How to Customize the Photos in the iOS Photos Widget

This guide explains how to add a photos widget to your iPhone or iPad Home Screen and customize exactly which photos you want to appear in it.

If you love having photos on your iPhone or iPad Home Screen, but don’t love how random the choice of photos is – this is the widget for you! With the free and easy to use Photos Widget, you can choose exactly which photos you want to appear on your Home Screen. Here’s how –

  1. Start by installing the Photos Widget from the App Store.
  2. screenshot of the Photo Widget page in the iOS App Store with a Get button

  3. Once it’s been downloaded and installed, open it by tapping the Open button or by its newly added icon in your App list.
  4. screenshot of the Photo Widget page in the iOS App Store with an Open button

  5. Tap the Continue button on the bottom of the initial “welcome” screen.
  6. welcome screen for the Photo Widget app on an iPhone

  7. Tap the Allow Access to All Photos button to grant the Photos Widget access to your photos.
  8. iOS Allow or Deny access warning message

  9. Depending on the version you installed you may be presented with a notice informing you that the widget system is still a bit buggy – just tap the OK button to dismiss it.
  10. iOS menu with a message about the stability of an app

  11. Now on the main Photos Widget “home” screen, tap the ‘plus sign’ ( + ) button in the upper-right corner of the App.
  12. an arrow pointing to a plus sign button in an iOS app

  13. Tap the Photo Library option.
  14. an arrow pointing to the Photo Library option in a drop-down menu



  15. Select the photos you want to appear in the Photo widget on your Home Screen and then click the Add button.
  16. selecting photos from an iPhone photo album

  17. Tap OK when prompted.
  18. an OK button

  19. Now tap and hold your finger down on an empty part of the Home Screen you want to put the widget on until the “plus sign” ( + ) icon appears in the upper-right corner of the screen. Select it when it does.
  20. an arrow pointing to a plus sign button on an iOS Home Screen

  21. Scroll down until you find the Photo Widget item and select it. Note: make sure to select the one titled Photo Widget and not Photos.
  22. selecting a widget on an iPhone

  23. Now swipe through the widget options until you reach the ones that are titled Photos (and not Album) and then select the size of the widget you want to use.
  24. selecting a specific widget from a list

  25. Once you have the widget in place on your Home Screen, tap inside of it and hold your finger down until a menu appears (see screenshot below). Select Edit Widget from that menu.
  26. an iOS Home Screen with a newly installed Photo widget

  27. Toggle the All Photos option to ON.
  28. an arrow pointing to an ON/OFF toggle on an iPhone

  29. Ta-da! Your widget will now display the photos that you selected back in step #8 and only those photos. That’s it!
  30. an iOS Home Screen with a custom photo slideshow

  31. This helpful widget provides lots of other features and options – check them out to further customize your Home Screens. Or, check out our other iPhone and iPad guides and tutorials for more helpful tips :)

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