Widgets have to be the most underrated feature on Android. While some barely know they exist, others can't live without them. And if you fall into the latter half, you often use widgets to view information or perform certain operations without loading the app. But as with most Android features and widgets, they're not without their flaws. Here are the top 8 ways to fix widgets not updating on Android.
So, whether this widget isn't updating or has stopped working altogether, we'll show you some troubleshooting solutions you can apply to easily bypass the issue. So, let's get started.
1. Check your internet connection
Like apps, most tools you use on your Android device require a constant internet connection to function. For example, tools like Weather or Gmail constantly need an internet connection to update data. Therefore, you can start by ensuring your phone has a stable internet connection.
2. Reboot your device
If your internet is working fine and you're still experiencing issues with widgets, you can try restarting your Android device to see if it helps. Issues like widgets not updating are often easily resolved by simply restarting your Android device.
3. Remove and re-add the tool
Removing and re-adding the widget on Android seems to work well in fixing widget-related issues. Therefore, before trying other solutions, you can try re-adding the widget.
To remove a widget, tap and hold the widget and drag it to the remove option at the top.
Once removed, tap and hold anywhere on your home screen and select Widgets from the pop-up menu. Now add your widget back to see if it works properly.
4. Turn off “Power Saving”
Saving battery power on Android often reduces the ability of an app to run in the background. The same applies to app widgets as well. Therefore, you can try turning them off by pulling down the notification panel and tapping the battery icon.
5. Allow the app to run in the background
Aside from the system battery saver, you can also check whether the app associated with a particular widget isn't blocked from running in the background to save power. If so, it could be preventing the widget from refreshing data.
Follow the steps below to ensure the app is allowed to run in the background.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone. Go to Apps & notifications.
Step 2: Now scroll down and find the app associated with the widget.
Step 4: Under Manage battery usage, tap the Restrict background option followed by Remove to allow the app to run in the background.
Now go ahead and restart the app and re-add the app widget to see if the issue is resolved.
6. Update the app
Sometimes, issues you're experiencing with Android devices may be related to the app itself and not your phone. So, if the problem with devices not updating is limited to one or two specific apps, you can try Update the app Interested in seeing if this will solve the problem?
7. Clear the app's cache and data.
Apps on our phones often tend to collect cache data as we continue using them. While this cache data helps apps and widgets load faster, it can also become corrupted over time for no apparent reason. So, if the above methods fail to resolve your Android widget issues, you can try clearing the app's cache and data to see if it helps. Here's how.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone. Go to Apps & notifications.
Step 2: Now scroll down and find the app associated with the gadget from the list.
Step 3: Go to Storage & Cache and tap on Clear Cache button to remove cache data.
The app should now clear any cache data and load things from scratch. If the problem persists, repeat the steps above to clear the app data instead.
8. Check for system updates
Finally, you can try Install system updates On your device. If your device is new, there are likely some pending updates released by the company that have fixed the widget issue on your Android device, along with everything else.
Data Overview
This concludes our troubleshooting post on Android widgets not updating. Hopefully, one of the solutions will fix the widgets issue once and for all, and you should be able to enjoy your useful and customizable widgets again.
