Clean Photos From Your Home Screen: Interactive Widgets and Live Activities for iPhone
The biggest barrier to building any habit is friction. The more steps between you and the thing you want to do, the less likely you are to do it. Unlocking your phone, finding the app, tapping it, waiting for it to load, navigating to the right screen… by the time you get there, you have already decided to scroll social media instead.
That is why we built Tidy’s Interactive Widgets and Live Activities. They bring photo cleanup to the places you already look - your Home Screen and Lock Screen - so starting a cleaning session takes one tap instead of five.
What Are Interactive Widgets?
Interactive Widgets were introduced in iOS 17 as a major upgrade to the widget system Apple launched with iOS 14. Before iOS 17, widgets were essentially read-only displays. They could show you information (weather, calendar events, step counts), but tapping them would just open the parent app. You could look, but you could not touch.
Interactive Widgets changed that. Now, widgets can contain buttons and toggles that trigger actions directly, without launching the full app. You can mark a reminder as complete, play/pause music, or toggle a smart home device - all from a widget on your Home Screen.
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For app developers, Interactive Widgets opened up new possibilities. Instead of treating widgets as miniature billboards, they could become genuine entry points for quick actions. That is exactly how we use them in Tidy.
Tidy’s Widget: Start Cleaning Without Opening the App
Tidy’s Home Screen widget is designed around one core action: get you into a cleaning session as fast as possible.
The widget displays useful information at a glance:
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- Photo count - How many photos are in your library waiting to be reviewed
- Current streak - Your daily cleaning streak count, so you always know where you stand
- Quick action button - A “Start Cleaning” button that launches you directly into Tidy’s swipe game
The widget comes in multiple sizes:
- Small (2x2) - Shows your streak count and photo count in a compact view. Tapping anywhere on the widget opens Tidy
- Medium (4x2) - Adds the “Start Cleaning” button and shows more detailed stats including storage used by photos
- Large (4x4) - The full experience with streak info, recent session stats, and a prominent start button
The “Start Cleaning” button on the medium and large widgets is the real magic. Because it is an interactive widget button, it can trigger a specific action: launching Tidy directly into the swipe cleaning interface, bypassing the home screen, settings, or any other intermediate screen. One tap from your Home Screen to actively cleaning photos.
What Are Live Activities?
Live Activities are a feature Apple introduced in iOS 16.1 that allows apps to display real-time, updating information on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. Unlike widgets, which update periodically, Live Activities can update continuously for the duration of an ongoing task.
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The key characteristic of Live Activities is that they are temporary and contextual. They appear when something is actively happening and disappear when it is done. This makes them perfect for tracking the progress of a Tidy cleaning session.
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Tidy’s Live Activity: Cleanup Progress on Your Lock Screen
When you start a cleaning session in Tidy, a Live Activity appears on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. It stays visible throughout your session, showing you real-time progress.
The Live Activity displays:
- Photos reviewed - A running count of how many photos you have swiped through
- Photos dropped - How many you have marked for deletion
- Session time - How long you have been cleaning
- Progress indicator - A visual bar showing how far through your current filter you have progressed
On iPhones with Dynamic Island, the Live Activity also appears as a compact pill at the top of the screen. This means you can see your cleanup progress even while using other apps.
When your session ends, the Live Activity gracefully transitions to show a session summary before fading away.
How to Add Tidy Widgets to Your Home Screen
Setting up Tidy’s widget takes about 30 seconds:
- Long-press on your Home Screen until the apps start jiggling
- Tap the ”+” button in the top-left corner to open the widget gallery
- Search for “Tidy” in the search bar
- Choose your widget size - We recommend medium for the interactive “Start Cleaning” button
- Tap “Add Widget” and drag it to your preferred position
- Tap “Done” to exit jiggle mode
Placement tip: Put the Tidy widget on your main Home Screen, ideally in the top half where your thumb naturally rests. The easier it is to reach, the more likely you are to use it.
Adding Tidy to Your Lock Screen
You can also add a Tidy widget to your Lock Screen:
- Long-press on your Lock Screen until the customization view appears
- Tap “Customize” then select “Lock Screen”
- Tap the widget area below the clock
- Search for and add “Tidy”
- Tap “Done” twice to confirm
The Lock Screen widget shows your current streak count and acts as a one-tap shortcut into Tidy.
The Convenience of Quick-Access Photo Cleaning
Without widgets: You think “I should clean my photos.” You unlock your phone, swipe through pages of apps, tap Tidy, wait for it to load, navigate to the cleaning screen. By now, 15-20 seconds have passed, and your motivation may have faded.
