Does a moon widget drain the battery?

Not a well-made one. iOS wakes a widget briefly on a schedule; between refreshes it costs nothing. Plenilune's widgets also use no network at all, which removes the main hidden cost.

Why is my moon widget not updating?

For any app: check that Background App Refresh is on, and that Low Power Mode is off. iOS throttles widget refreshes aggressively when saving power. A widget that needs a server or a login can also silently stop; Plenilune's widgets need neither.

Are the lock-screen widgets free?

Plenilune's core widgets, including the lock-screen phase, are part of the free app. Some styles belong to Premium. What is free and what is paid is stated plainly before any purchase.

← All guides

Guides

A moon widget for your iPhone: home screen and lock screen

A moon app is really a widget with an app behind it: the glance you actually use lives on the home screen. Plenilune's widgets put an engraving there instead of a photograph.

Facts checked September 2026

The widgets

Plenilune small widget: the engraved disc of today's moon — Small widget: today's moon.

Plenilune medium widget: today's engraved moon, its name and illuminated fraction — Medium widget: today's moon, its name and illuminated fraction.

Plenilune widget: the month calendar, with a phase disc on each day — The month calendar, one phase disc per day.

Plenilune widget: the almanac's note of the day — The note of the day, in the almanac voice.

Today's moon: the engraved disc of the current phase, with its name and illuminated fraction; small or medium, for the home screen.
Month calendar: the month at a glance with a phase disc on each day.
The note of the day: a sky fact or a saying, in the almanac voice.
Rise & set: moonrise and moonset for your location, on the lock screen; the same data as the app's Today screen.
Lock-screen phase: the current phase in a small round dial (what Apple calls a complication), legible at a glance.

Every widget is drawn in the same engraved style as the app (paper and ink, adapted to light and dark mode), and computed entirely on the device. No network, no account, and nothing to keep alive: the Moon's motion is predictable, so the widget schedules its own updates through the system.

How to add a moon widget on iPhone

Home screen: touch and hold an empty spot until the apps jiggle, tap Edit, then Add Widget, search for Plenilune, choose a size, tap Add Widget.
Lock screen: touch and hold the lock screen, tap Customize, choose the lock screen, tap the widget area, and pick Plenilune.
Widgets update on a system schedule: iOS decides exactly when it refreshes, and the phase is always computed for the moment shown.

iPhone lock screen with two Plenilune complications: moonrise and moonset, and today's phase — On the lock screen: moonrise and moonset on the left, today's phase on the right.

Why widgets break in other apps, and how Plenilune avoids it

Read the reviews of any moon app and one complaint dominates: “the widget stopped updating.” The usual causes are a server the widget depends on, or a subscription check that fails quietly. Plenilune's widgets depend on neither: they compute the phase locally and never touch the network. The rise & set widget reads the location the app already has; nothing else is required of you.

Questions

Does a moon widget drain the battery?: Not a well-made one. iOS wakes a widget briefly on a schedule; between refreshes it costs nothing. Plenilune's widgets also use no network at all, which removes the main hidden cost.
Why is my moon widget not updating?: For any app: check that Background App Refresh is on, and that Low Power Mode is off. iOS throttles widget refreshes aggressively when saving power. A widget that needs a server or a login can also silently stop; Plenilune's widgets need neither.
Are the lock-screen widgets free?: Plenilune's core widgets, including the lock-screen phase, are part of the free app. Some styles belong to Premium. What is free and what is paid is stated plainly before any purchase.