How to add an APOD widget on iPhone

Before you start

Install or update DailyApod from the App Store and open it once. Check that a picture loads with an internet connection. The website’s supported baseline is iOS 16; the exact menus depend on your iOS version.

These steps follow Apple’s widget instructions. On older versions, a plus button may replace the Edit → Add Widget menu.

Add DailyApod to your Home Screen

1. Touch and hold an empty area of the Home Screen until the apps jiggle.
2. Tap Edit, then Add Widget. If you see a plus button instead, tap it.
3. Search for DailyApod and choose one of its available widgets.
4. Swipe through the supported sizes, then tap Add Widget.
5. Place the widget and tap Done.

Choose a size that leaves enough room for the image and text. DailyApod’s Home Screen widgets support small, medium, and large sizes.

Choose what you want to see

The current app includes daily, random, and favourites widgets, plus a configurable widget. Pick the daily option for the latest entry, random to explore older entries, or favourites for a personal collection.

For settings offered by that widget, touch and hold it and choose Edit Widget. A fixed daily widget does not necessarily expose the same content choices as the configurable widget. Add favourites in the app before expecting a favourites widget to have a collection.

If DailyApod is missing from the gallery

Open the app after installing or updating it, then return to the widget gallery and search again. Make sure you are in the Home Screen gallery, rather than a different widget location. If the gallery still has not updated, restart the iPhone and try again.

If the picture looks old or blank

Open DailyApod with a working connection and check whether an entry loads. Confirm the widget’s selected type: a favourites or random widget is not expected to match today’s daily entry.

iOS schedules widget refreshes, so an update is not guaranteed at midnight or immediately after opening the app. APOD dates follow America/New_York; your local day may already be ahead. See the date guide for that difference. You can remove and add the widget again if its configuration appears stuck.