How to Keep a To-Do List on Your Android Home Screen (Widget Guide)
If your to-do list lives inside an app, you have to remember to open the app — which is the one thing a to-do list is supposed to do for you. The fix is a home screen widget: today's tasks sit next to your app icons, and ideally you can check them off right there. This guide covers what a good to-do widget needs, how to add one on Android, and the mistakes that make people give up on widgets.
What a to-do widget actually needs
- A check control per task. A widget that only displays the list still forces you into the app to finish anything. The whole point is tap → done.
- Readable text. Reviews of popular calendar apps are full of "the widget text is too small" — look for a text-size option or a widget that respects your font size.
- Dark mode. A bright white card on a dark wallpaper at night is why people remove widgets.
- Fresh data. Some widgets update every 30 minutes or only when you open the app. It should refresh the moment you add or complete something.
- An add button. The second most common action after checking is adding; a + in the widget that opens the input directly saves a trip through the app.
Adding a widget on Android (any launcher)
- Long-press an empty area of the home screen and choose Widgets.
- Find the app (Dayo) and drag the Today list widget (4×2) onto a screen. On Samsung One UI you can also tap the widget to place it.
- Resize by long-pressing the widget and dragging the handles. 4×2 shows 4–5 tasks; a full-width 5×2 shows more.
- Optional: add the Month widget (4×4) on a second page for a calendar overview with dots on busy days.
Tip: apps can also offer an "Add widget" button in their settings that opens the system pin dialog — faster than hunting through the widget picker. Dayo has this under Settings → Widget & data.
Why most calendar widgets fail as to-do widgets
Calendar widgets are designed to show events, not to complete them. Google Calendar's widget, Samsung Calendar's widget and most third-party month widgets are read-only: tap anything and you're in the app. If your tasks have a checkbox in the app but the widget just lists them, you've got a calendar widget, not a to-do widget.
Dayo was built the other way around: the Today widget is a checklist first. Each row has a check circle, tapping it completes the task without opening the app, and the month widget updates at the same time. There's a + to add, three text sizes, and it follows the system dark mode.
Layout that works
- Page 1 (main): Today widget 4×2 above your most-used apps. You see it every unlock.
- Page 2: Month widget 4×4. Tap a day to open that date's list.
- Lock screen (if your launcher supports it): skip it — Android lock screen widgets are limited; notifications work better there. Dayo's morning summary notification fills that gap.
Troubleshooting
- Widget shows old data → the app's widget refresh is tied to app launch. Dayo refreshes on every change; if you see stale data, remove and re-add the widget once.
- Widget disappeared after an update → some launchers drop widgets when the app is moved to SD or reinstalled. Add it again; your tasks are untouched.
- "Can't add widget" message → usually the launcher is in a restricted mode (e.g. kids mode) or the home screen is full. Free a slot and retry.