How to Add an Apple Music Widget to Your iPhone Home Screen

Updated July 14, 2026 · Marquee Guides

Quick answer

Add a widget by long-pressing your home screen, tapping Edit → Add Widget, and choosing a music widget. For a now-playing widget with live album art, play/pause and skip controls, and colors that match your theme, install Marquee and add its Music Player widget instead of the stock one.

A music widget puts what’s playing right on your home screen — album art, track info, and a tap-to-open player. Apple ships a basic Music widget, but it’s limited to promoting recently played playlists and follows Apple’s look, not yours.

Here’s how to add a music widget on iPhone, and how to get one that’s actually worth the space.

Adding any widget on iPhone

  1. Long-press an empty area of your home screen until apps jiggle.
  2. Tap Edit in the top-left corner, then Add Widget.
  3. Search for the app whose widget you want, pick a size, and tap Add Widget.
  4. Drag it where you want it and tap Done.

Why Marquee’s music widgets are better

Marquee’s Music Player widget comes in small, medium, and large — plus lock screen widgets, and on iOS 27 the new extra-large size — with live album art and real controls: play and pause from any size, skip on medium and large. And every widget follows your Marquee theme, so your home screen, widgets, and player all match. Pair them with a custom theme and app icon for a completely cohesive setup.

With Marquee Pro, the deck widgets actually animate: a vinyl record that spins, cassette reels that wind as the tape plays, album art dancing as equalizer bars, a spinning CD, and the Marquee widget — the app icon come to life, with golden bulbs chasing around your album art while music plays — all pausing when your music pauses, built on native WidgetKit timelines so they don’t drain your battery.

There are two more where that came from: a City Charts widget with the top 25 songs in your city right now, and an Upcoming Releases widget (Marquee Pro) that counts down to release day on your home screen.

The same widgets work on iPad, sized for the bigger home screen. And on iOS 27, every Marquee widget also comes in the new extra-large size: bigger decks, bigger artwork, and a longer City Charts list.

  1. Download Marquee free from the App Store and connect Apple Music.
  2. Follow the widget steps above and search for "Marquee".
  3. Pick a widget and size — Music Player, City Charts, or Upcoming Releases.
  4. Set a theme in Marquee and watch your widgets update to match.
Marquee app icon

Try it with Marquee — free

The Apple Music player with themes, Last.fm scrobbling, Library Insights, and Upcoming Releases tracking. Requires an Apple Music subscription.

Download on the App Store

Frequently asked questions

Do the widgets control playback?

Yes. Play and pause work from every Music Player widget size, and medium and large add track skipping — no need to open the app.

Are there lock screen widgets?

Yes — Marquee’s Music Player widget includes circular, rectangular, and inline lock screen widgets alongside the home screen sizes.

What sizes do Marquee’s widgets come in?

Small, medium, and large on every iPhone and iPad, and on iOS 27 every Marquee widget adds the new extra-large size — bigger decks, bigger artwork, and a longer City Charts list.