Applies to: Flow on iPhone and iPad.
Flow’s widget keeps your most recent documents one tap from your Home Screen or Lock Screen, and on iOS 18 you can add Control Center controls to jump straight into Flow. This page covers what Flow offers; for the general steps to add, edit, or stack a widget on your device, see how to add and edit widgets.
Recent Documents widget
The Recent Documents widget shows your most recently updated Flow documents as thumbnails, newest first. Tap any document to open it straight in Flow.
By default the widget draws from all your documents, but you can point it at one or more specific collections in the widget’s settings. When it’s set to a single collection, the widget’s Add button creates the new document in that collection.
- Small: Your single most recent document.
- Medium: Up to four recent documents in a grid.
- Large: Up to eight recent documents in a grid.
- Accessory (Lock Screen): Circular and rectangular widgets showing your most recent document.
Add a document from the widget
On the medium and large sizes you can turn on an Add (+) tile, which creates a new Flow document without opening the app first. If the widget is filtered to a single collection, the new document is created in that collection.
Controls (iOS 18)
On iOS 18 and later, Flow offers Control Center and Lock Screen controls:
- Quick Add: Start a new Flow document without opening the app first.
- Open Flow: Jump straight into Flow.
Related:
Frequently asked questions
Can I show documents from just one collection?
Yes. Edit the widget and choose one or more collections. When it's set to a single collection, the widget's Add button also creates new documents in that collection.