Customise iOS 8 with widgets

Update the Today view in Notification Centre

One of the key additions for developers in iOS 8 was extensions, which enable apps to break out of their individual cages and interact with other parts of your phone safely and securely. One of the ways they can do this is with the new widgets in the Today pane of Notification Centre. Here, apps can provide information and even interactivity that’s useful at a glance. Because Notification Centre can be pulled down at any time, it’s a great place to put things you check regularly. Apple provides a set of widgets by default, but it’s easy to add your own from compatible apps, and to set the order they appear in (see below for a quick tutorial).

Currently, Apple provides widgets that include upcoming calendar appointment, outstanding Reminders (which can be checked off within the widget) and current traffic conditions (among others). Already, there are specific weather widgets, such as Yahoo’s; the Kindle app shows you how far you’ve read through your most recently opened book, and acts as a shortcut to go to that page; Evernote gives you buttons so you can add a new note… there’s already a wide range available, and it will only grow with more useful options. Matt Bolton

Notification Centre can be pulled down at any time to give info that’s useful at a glance