How to put a national day widget on your iPhone home screen

The fastest way to know “what national day is it today” is to see it the moment you unlock your phone. That means a home-screen widget.

Two-minute setup on iPhone

1. Install Dayfeed from the App Store and open it once, so the widget has today’s days to show.
2. Touch and hold an empty spot on your home screen until the icons jiggle.
3. Tap the + button in the top corner.
4. Search for Dayfeed.
5. Pick a size — Small or Medium — and tap Add Widget.
6. Drag it wherever you want it.

That’s it. Today’s special day is now on your home screen.

What the widget shows

The widget shows today’s special day: its photo, emoji, name and date. When several days fall on the same date — and most dates have more than one — the widget rotates through them, with a small counter like 1/3 so you know there are more.

It updates on its own just after midnight, so in the morning it already shows the new day.

Small or Medium?

• Small — one square tile. Best if you want a glanceable answer and nothing else.
• Medium — the same content with more room for the photo and longer day names.

Both sizes show the same thing: today. For what’s coming up, open the app — its home screen lists this week’s and this month’s days.

Choosing which days you see

In the app, Interests decides which days you get. Turn a topic off and it’s hidden everywhere, notifications included. Two switches are worth knowing:

• Official days only — only the days proclaimed by the UN, WHO and other international bodies.
• Faith days — turn individual faiths on or off. Public holidays stay either way.

Android

On Android, add it the usual way: touch and hold the home screen → Widgets → Dayfeed. The Android widget can be resized in both directions.

Widget or app?

• Widget: the glance — what is today?
• App: reading about the day, making a poster, adding a reminder or your own countdown.

The answer is on this site too: today’s special day, or browse all days.

Get Dayfeed and add the widget.