Google App Spotlight | At a Glance Widget

I live in the desert and it gets really hot out here in the summer. Recently, I was presented with the above pictured excessive heat warning on the Always On Display and home screen of my Pixel 5. I quickly appreciated this feature and was able to plan my day from there as checking my smartphone is one of the first things I do in the morning. Yes, I am one of those people.

Generally, you are presented with the day and date with the current weather status for the area you happen to be in. This information updates throughout the day keeping you up to date with what you may have going on. You can also tap on the date to open the calendar app or tap on the weather to open up the weather app that's not really an app. The At a Glance Widget is dynamic and displays timely relevant information.

Other information can be displayed in this space ranging from calendar events to reminders and even the aforementioned severe weather alerts. The concept of having relevant information displayed all the time is a useful tool for the user. I don't always check my calendar but the At a Glance Widget will remind me of an upcoming appointment or meeting. Nothing earth-shattering but helpful.

I’m hearing Android 12 will expand on the At a Glance Widget and incorporate new functions and features that may expand across more apps. It would be pretty cool if third-party apps could tap into the At a Glance Widget and serve up relevant info to you. Such as displaying the ETA for your Uber or Lyft ride instead of always diving into the app. Lots of potential here for this feature to do even more in the future.

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