# Widget for Messages — Your messages in a widget.

> Home screen widget to display and access recent messages from the Messages app. (iPhone/iPad app by Jerrod Banks.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widget-for-messages/id6748969237 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Jerrod Banks](https://appshunter.io/developer/1775007673)
- Category: Social Networking, Lifestyle
- Price: Free with in-app purchases (on sale, was $0.99)
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.4 · 46 MB
- Languages: Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese and 1 more
- Released: 2025-09-14
- Data updated: 2026-06-01
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widget-for-messages/id6748969237/reviews.md

## What is Widget for Messages?

Widget for Messages utilizes the Shortcuts app and Shortcuts automations to display messages from the Messages app onto a widget on the Home Screen. The widget will display only the most recent message from each user; tapping the message on the widget will take you to the conversation in the Messages app. Please review the limitations listed below before purchasing the app. This app may not suit your needs due to these limitations.

Important Note: Please review the limitations of the app found within this description below or at the support URL listed below prior to purchasing, as the app may not be suitable for your needs. The app does not collect or provide me or anyone else any of your message, contacts or personal contact information in any way. The app requires such information in order to display your conversation data into the widget and to properly work with group conversations.

Features
    - Small, medium, and large widgets.
    - Open directly to a chat conversation within the Messages app just by tapping on the conversation in the widget.
    - Badge that displays the unread messages count that can be toggled on/off.
    - Push Notifications for messages to open directly to the conversation.
    - Push Notifications can be on a per-message basis, selectable in the three dots on the conversation row.   
    - Group Message support
    - Display only messages received from different contact groups.
    - Ties directly into the Contacts app to allow for modifying and creating groups.
    - Support for international numbers using native iOS APIs.
    - Support for short codes that the companies and the lame spammers use.
    - Support for email addresses used for iMessages.
    - Automatically delete specific or all messages after opening it and it is marked as read.
    - Supports StandBy widgets.
    - Support for over 100 countries/regions and the following languages
       English
       Spanish
       German
       French
       Japanese
       Arabic
       Portuguese
       Italian
       Russian
       Korean
       Chinese Simplified

Limitations
*The limitations listed below are due to system level features, functions, or APIs that my app does not have access to or are required in the currently released Apple Operating Systems*
    - Photos and Videos within messages will not display in the widget or the app.
    - One-word messages likely won’t come through as the message received trigger relies on having at least one space in the message.
    - The Widget for Messages app must open first in order to open to the conversation in the Messages app when tapping a message on the widget.
    - There’s no easy way to detect group messages, but I’ve tried my best with a workaround; therefore, it may or may not work correctly. Apple does not provide an API to achieve this. 
    - Shortcuts will always display a notification when the automation runs; Apple does not offer a toggle to disable it for this automation trigger. 
    - Reading a message in the Messages app without going through the widget does not mark the message read in the Widget for Messages app as this is not possible.
    - Conversations of group chats with custom group names aren’t able to be opened directly as there is no API to do so.

## Key features

- Display messages on home screen widgets
- Tap messages to open conversations
- Supports small, medium, and large widgets
- Customizable unread message count badge
- Push notifications for direct conversation access
- Group message support

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock All Widget Sizes | $0.99 | one-time |



## Frequently asked questions about Widget for Messages

### Does Widget for Messages have ads?

No, Widget for Messages does not contain advertisements. It is a free app with optional in-app purchases.

### What devices does Widget for Messages support?

Widget for Messages is available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro devices.

### How often is Widget for Messages updated?

The app was last updated on May 5, 2026, indicating active development and support.

### What are the limitations of Widget for Messages?

Photos and videos within messages won't display, and one-word messages may not be detected. Tapping a message requires the app to open first to access the conversation.

### Can I customize notifications with Widget for Messages?

Yes, push notifications can be set on a per-message basis, allowing you to select specific conversations for notifications.

### Does Widget for Messages support group messages?

Yes, Widget for Messages offers support for group messages, though it notes that detecting them can be challenging due to Apple's API limitations.

### What is the age rating for Widget for Messages?

Widget for Messages has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users.

### How does Widget for Messages handle international numbers and email addresses?

The app supports international numbers using native iOS APIs and also handles messages sent to email addresses used for iMessage.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.11 — 2026-05-05

Fix for widget showing All Contacts even when specific contact groups were selected to be displayed. Now properly displays only the messages from contacts within the chosen contact group.

Previous updates (1.10): Apple Vision Pro specific additions added. Added a badge to display the number of unread messages to the Compact Mode as well as displaying the latest message within Compact Mode. Toggles for both settings to enable or disable within the Settings View of the app. This is useful for when you are fully immersed within an environment and the widget is no longer visible on the wall and you want something compact to display a most recent message instead of a full floating Messages window.

### 1.09 — 2026-03-26

App going from paid up front to freemium. Users will be able to install the app for free with all features unlocked except for the medium and large widgets that allow for more conversations to be visible. Unlock the additional widget sizes with the same in-app purchase amount as it was with paid up front. All users that purchased prior to March, 26, 2026 will maintain their existing full unlocks.

### 1.08 — 2026-03-16

Increased amount of visible text on the small widget as requested by user Dorian.

### 1.07 — 2026-03-14

- Fix for contact photos not displaying
- Added toggle to widget options to show or hide contact photo

### 1.06 — 2026-03-12

- Fixed contact loading bug
- Fixed unread messages badge not adhering to the on/off toggle for lock screen widgets. (Thanks Jarrett for the report)
- Updated default icon

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## More apps by Jerrod Banks

- [Automation Control](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/automation-control/id6737158540)
- [Mirror Vision](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mirror-vision/id6744417468)

All apps by Jerrod Banks: https://appshunter.io/developer/1775007673

## Related topics

[message widget](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/message-widget)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-01.*