Widget blank or stuck
Widgets do not run continuously. iOS wakes them on its own schedule and gives them a strict budget, which is why a widget can lag the app by a few minutes. When it lags by hours, work through this.
1. Open Stepzy
The simplest fix. Opening the app refreshes the shared data widgets read and asks iOS to redraw them. Give it a minute afterwards - iOS decides the exact moment.
2. Check Background App Refresh
Open iOS Settings, tap General, then Background App Refresh, and confirm both the master switch and Stepzy are on. With it off, the widget only updates when you open the app.
3. Turn off Low Power Mode
Low Power Mode deliberately suppresses background work, including widget timelines. Widgets update far less often while it is on.
4. Confirm the app itself is right
If Stepzy shows the wrong number too, the widget is faithfully reporting a different problem. Go to Steps not updating instead.
5. Remove and re-add the widget
- Press and hold the widget.
- Tap Remove Widget, then Remove.
- Press and hold an empty area of the Home Screen and tap +.
- Search for Stepzy and add the widget again.
This clears the widget's cached timeline and forces a fresh one. Sizes and themes are listed in Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets.
6. Restart your iPhone
A restart clears the system widget cache. It is the standard fix for a widget that stays blank no matter what.
iOS budgets how often any widget may refresh. A few minutes behind the app is expected behaviour, not a fault.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my widget show the wrong goal?
Open Stepzy once after changing your goal so the new schedule is written out. After that, widgets derive the right target for each day themselves - see Weekday, weekend and custom goals.
My Lock Screen widget looks washed out.
That is iOS tinted rendering. Stepzy's widgets degrade to a legible opacity ramp in tinted and StandBy modes by design.
The calendar widget has blank days.
Blank or dim days have no step data in Apple Health. See The monthly steps calendar widget.
Can I force a widget to refresh right now?
Not directly - iOS controls the schedule. Opening Stepzy is the closest thing to a manual refresh.
Stepzy is free on the App Store, for iPhone and Apple Watch.