With widgets: You glance at your Home Screen and see “37-day streak” on the Tidy widget. You tap “Start Cleaning.” You are swiping through photos within 2 seconds.
Together, widgets and Live Activities create what we call ambient motivation. Your phone is constantly, gently reminding you that photo cleanup is easy and progress is being made - not through push notifications, but through passive, always-visible information that you notice naturally.
Widget Tips and Tricks
- Stack it with related widgets - Put Tidy’s widget in a stack with your fitness tracker or habit app
- Use the medium size - Best balance between information and the interactive start button
- Pair with Focus modes - Show the Tidy widget only during personal time when you are most likely to have free minutes
- Check the Dynamic Island - A fantastic progress tracker during cleaning sessions
- Lock Screen placement - Put Tidy next to your most-viewed Lock Screen widget to see your streak count throughout the day
Which iPhones Support These Features?
Not all widget and Live Activity features are available on every iPhone. Here is what you need:
- Interactive Widgets (tap buttons from Home Screen) - Requires iOS 17 or later. Works on iPhone XS (2018) and all newer models. Older iPhones can display widgets but cannot interact with them directly.
- Dynamic Island Live Activities - Only available on iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 15 (all models), iPhone 16 (all models), and iPhone 17 series. These phones have the Dynamic Island hardware that replaces the notch.
- Lock Screen Live Activities - Available on any iPhone running iOS 16.1 or later (iPhone XS and newer). Even without Dynamic Island, your cleanup progress appears on the Lock Screen.
- StandBy Mode Widgets - Requires iOS 17 and works on iPhone XS and newer. Turn your iPhone sideways while charging and widgets appear in a large, easy-to-read format.
If you have an iPhone 15 or newer, you get the full experience: Interactive Widgets on your Home Screen, Dynamic Island updates while using other apps, Lock Screen progress tracking, and StandBy mode support.
Tidy in StandBy Mode
StandBy mode, introduced in iOS 17, transforms your iPhone into a smart display when it is charging in landscape orientation. It shows widgets, photos, and clocks in a large, glanceable format perfect for a nightstand, desk, or kitchen counter.
Tidy's widget works beautifully in StandBy mode. Your streak count and photo stats are displayed in large, easy-to-read text that you can see from across the room. It serves as a gentle visual reminder: every time you glance at your phone on the charger, you see your cleaning streak.
This creates a natural habit loop. You see the streak while your phone charges in the evening. You pick up the phone, tap the widget, do a quick 5-minute cleaning session while winding down for the day, and put it back on the charger. The next morning, your streak has grown by one.
To add Tidy to StandBy mode: place your iPhone on a charger in landscape, tap and hold the widget view, tap the "+" button, search for Tidy, and add it to your StandBy widget stack.
Why Widgets Fundamentally Change Your Cleaning Habits
There is a well-researched concept in behavioral psychology called the cue-routine-reward loop. Every habit follows this pattern: a cue triggers the behavior, the routine is the behavior itself, and the reward reinforces it.
Without widgets, photo cleanup has no cue. You have to remember to do it, find the app, and convince yourself to start. The friction is high and there is no trigger.
Widgets provide the missing cue. Every time you look at your Home Screen, you see your streak count. That number is a visual trigger. A 15-day streak creates a desire to not break it. The "Start Cleaning" button removes all friction from the routine. And the Live Activity provides the reward: watching your progress count grow in real time gives you a sense of accomplishment.
The result is measurable. Users who add the Tidy widget to their Home Screen clean their photos 3-4 times more frequently than those who do not. They maintain longer streaks, review more photos per session, and are far less likely to abandon the habit after the first week.
This is not about the technology being fancy. It is about removing friction and adding visibility. The best habit tool is one you see without looking for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Tidy widget drain my battery?
No. Widgets update periodically using Apple's WidgetKit framework, which is designed to be extremely efficient. The widget refreshes its data a few times per day, using minimal battery. Live Activities use slightly more power during an active session, but only for the duration of your cleaning session.
Can I use the widget without opening Tidy first?
You need to open Tidy at least once after installing it to grant photo library access. After that, the widget works independently and can launch you directly into a cleaning session without any intermediate screens.
Why is my widget not showing updated stats?
Widgets update on a schedule controlled by iOS, not in real time. After a cleaning session, it may take a few minutes for the widget to reflect your new stats. You can also try removing and re-adding the widget to force a refresh.
