How do home screen widgets and reminders keep your review schedule accurate?

Home screen widgets and reminders protect your review schedule by removing the friction of opening the app. Answering cards directly from your home screen keeps your daily study habit intact, ensuring cards are reviewed on the dates calculated by the scheduler rather than delayed by missed sessions.

Why does daily consistency matter more than scheduling calculations?

Spaced repetition models rely on a fundamental operational assumption: that cards are reviewed on the exact day they become due.

When you skip a study day, cards lapse past their scheduled target dates. Forgetting increases beyond the parameters set by the FSRS-6 model, raising failure rates once you resume. Over extended periods, frequent missed days degrade long-term retention far more than minor differences between scheduling formulas. A functioning spaced repetition system depends first on regular review behavior, making reduced friction more impactful than algorithm adjustments.

How do home screen widgets function in Tomaru?

Tomaru includes home screen widgets for iOS and Android at no additional cost. These widgets allow you to complete actual reviews without opening the main application. Each widget features the standard rating buttons: Forgot, Fuzzy, Clear, and Know it.

Reviews completed through the widget write directly to the same review history as sessions completed inside the app, and they apply the same scheduling updates to your cards. You can answer your day's reviews straight from your device screen.

How do widgets support regular study habits?

Launching an application requires an intentional choice that is easily put off during busy days or when facing a large card count. Placing a widget on your home screen presents cards during ordinary phone use, eliminating the hurdle of opening the app. Reviewing even a small batch of cards directly from the home screen prevents total lapses and keeps intervals on track.

For more details on scheduling and device support, see our guides on how spaced repetition works and platforms and sync.

Related questions

Do reviews answered in the home screen widget count toward FSRS-6 intervals?

Yes. Widget reviews write to the same review record as in-app reviews and update your scheduling intervals identically.

Are Tomaru widgets free to use?

Yes. Home screen widgets are available on both iOS and Android at no extra cost.

Can I review cards without opening the main app?

Yes. You can answer your day's reviews directly from your home screen using the widget's Forgot, Fuzzy, Clear, and Know it buttons.