Pinterest iOS 14 Widget: Add Favorite Boards to Home Screen

When iPhone users started personalizing their iOS 14 home screens using new widgets and customized icons, Pinterest experienced a significant increase in both iOS app downloads and search activity, becoming a primary platform for design concepts and inspiration. Now, Pinterest is actively participating in this home screen customization movement by introducing its own dedicated iOS 14 widget.

The previous month, Pinterest achieved a new milestone in daily downloads, exceeding 600,000 downloads within a single day. While different data sources varied on the exact date of this record, several companies reported a substantial rise in new Pinterest mobile app users. This surge in demand was a direct result of the #ios14homescreen redesign trend, which gained popularity on social media as users showcased their use of iOS 14’s widgets, alongside coordinated wallpapers and custom app icons to achieve a unique home screen “look.”

Pinterest reported that searches for terms such as “indie ios 14 homescreen” increased fifteenfold in the week following the iOS 14 release, compared to the previous week, while searches for “iPhone aesthetic” rose by nineteen times.

This trend also propelled custom widget developers – including Widgetsmith, Color Widgets, and Photo Widget – to the forefront of the App Store rankings, as they enabled users to incorporate photos and vibrant widgets onto their home screens.

The newly released Pinterest widget offers a compelling alternative to traditional static photo widgets.

Unlike other photo widgets that utilize photos or albums stored in your Camera Roll, the Pinterest widget allows you to select a Pinterest board as the image source for your iOS 14 home screen. This board can be one you’ve created or a public board you follow.

For instance, you could display a widget featuring your preferred inspirational quotes or one showcasing images related to travel destinations or fashion ideas. You can also curate boards based on specific seasons, such as Halloween, autumn, Christmas, or winter, to easily change your home screen “aesthetic” with the time of year.

Pinterest states that the widget will refresh the displayed image either hourly or daily, depending on your chosen settings. The widget is available in small or large sizes, although a medium size isn’t offered due to considerations regarding Pin dimensions.

The widget is also functional; tapping on the Pinterest widget will directly open the corresponding Pin within the Pinterest app.

As you discover new images that complement your home screen aesthetic, you can save them to your board, ensuring a constantly updated selection of photos on your home screen.

Pinterest confirms that the app update containing the widget is now being distributed to iOS users globally, starting today.