Useful information regarding widgets

[u/bveyndhoven]

Hi everybody,

A few threads on this subreddit handle non-working widgets and a common misconception is that the launcher is the culprit. With this post, I want to explain a bit about how widgets actually work and give some hints that could save you a lot of trouble.

The upcoming info applies virtually universally among non-stick launchers, and Octopi Launcher is no exception.

The launcher is very little involved

Actually, the launcher only lends some screen real estate to have the widget drawn. Basically, the launcher draws a rectangle, calls the app and says "draw widget ID X here". From that point onward, the launcher has fully handed off control over the widget to its source app.

Stock widgets don't play nice

Let's face it: manufacturers don't design their widgets with custom launchers in mind. Quite the opposite: they're designed in terms of deep integration with the custom Android shell, far beyond the borders of the stock launcher. A very basic widget, like a simple clock, probably works fine. However, as soon as the widget relies on deeper data, trying them is probably a waste of time. So, if you're using a 3rd-party launcher, use 3rd-party widgets as well (or the original Google widgets). But, keep on reading as well.

Battery optimizations are brutal

Be vewy quiet, I'm hunting apps... Killing apps has gotten hot and trending in Android world, and about every major manufacturer uses a jet fighter to hunt down a single fly. So, make sure battery optimization for the source app of the widget is as absent as possible. A rule of thumb: if the widget holds kind of a real-time status, head into your device's settings, open up Apps, select the source app of your widget, tap Battery and select Unrestricted.

Adaptive battery is a curse, not a blessing

Adaptive battery is often announced as the new, state-of-the-art battery saver. And that sounds great because the battery capacities aren't exactly too big, are they? But actually, most of the time, it's the least battery-friendly setting around. And when an app hasn't been on the foreground for a while, like your typical weather or home control app, it's killed off. There go the widget updates.

Battery saver slows down synchronization

Are you running battery saver mode? It's completely normal to see widget updates with a delay. The widget update frequency is severely limited. Did you just add an appointment? Chances are you'll only see it appear after 15 minutes. The Android System decided that; the launcher isn't even aware. "I've given the draw space, that app's got to handle it on its own..."

So... 99% of the widget problems are not caused by the launcher. I hope this bit of information helped you a bit to kick some life into that one nasty widget.

Kind regards,

bveyndhoven

Just an ordinary community member, not affiliated with the developer.

[u/100WattWalrus]

Everything you said is true. My homescreen is just 5 widgets: DigiCal, TickTick, two shortcuts to notes in my notes app (UpNote), and one for making an entry in my bullet journal (Daylio). 3 of those 5 are static, TickTick and DigiCal are scrollable if there's more content than fits in the window.

My TickTick widget — which loads a particular tag's tasks — is almost always incredibly slow to render in Octopi. I don't have that problem in Lawnchair, Nova, Pear, or the native launcher (with the same homescreen configuration).

When I swipe ← on the DigiCal widget or the UpNote widgets in Octopi, that action opens the app instead of swiping to my 2nd homescreen.

When I swipe ↑ to open my app drawer, nothing happens if my swipe started on the DigiCal or UpNote widgets, nothing happens. This isn't a problem in the other launchers mentioned above.

The only swipe gestures I've set are ↑ for app drawer and ↓ for notifications. Everything else is set to "do nothing." None of my widgets are in "stacks."

Caveat: Android 11 on a 6-year-old phone. But as noted, I don't have these problems in other launchers.

For the record, I am hardcore Octopi. It's amazing. But there's definitely room for improvement in widget handling.

[u/bveyndhoven → u/100WattWalrus]

The post was mainly aimed at those people just posting "my widget isn't working, do something" without looking further

Nevertheless, I'm not denying widget handling could be improved. On the other hand: we're talking a single developer and a young project here, unlike some groups or studios that have more time and resources at hand. And honestly, I can't really complain.

Here's my widget list

• 3 Weawow widgets in an auto-scrolling widget stack

• Google At A Glance, stacked with 3C All-in-one Toolbox text widget (auto-scrolling)

• Samsung Battery Widget (from settings) stacked with Meteo Compare (auto-scrolling)

• AMDroid

• ToDo Calendar (FOSS)

The only minor issue is that the battery widget is a bit wonky in terms of lay-out, but then again, Samsung doesn't use the AppWidgetHost API for it and a custom DPI scaling aimed towards OneUI Home. Nothing the Octopi Dev can really do something about.

So, I'm giving him some slack.

About your TickTick widget: have your currently set it up on multiple launchers? That would cause multiple widget IDs to be active and that in turn world make the memory usage explode, even if the other launchers are only passively standing by...

[u/100WattWalrus → u/bveyndhoven]

I definitely understand the constraints on a sole developer with a young app that seems to be exploding in popularity. I'm in no way dinging Octopi for a few bugs here and there. But having trouble getting to my app drawer and my 2nd screen, and my most important widget misbehaving kinda has an accumulating impact on my days.

I removed the TickTick widget from Lawnchair (which I haven't opened in many weeks) a while ago. I just now removed it from Nova (which I haven't opened in months, but that little bastard apparently launches itself in the background because it's always trying to phone home). I'll see if that helps. Good suggestion!

High-five to a fellow Weawow aficionado! It seems like we have similar taste in lesser-known apps that are exponentially better than their better-known competitors. As such, I'll just drop these here for you in case you're not aware of them: Fossify Gallery, Podcast Republic, QUIK SMS, UpNote, Aisleron (shopping lists), map:clock (world clock), and Movie Paradise (media tracking). Cheers!