[dropcaps]T[/dropcaps]here is a plethora of apps out there that allow you to customize just about every single thing on your android smartphone without even rooting. That is why we have started the weekly series “Monday Makeover.” Each week we will take one of these customization apps and talk about setting it up, discuss the features of it, and show you how you can make your android device truly one of a kind. Last week we talked about HD Widgets. This week we are taking a look at DashClock Widget.[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]
What is DashClock Widget?
The idea behind DashClock Widget is simple: have a single widget to notify you of the things you care about. The basic widget shows just a clock, but you are able to add extensions to view notifications about the apps you choose. You can see how many unread emails you have, how many appointments you have today, how many calls you have missed, and anything else you can imagine. The best part is that DashClock Widget is open source so any developer can create an extension for it. That means that the Play Store is full of extensions that can add even more usability into the single widget. You can get things like weather, battery percentage, and CPU usage from add-ons from the Play Store.
Why should I use DashClock Widget?
If you like the glanceable nature of widgets but do not want numerous amounts of them crowding up your homescreen space, then DashClock Widget is definitely for you. You can combine all of those widgets into one and still see the information that is most important to you. This also means that you will not have to swipe through your homescreens to find the widget you are looking for because they are all on one page.
How do I use DashClock Widget?
This widget is extremely simple to setup and use. After downloading, go to your widgets and select “DashClock” and place it on your homescreen. From here, you will be taken into the DashClock settings. You will see the “Extensions” page where you can add, remove, rearrange, and customize the extensions that are displayed in the widget. You can remove and extension you want by tapping the three dots to the right of each one and selecting “Remove” from the popup menu. In the same menu, some extensions might have a “Settings” option for you to do some further customization. For example, the Gmail extension has settings that let you choose for which accounts and which label to show the unread count. Tapping “Add Another Extension” at the bottom shows you all of the possible extensions you have have on the DashClock widget. You can rearrange extensions by tapping and holding the “handle” to the left of them and dragging them where you want.
Tapping “Extensions” at the top opens another menu with more customization options. Under “Appearance,” you can change how the widget looks. By sliding your finger across the screen, you can change the style of the clock half of the widget and the date half.
If you use DashClock widget as Daydream on your device, you can customize its appearance under the “Daydream” menu. You can change the text color and animation as well as turn “Night mode” on and off.
If you are looking for more control over the DashClock widget, the “Advanced” menu offers some more options. You can choose what app opens when you tap on the clock. You can also choose where the Settings button is on the widget. For the widget on your homescreen or lockscreen, you can change how transparent the background is, what color the text is, and whether or not the clock is shown.
Where do I get DashClock Widget?
DashClock Widget is free to download in the Play Store. You can also find hundreds of other extensions in the Play Store for free. I would recommend spending some time looking at different extensions because there are several out there that are very useful to have which are not included in the DashClock Widget itself.[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]
If you are like me and love the glanceable information that widgets provide but do not like having lots of them crowding your homescreen, do yourself a favor and check out DashClock Widget. I had heard of it before, but never used it. However, now I will be using it on every phone I buy. It does what it promises and does it extremely well. Are you going to try out DashClock Widget or have you in the past? Tell us what you thought of it in the comments! While you are down there, please leave some suggestions for apps you would like to see featured in a future Monday Makeover. Have a great week!
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Thank you for this series. As a elderly person that is new to Android this series will allow me to customize my phone. I appreciate that you are remembering us “newbies” that are too embarrassed to ask others for help.