When you work remotely or have friends and family who live in another country, it’s important to know what time it is across time zones. A world clock (or time zone) widget on your iPhone’s Home screen makes this much easier.
We prefer the following options:
World Clock widget: This built-in widget is analog-only and quite basic, but it gets the job done. Widgetsmith: This popular widget-builder utility has a World Clock feature that shows the time in multiple locations in digital format. It’s also immensely customizable. World Clock Time Widget: This one is great for time-zone conversion. It also has a visual timeline of each location, so you’ll know if it’s day, night, or the next day, in a given location.
RELATED: How to Add and Remove Widgets from the Home Screen on iPhone
The process of adding widgets to your iPhone Home screen is the same for all apps (more on that later). First, let’s set up a widget from each app we mentioned above.
Customize the World Clock Widget
If you already use the World Clock feature in Apple’s Clock app, you’re good to go! If not, open the “Clock” app and navigate to the “World Clock” tab.
Here, tap the plus sign (+) at the top right.
Now, search for and add a location.
Repeat this process until you’ve added every location you want on your Home screen. Now, all that’s left to do is add the widget.
Customize the Widgetsmith World Clock Widget
Widgetsmith is a custom widget builder with multiple templates for calendars, reminders, photos, and yes, a world clock.
RELATED: How to Create Custom Widgets on iPhone
Before you can customize a widget, you’ll first need to add locations. To do so, open the Widgetsmith app, tap the “Tools” tab, and then tap “World Time.”
Here, tap “Edit Locations.”
Next, search for and add locations.
After all your locations are added, head to the “My Widgets” section to create and customize the widget. Here, you’ll find premade widgets in small, medium, and large (we chose medium for our example). You can also add or choose a widget to customize it.
Tap a widget’s preview to edit it.
In the “Style” section, tap “Time in Locations.”
In the “Locations” section, select all the locations you want to display in the widget.
Next, select the options you want from the “Font,” “Tint Color,” “Background Color,” and “Border Color” sections to customize your widget. When you’re finished, tap the Back arrow.
You can rename your widget at the top, and then tap “Save.”
Customize the World Clock Time Widget
The World Clock Time Widget app is similar to the Clock app. You can add and monitor the time in various locations worldwide. The basic Light and Dark themes are included with the free version. However, for 99 cents per month, you can also access a live time-zone converter and various themes.
To get started, open the “World Clock Time Widget” app, and then tap the plus sign (+) at the top right.
Search for and select every location you want to add to the World Clock.
Tap the Gear icon to open “Settings” and change the clock’s format.
How to Add a Widget to the iPhone Home Screen
Now that you’ve created your widget, it’s time to add it to your iPhone’s Home screen.
To do so, tap and hold an empty area of the Home screen until all the icons jiggle. Then, tap the plus sign (+) at the top left.
Scroll down and tap the app (Clock, Widgetsmith, or World Clock) in which you created your widget.
Next, head to the widget page for the size you selected previously. Here, you’ll see previews of different widgets specific to that app.
Tap “Add Widget” to add one to the Home screen.
Your widget should now be on the Home screen. If you’re using Widgetsmith and you don’t see the world clock, tap the widget to edit it.
In the “Widget” section, tap the “World Clock” widget you created above.
All widgets have their own option menus. For the Clock widget, you’ll see options for reordering and disabling cities. The widget options in the World Clock Time Widget app also allow you to change the theme.
That’s all there is to it! You now have a world clock widget right on your iPhone’s Home screen.
If you prefer, you can also stack widgets on top of each other and cycle through them whenever you want.
RELATED: How to Create a Widget Stack on Your iPhone Home Screen
