetpack Glance?
Jetpack Glance is Google’s modern toolkit for creating Android home screen widgets, letting you design them in Kotlin with a syntax that feels similar to Jetpack Compose.
Instead of using RemoteViews with XML, you now write widgets using Kotlin functions and Glance Composables, just like you do in Jetpack Compose apps.
- ✅ Official Library: androidx.glance:glance
- ✅ Works on Android 12+
- ✅ Ideal for building:
- • Weather widgets
- • Notes preview widgets
- • Media controls
- • Smart home toggles
- • And more
🎯 Why Use Jetpack Glance?
Here’s why Jetpack Glance is a big deal in 2025:
| Feature | RemoteViews (Old Way) | Jetpack Glance (New Way) |
|---|---|---|
| UI Code | XML + RemoteViews | Kotlin + Declarative |
| Style Support | Limited | Material You, Dark Mode |
| Click Handling | Complex Intents | Simple actionRunCallback |
| Dynamic Content | Difficult | State management with GlanceStateDefinition |
| Preview Support | ❌ | ✅ @Preview |
| Compose-like Syntax | ❌ | ✅ |
| Animation | ❌ | ❌ (still limited) |
🧠 Jetpack Glance simplifies widget development for Compose developers.
⚙️ How Jetpack Glance Works
A Glance widget has a few key parts:
1. GlanceAppWidget
This is your main widget class. It defines the UI and state.
class MyWidget : GlanceAppWidget() {
@Composable
override fun Content() {
Text("Hello from Glance!")
}
}2. AppWidgetReceiver
This is needed to tell Android where the widget is.
class MyWidgetReceiver : GlanceAppWidgetReceiver() {
override val glanceAppWidget = MyWidget()
}
3. AndroidManifest.xml
You declare the widget as a receiver:
<receiver
android:name=".MyWidgetReceiver"
android:exported="true">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.appwidget.action.APPWIDGET_UPDATE"/>
</intent-filter>
<meta-data
android:name="android.appwidget.provider"
android:resource="@xml/my_widget_info" />
</receiver>4. res/xml/my_widget_info.xml
You define the layout dimensions and update frequency.
<appwidget-provider xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:minWidth="180dp"
android:minHeight="100dp"
android:updatePeriodMillis="1800000"
android:previewImage="@drawable/preview"
android:resizeMode="horizontal|vertical"
android:widgetCategory="home_screen" />
🔧 Tools You Need (2025 Setup)
Make sure your build.gradle includes:
dependencies {
implementation("androidx.glance:glance:1.1.0") // Latest
}👨💻 Real Use Cases
Here are a few popular widget types you can now build easily with Jetpack Glance:
- ✅ Weather forecast (API + background update)
- ✅ Notes preview (latest note title)
- ✅ Daily quote
- ✅ Battery status
- ✅ Step counter
- ✅ Countdown timer
- ✅ Music play/pause control
❗ Limitations to Keep in Mind
Jetpack Glance is powerful but not perfect:
- ❌ No animation support (yet)
- ❌ No Compose Navigation or remember
- ⚠️ Only basic layout Composables (Box, Column, Row, Text, etc.)
- ⚠️ Works best with background workers for updates
But even with these, it's miles better than RemoteViews.
📈 The Future of Android Widgets
Widgets are back in trend with Android 15 focusing more on adaptive, interactive, and glanceable UIs.
With Material You, dark mode, and Compose-like syntax, Jetpack Glance is your best bet to create beautiful home screen experiences in 2025 and beyond.
✨ Final Thoughts
Jetpack Glance brings the power of Compose to Android widgets, finally making them:
- Easy to write
- Easy to preview
- Easy to update
It’s still growing, and now is the perfect time to start blogging or building before the crowd joins in.
A list of Jetpack Glance project you can build
Beginner-Friendly Widgets
- Battery Status Widget – Show percentage, charging status, temperature, and tap to open battery settings.
- Daily Quote Widget – Random motivational quotes fetched from an API.
- Weather Snapshot Widget – Current temperature, weather icon, and location.
- Step Counter Widget – Display daily steps from Google Fit API.
- Countdown Timer Widget – For events, birthdays, or holidays.
- Simple Clock & Date Widget – With Material You theming.
- Daily Task Reminder Widget – Read tasks from Room database.
- Random Fun Fact Widget – Fetched from a facts API.
- Flash Sale Countdown Widget – For e-commerce apps.
- Prayer Times Widget – Show daily prayer schedule.
Intermediate-Level Widgets
- Stock Price Widget – Live updates from finance APIs.
- Crypto Price Tracker Widget – Real-time Bitcoin/Ethereum prices.
- Live Sports Score Widget – Cricket, football, or basketball.
- Water Intake Tracker Widget – Progress bar for daily water goals.
- Habit Tracker Widget – Streak display and quick toggle.
- Grocery List Widget – Display saved items from your app.
- News Headlines Widget – Fetch top headlines from a news API.
- Pill Reminder Widget – Upcoming medication schedule.
- Sleep Tracker Widget – Show last night’s sleep duration.
- Music Player Widget – Controls for play/pause/next track.
Advanced/Dynamic Widgets
- Smart Home Controller Widget – Lights, AC, and fan toggles.
- AI Chatbot Quick Access Widget – Send a quick question to AI.
- Flight Status Widget – Show boarding gate, departure time, and updates.
- Expense Tracker Widget – Monthly spending summary.
- Workout Progress Widget – Calories burned, workouts completed.
- Live Poll Widget – For events or conferences.
- Job Alert Widget – Latest jobs matching your criteria.
- Package Tracking Widget – Delivery status in real-time.
- Event Ticket Widget – Show QR code for entry.
- Podcast Player Widget – Play latest episode from your list.
📱 Utility Widgets
Battery Health & Charging Widget – Show percentage, charging status, temperature, and tap to open battery settings.
Wi-Fi & Mobile Data Toggle Widget – Quick connect/disconnect with signal strength indicator.
Daily Task / To-Do Widget – Minimalistic checklist that syncs with local Room database.
Storage Usage Widget – Displays used/free storage with a progress ring.
Flashlight Toggle Widget – One-tap flashlight control with battery drain info.
📰 Information Widgets
- Live Weather Widget – Displays current temperature, condition, and location.
- Crypto Price Tracker Widget – Real-time Bitcoin/Ethereum price updates.
- News Headlines Widget – Latest news from selected sources with one-tap read.
- Sports Scoreboard Widget – Live match scores for cricket/football.
- Stock Market Watch Widget – Favorite company stock updates.
🎯 Productivity Widgets
- Calendar & Events Widget – Upcoming events in a clean Material You design.
- Habit Tracker Widget – Progress bars for daily habits.
- Pomodoro Timer Widget – Start, pause, reset timers directly from the widget.
- Quote of the Day Widget – Motivational quotes with beautiful typography.
- Currency Converter Widget – Quick currency conversions with live rates.
🎨 Creative & Fun Widgets
- Emoji Mood Tracker Widget – Log your daily mood with emojis.
- Custom Countdown Widget – Count days to birthdays, events, or goals.
- Daily Wallpaper Widget – Fetches & sets wallpapers automatically.
- Pet Care Reminder Widget – Reminds feeding/walking times.
- Random Fun Fact Widget – Displays interesting facts daily.
🎧 Media & Lifestyle Widgets
- Music Player Controls Widget – Play, pause, skip from home screen.
- Podcast Latest Episode Widget – Updates with your favorite show.
- Recipe of the Day Widget – New recipes daily with cooking time.
- Fitness Steps Counter Widget – Shows daily steps & calories burned.
- Sleep Tracker Widget – Sleep score & history.
