Follow these steps to create a WidgetNote note, customize it, and place it on your iPhone Home Screen.
Works for reminders, checklists, shared notes, and photo-backed notes.
iOS widgets make notes more visible, but the best result comes from an app designed for Home Screen notes. WidgetNote gives you a note, styling controls, sync, and shared options in one flow.
Install WidgetNote from the App Store and decide what kind of note should live on your Home Screen.
Short notes work best on the Home Screen. Use a larger widget for longer text, or make a note rotation when several notes need to share one space. The iPhone note widget guide has a size-by-size breakdown if you are unsure which to pick.
When the note changes, tap the widget to open WidgetNote and update it. To choose a different note, long-press the widget and use Edit Widget. For choosing a layout first, compare note widget sizes.
Start with the note selection, widget settings, and sync checks below. These checks help you narrow down the issue before removing the app or its data.
| What you are seeing | What to check | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| WidgetNote does not appear in the widget picker | The app has not been opened since installing, or the phone has not re-indexed widgets | Open WidgetNote once, then go back to the Home Screen and try again. A restart forces the widget list to rebuild. |
| The widget is added but shows placeholder or empty text | No note has been selected for that particular widget yet | Long-press the widget, choose Edit Widget, and pick which note it should display. |
| The widget shows the wrong note | Each widget stores its own note choice, so a second widget defaults independently | Long-press that widget, tap Edit Widget, and select the right note. Other widgets keep their own selection. |
| Edits are not showing up on the widget | iOS controls widget refresh timing and can delay an update | Open WidgetNote and confirm the edit is saved and the widget points to that note. Allow time for iOS to refresh; changing Background App Refresh alone does not guarantee an immediate widget update. |
| A shared note is not updating for the other person | iCloud is signed out on one device, or that person has not accepted the share yet | Check that both devices are signed into iCloud with iCloud Drive on, and confirm the invite was accepted. |
| The text is cut off | The note is longer than the widget size can display | Move to a larger widget size, shorten the note, or split it across two widgets. |
The Lock Screen flow is different from the Home Screen one and catches people out, because it starts from the Lock Screen itself rather than from Settings. Wake the phone, press and hold the Lock Screen until the Customise button appears, tap it, then choose Lock Screen. The slots under the clock are the widget area — tap one, find WidgetNote in the list, and add it.
Lock Screen widgets are much smaller than Home Screen ones, and they are rendered in a flat tinted style rather than in your paper colors. That means the styling work you did on a note largely does not show here, so the Lock Screen is best for the shortest possible note: a time, a code, one word. Anything longer belongs on the Home Screen where the full note design is visible.
It is also worth knowing these are separate placements. A note on the Lock Screen does not remove it from the Home Screen, and both can point at the same note or at different ones.
If your Home Screen is already full, an iOS widget stack is usually the better answer than deleting an app. Drag one widget on top of another of the same size and iOS combines them into a stack you can swipe through. You can put several WidgetNote widgets in one stack, or mix a note in with a calendar and weather widget.
The tradeoff is real, though: a note in a stack is only visible when that stack happens to be showing it. For a reference note you check constantly, that defeats the purpose — those want their own slot. Stacks are better for notes that matter on a rotation, like a weekly focus or a note you only need in the evening.
Smart Rotate, which lets iOS choose what to show, is worth turning off for note stacks. The system has no idea which of your notes is urgent today, and a reminder you cannot reliably find is worse than no reminder.
Write the note, checklist, reminder, or shared message you want to pin.
Choose paper color, font, text color, size, position, tilt, and optional photo background.
Hold an empty area of the Home Screen until the apps jiggle. Tap Edit → Add Widget; older versions may show a + button instead.
Search for WidgetNote, swipe to choose a size, tap Add Widget, then finish editing the Home Screen.
Long-press the added widget and tap Edit Widget. Choose the note you created, then tap outside the widget to finish.
Drag the widget to the Home Screen spot where you will notice it most.
Yes. With WidgetNote, you create a note in the app and then add it through the iOS widget picker on the Home Screen.
Long-press the widget, edit the widget settings, and choose the WidgetNote note you want to display.
Yes. WidgetNote supports Lock Screen widgets as well as Home Screen widgets.
Yes. Create or join a shared note in WidgetNote, then choose that note when configuring the widget.
Aesthetic note widget templates for your iPhone Home Screen: grid, lined and dot paper, washi tape, glow gradients, cozy scenes and seasonal sticky notes. Free to start.
Choose the right iPhone note widget size, decide what to pin, and compare dedicated note widgets with Apple's built-in Notes widget.
Add notes to your iPhone Home Screen with WidgetNote. Keep reminders, checklists, photo notes, and shared notes visible at a glance.
Download WidgetNote and follow the steps to place a readable note on your iPhone Home Screen.