The main difference between widget and app is that a widget is a simple and easy to use software that can be used in different software platforms while an app is a full-featured standalone software program that is specifically designed for mobile devices.
Widgets are pre-installed programs that run continuously. Some applications have widgets instead of icons to provide an aesthetic appeal to the home screen. Also, widgets have links to programs. On the other hand, an app is a downloadable software that runs online or offline on mobile devices. It is a program that performs a specific task. Furthermore, most apps are specially designed for mobile devices. Thus, there is a distinct difference between widget and app.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is a Widget
– Definition, Functionality
2. What is an App
– Definition, Functionality
3. What is the Difference Between Widget and App
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
App, Widget
What is a Widget
A widget is a simple and easy to use software application that can be used with different platforms. They provide shortcuts to larger programs. Also, a widget can provide an extension to an existing widget. Furthermore, it expands the behavior of the existing widget and describes how to respond to user actions.
Types
There are various types of widgets.
GUI Widget
GUI widget helps to control and change the appearance of the elements in software. A widget toolkit helps to reuse GUI widgets to build user interfaces.
Desktop Widget
Desktop widget is a specialized GUI widget that runs on a computer desktop so that the computer users can control simple functions such as clocks, messaging services, calendars, dictionary, calculator, maps, and, photo viewers.
Web Widget
Web widget is a portable application to offer site visitors shopping, advertisements, videos or other simple functionalities from third-party widget publishers.
Mobile Widget
Mobile widget is similar to desktop widgets, but they are for mobile phones. They can minimize screen space and are useful for live data-rich applications.
TV Set Widget
TV set widget is a widget that is available for televisions.
What is an App
An app refers to a program for any hardware platform such as a mobile device like smartphones and tablets. They are fast, small and easier to use. Furthermore, the apps for iPhones are available in App Store and the apps for Android phones are available on Play Store. The term app became popular due to the popularity of Apple apps but now Android and Windows programs are also called apps.
The users can use the apps by downloading and installing them from an online app store. Some apps are free while users should pay for others. Apps consume a minimum amount of resources. Most mobile apps are less expensive than PC applications as they do not provide much functionality. For example, a word processing application designed as an app has fewer features compared to word application in Windows.
Difference Between Widget and App
Definition
A widget is a simple and easy-to-use software application or a component made for one or more software platforms. In contrast, an app is a software program that runs on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Thus, this explains the main difference between widget and app.
Start
Widgets run continuously. However, the user should tap and open an app to start it. This is one difference between widget and app.
Termination
Widgets always run in the background while apps terminate when moving away from the interface.
Hibernation
Hibernation is another difference between widget and app. Widgets are self-running applications so they do not hibernate. In contrast, apps hibernate when the session terminates.
Method of Using
Widgets are pre-installed and come with the device; however, the user should download and install the app before using it.
Conclusion
In brief, the main difference between widget and app is that a widget is a simple and easy to use software that can be used in different software platforms while an app is a full-featured standalone software program that is specifically designed for mobile devices.
Reference:
1. “Software Widget.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Oct. 2018, Available here.
2. “App.” App Definition, Techterms, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “1370785” (CC0) via Pxhere
2. “flat-ui-weather-widget” By Chris Lee (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr
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