With Android 12, Google is introducing homescreen widgets for the weather app. We first saw the new widgets in action last month. A beta update for the Google app earlier this month introduced the Material You theming and redesign to the widgets. They are now gaining an hourly forecast and more size configurations.
Google has yet to add a description to the weather widgets on Android 12, which are simply called Weather. According to a 9to5Googlereport, the 3×3 widget now appears in a 4×2 size by default on the preview page. It gives prominence to the current temperature but also shows the maximum and minimum temperatures for the day along with a condition summary. You get a four-hour forecast with maximum temperature and the sky condition. The widget features “More on weather.com” in fine print at the bottom.
You can also set a 5×2 sized widget but it still shows only as much information as the 4×2 widget. It essentially only adds some space between the current weather details and the four-hour forecast.
Google, of course, lets you shrink the widget to a small square. But you’ll only get the current temperature, max/min for the day, and a condition summary. Your current location appears in the top-right corner of the widget, in all configurations.
Meanwhile, the oblong pill-shaped widget, which originally sat diagonally on the screen can now be stretched into a horizontal pill. But even in its largest configuration, it doesn’t offer a forecast. You only get the current temperature with max/min and a condition summary. It doesn’t even show your current location. You can shrink this widget down to a 3×1 size, where the current temperature and the condition summary appear side-by-side.
These changes to Android 12 weather widgets are now rolling out as Google prepares more widgets
The latest changes to Android 12 weather widgets are now rolling out to users. Google app version 12.42 beta brings these changes. You can expect this update to go live for all users via the Google Play Store in the coming days.
Weather isn’t the only Google app getting Material You widgets with Android 12 though. The company has revealed that most first-party apps, including Gmail, Google Drive, and YouTube Music, will also get new widgets. It is also preparing widgets for Google Maps and Google Photos, while the likes of Google Keep and Clock have already got it. Stay tuned for a wider rollout of Android 12 homescreen widgets.
