How to use expense tracker widgets on iPhone
The hard part of tracking spending is often remembering to do it. SimpleSpend has Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Control Center widgets that put the entry point where your thumb already is. All of them are free.
Home Screen: see the books without opening the app
Ledger Summary shows this month’s income, expenses, net, and number of records. Budget Progress shows how much of a budget is used and how much is left. Recent Transactions lists the last few entries. Logging Habit is a grid like a GitHub contribution graph, so you can see which days you logged and which you missed.
Each comes in small, medium, and large. Touch and hold the widget and choose Edit Widget to pick which ledger or budget it shows. Tapping it opens that ledger, budget, or statistics page.
Lock Screen and Control Center: the fastest way in
The Lock Screen has a New Transaction widget. Tap it, unlock, and you land on the entry form without hunting for the app icon. Ledger Summary, Budget Progress, and Recent Transactions can sit on the Lock Screen too.
In Control Center you can add a New Transaction control. On iOS 26 there is also a Voice Record control: tap it, speak, check the form, then save.
Since iOS 18, controls can also replace the two buttons at the bottom of the Lock Screen, or be assigned to the Action button on iPhones that have one.
What widgets do not do
Widgets show numbers and open the app. They do not save an entry from the Lock Screen. You still confirm the amount and category in the app, so a pocket tap never logs the wrong thing.
In this version, widgets show personal ledgers only; shared ledgers cannot be added yet. Lock Screen widgets show amounts, so if that bothers you, keep only the New Transaction button there.
Add a SimpleSpend widget
- Touch and hold an empty area of the Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget.
- Search for SimpleSpend, swipe to Ledger Summary, Budget Progress, Recent Transactions, or Logging Habit, pick a size, and add it.
- Touch and hold the new widget and choose Edit Widget to pick the ledger or budget.
- Lock Screen: touch and hold it, tap Customize, and add New Transaction under the time. Control Center: open it and tap + in the top corner to add a control.
Common questions
Do SimpleSpend widgets need Pro?
No. Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Control Center widgets are all free.
Can I log an expense directly on the Lock Screen?
New Transaction opens the entry form straight away; the entry saves after you confirm it in the app. The widget itself cannot take an amount.
Can a shared ledger appear in a widget?
Not in this version. Widgets show personal ledgers only.