Add one of these holiday countdown widgets to your iPhone

by James · November 29, 2022

Photo: Jan J. photography (Shutterstock)

If you listen closely, you can hear the bells ringing: Christmas is upon us, and if you’re a fan of the holiday like me, you’ll want a live countdown to the big day, no matter how you celebrate. And that’s where some fun iPhone apps can help. These iPhone apps add some Christmas cheer right to your home screen—and once Christmas is over, you can use these apps to count down to other big events in your life, like an upcoming trip.

Table of Contents

Countdown widget

Let’s start with one of the simplest apps: the Countdown Widget app has fun widgets with rounded fonts and graphics that are easy on the eyes. It also has a live countdown – down to the second. You can create multiple countdowns, but you’re limited to a single style for the free version. I would recommend upgrading to the paid plan just so you can get the style that allows you to add your own photo to the widget, making the Christmas countdown more personal.

Once you’ve created a new countdown, you should add the widget to your home screen. This process is going to be the same for all the apps listed here: Tap and hold an empty area of your home screen, then tap Plus button. Search for the Countdown app and select the widget style you want. You can then drag and drop it wherever you want. Tap the widget and select the event you want to highlight.

Days

If you love photos, you’ll love the Days app. It’s an image-based countdown app that lets you add popular holidays in an instant, including Christmas and New Year. But adding a custom countdown is also easy. Press the Add button, give it a name and go to the customization screen. The app’s coolest part is its integration with a free photo-sharing service called Unsplash. You’ll be able to see contextual images that you can add directly to the countdown, and they’ll display beautifully in full screen. You are free to add your own photos as well.

Add the Days widget (the medium size works best with images) and you now have a colorful reminder right on your home screen.

There ahead

Up Ahead is a beautifully designed countdown app with a great timeline view. You can add three events for free, but the $1.49/month Plus subscription will unlock all restrictions and add new customization options. It’s also a one-time purchase of $29.99.

The flow of the app is quite simple. You add a title, date, icon, and you choose a color theme that is added to the timeline view. Similar to the Countdown Widget app, Up Ahead relies on beautiful design and graphics rather than images. You can also add the widget to your home screen.

If you’re a fan of the iPhone home screen aesthetic, you might already be using Widgetsmith, with your own custom theme. If so, you don’t need to look for a separate app to add some holiday cheer to your life. Widgetsmith has a Countdown widget where you can add an image, text and countdown of the day.