Widget Actions

Launching URLs

Widgets by default have a single hit target driven by the data property content_url. When the widget is tapped, the URL specified will be launched. It's important to note that this URL doesn't need to just be an https:// website. Your device likely has many system scheme handlers and you can use those as well. For instance, you could make a widget with a picture of your favorite neighbor and specify content_url as sms://5558675309 or tel://5558675309. Maybe you have lots of favorite neighbors so this could be a randomized phone number!

In addition to system scheme handlers, apps often have their own. For example, you can launch the iOS Shortcuts app via URL scheme.

For widgets larger than small, cells can be hit targets that launch their own URL via link_url. These URLs can also be whatever scheme your device can handle. You could extend your favorite neighbor widget to include your top 3 neighbors and have the cell that contains their picture launch the approriate URL.

Here's an example of a widget.json providing multiple size layouts and providing a medium size widget with multiple hit targets: one to go to the YouTube channel and one to open a specific video.

Four widget examples of different layouts and sizes