# Apps versus Widgets? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 23, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-versus-widgets/693873 "2014-07-23T20:20:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Mama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5ac83/32.png) [@Atomic\_Mama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Mama)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-versus-widgets/693873/1 "2014-07-23T20:20:14Z")
New “smartphone user” here. What is the purpose of the Widget? and if I wanted to, how can I get rid of the Widgets? They are nothing but annoying to me. I am supposed to drag&drop the offensive Widgets UP & remove them. I have less than 50% success. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-versus-widgets/693873/2 "2014-07-23T20:31:18Z")
Widgets are extensions of the app, serving up data that you’d normally only see when the app is fully loaded and in full screen, on your mobile uh… “desktop” for lack of a better term, instead. It’s meant to provide at a glance information without you needing to actually load up the application. I use them for email, twitter feeds and weather. This way I know if I have email, or whether it’s going to rain today without having to actually open my email or weather app. I agree that outside of a few such key scenarios, they are pretty useless. I think they were probably more popular on older phones, when loading up an app took longer. On my Galaxy S4 they are super easy to remove, I sometimes do it inadvertently. Just touch and hold an icon or widget, the screen will shrink and show a delete folder on the toolbar, and I can just drag the offending widget over to it. The operation required will likely differ from phone to phone though. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-versus-widgets/693873/3 "2014-07-25T02:07:37Z")
Just a quick note- For better or worse Apple does not allow widgets in iOS. In fact because of hacking concerns Microsoft discontinued their ‘desktop gadgets’ with Windows 8 and recommends not using them in 7 or Vista… ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-versus-widgets/693873/4 "2014-07-25T08:45:05Z")
The term “widget” refers to the computer science term, where it is a “screen effect”. Something live in the screen …such as part of a GUI (a button, an entry box or something). So in terms of smart phones, and GUI’s windows the MS or apple desktop, it refers to some little program that doesn’t take over the screen (or a full window)… it just sits somewhere being small . ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-versus-widgets/693873/5 "2014-07-25T17:25:17Z")
> [@Atomic\_Mama](#): > > I am supposed to drag&drop the offensive Widgets UP & remove them. I have less than 50% success. Generally, to move something on a touchscreen device, you need to touch the icon and hold still before moving it. There should be some cue when the device recognizes the “tap & hold” gesture (buzz, beep, change color, etc) to know you can now move it.