How to use Pokemon GO egg-hatching widget (March 2023)

With Pokemon GO's Season of Heroes kicking off, trainers can hatch a new collection of Pocket Monsters. However, egg-hatching can be a pain when players have to log in constantly to check their progress.

Fortunately, Pokemon GO has its own egg-hatching widget specifically for trainers who want to keep an eye on their eggs without having the game open. It is available on both Android and iOS devices and only takes a few moments to set up.

Before players know it, they'll be able to check in on their eggs and how close they are to hatching, all from the comfort of their home screens.

Pokemon GO trainers curious about setting up the widget can do so with just a few taps on their mobile devices.

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How to set up Pokemon GO's egg-hatching widget on Android and iOS devices

Pokemon GO's egg-hatching widget allows for real-time tracking outside of the app (Image via Niantic)

Pokemon GO's egg-hatching widget should be compatible with the majority of iOS and Android devices that can run the game. However, some older devices may not have access to the widget. Regardless, the surest way to find out if players can add the widget to their home screen is to give it a shot.

With just a short amount of setup, trainers can keep the widget in an easy-to-find location and keep track of their eggs to know when they'll hatch without opening the mobile game itself.

Here's how you can use the egg-hatching widget on Android devices:

1. On your home screen, tap and hold your finger on an empty portion of the screen.
2. Select your menu or widget list when the option appears.
3. Scroll through your selection of widgets until you find one for Pokemon GO. Tap and hold your finger on the egg-hatching widget to transfer it to the home screen.
4. Drag the widget to a suitable place on your home screen. Release your hold on the widget.

Here's how you can use the egg-hatching widget on iOS devices:

1. Tap and hold your finger on an empty part of your home screen.
2. Tap the plus symbol that appears in the top-left part of the screen.
3. Enter "Pokemon GO" in the search field that appears.
4. Select the egg widget and add it to the home screen. After it has been placed, you can shift or move the widget around on your screen as needed.

In addition to the steps listed above, trainers must ensure that they have enabled Adventure Sync in their in-game settings. Without this feature active, only the movement while the game is open is counted, invalidating the purpose of the egg-hatching widget.

If players want to keep an even better track of the state of things as they travel without the game open, it may be worth using the buddy widget as well.

Much like its egg-hatching counterpart, this widget keeps track of a trainer's travel distance outside the game. However, it gives players a readout of their Buddy Pokemon as they travel, including the goodies they find, like candy for powering up and evolving. The widget can be applied in exactly the same way as the egg tracker, so it's certainly worth looking into.