A small, single-purpose application that provides quick, at-a-glance information, or quick access to simple interactive functions. Widgets are simpler and faster to access than full applications (apps) that may provide more functionality.
Most widget platforms have small widgets that only take up part of the screen, so that you can see and use several widgets at once. These widgets may be located on the home screen or desktop, making them fast and easy to access.
Some widget platforms are designed so that each widget is accessed one at a time and takes up the whole screen. This makes them more like "apps", but they may be called widgets because they are easier for developers to create.
Examples of common widgets include ones that display basic weather information, news headlines, a clock, upcoming appointments, social network updates, web search entry, or a flight mode switch.
There are several different, incompatible widget platforms. (A widget designed for a Mac OS computer generally won't work on a TV, and a widget designed for TVs generally won't work on an Android phone.)