Widgetable

Is Widgetable safe?

Widgetable is mostly safe from strangers and weak on privacy. The app turns your lock and home screens into a shared space with friends or a partner: a virtual pet you raise together, photos and doodles pinned to each other's screens, a Mood Jar, a Sleep Widget and a Distance Widget that shows how far apart you are in real time. Apple counts more than 387,000 ratings for it, and Google Play more than 50 million downloads. We score it 45/100. The risks are the data it gathers, the vague policy that governs that data, and how much a teen in a close or controlling relationship can end up sharing.

Who makes Widgetable?

Both app stores name Happeny Technology Pte. Ltd. of Singapore as the seller, and the App Store shows "Widgetable, Inc." as the developer. Singapore's company register lists Happeny as a local private company registered on 28 July 2022, two days before the date on Widgetable's terms, with its address on Phillip Street. The public register does not show who owns it. Neither the privacy policy nor the terms of service name any company at all; they speak only of "Widgetable". That makes it hard for a user to know who is legally responsible for their data or which law applies, and the terms contain no governing-law clause.

Location, sleep and moods

This is where Widgetable asks for the most. The privacy policy says the Weather widget needs your location, and that for the Distance Widget "we request location permission to always know your location" and collect it to show the distance between you and linked friends. Apple's listing warns that the app may use your location even when it is not open, and its label lists precise and coarse location linked to your identity.

Health widgets read exercise, sleep and step data. The policy's Health Connect section says sleep data is not shared with any third party and is encrypted and stored securely. The rest of the policy is far looser:

• It says the app collects device identifiers, IP address and carrier, which it labels "non-personal information".
• In the ad-supported version, "advertising companies use cookies and similar technologies" to serve ads "in the Service and elsewhere".
• Personal data can be shared with "associated companies" and partners such as Firebase.
• A catch-all clause reserves the right to "transfer, store, sell, lease" and otherwise deal with personal information "subject to applicable law".

Apple's label says usage data may be used to track you across other companies' apps and websites, and lists advertising data linked to you. Google Play's form says the app shares no data with third parties. Both cannot be right, and the policy sides with Apple. We score on the broader account, as our rules require.

Ages and the couple-tracking problem

Apple rates Widgetable 13+, with frequent cartoon violence, infrequent profanity and horror themes, loot boxes and advertising. Google Play rates it Everyone, while noting that users interact and that the app shares location. The terms, by contrast, say that by using the app you confirm you are "of legal age to form a binding contract", which in most countries means 18. The privacy policy has no section on children, no minimum age and no mention of parental consent. Its only child-related section is a short ban on child sexual exploitation.

The design is aimed squarely at teens and young couples: the store copy talks about besties, "love bombs" and tracking each other's sleep. Features like a live distance counter and sleep tracking are harmless between good friends. In a jealous or controlling relationship they become a monitoring tool, and the person being watched may feel unable to switch them off. That, more than strangers, is the safety question for Widgetable.

Money and ads

The free version shows ads, and App Store reviews complain about frequent ones. Premium costs from $1.99 a month to $19.99 a year on the US App Store, and diamonds, pet eggs, food and a "wish jar" are sold separately from $0.99. The terms say payments for items are not refunded "whether used or unused", and cancelled subscriptions are not refunded for the current period.

How to use Widgetable more safely

1. Set location for Widgetable to "While Using" or off, unless you really want the Distance Widget, and remove it from friends you are not close to.
2. Skip the health and sleep widgets if you would not share that data with the company.
3. Link only with people you know in real life, and remove anyone who uses the widgets to check up on you.
4. On iPhone, refuse the tracking request.
5. For a teen, turn on purchase approval in Apple or Google family settings before pet eggs and diamonds add up.

How we scored it

Regulatory record (86) is the strongest factor: we found no fine, order or block, though no large regulator has examined Widgetable. Transparency and control (38) and privacy (35) are the weakest, because of always-on location, health data, contradictory labels and a policy that names no company and reserves the right to sell data. Scams and harmful content (52) is middling, since contact is limited to linked friends. For a friends-only photo widget with tighter limits, see Locket; for location sharing built for families, see Life360.