# Life cycle of a home screen widget

Home screen widgets have the following life cycle on mobile devices:

1. Users download and install a home screen enabled widget on a compatible device.

2. Users add the widget to the home screen.

3. Users select the widget to open it in full screen view and interact with it by making selections, requesting specific data, specifying settings, and so on.

   Exiting the full screen widget does not shut it down. The widget is hidden from view and remains running in the background.

4. Users remove widgets from the home screen to shut them down and to uninstall them.

5. Users uninstall widgets.