This is the most common question about any widget app, and the honest answer is that the timing is not ours to control.
iOS schedules the refresh
Widgets do not update continuously. iOS gives each app a budget and decides when to spend it, based on things like how often you look at the widget, your battery level, Low Power Mode, and your network. A widget that has been on your screen a while and gets looked at often will usually refresh more readily than one you just added.
What you can do
- Open the app. This is the reliable one — opening Air Widgets refreshes the data and the widget follows.
- Turn off Low Power Mode. It reduces background refresh across the system.
- Check the view. If the number looks wrong rather than old, the view the widget points at may have changed. Widgets show what the view shows.
- Check your Airtable limits. Every refresh is an API call against your own Airtable quota. If you are near a limit, refreshes can fail.
Treat a widget as a glance
A widget shows a reading taken at some point in the past. That is fine for keeping an eye on something, and it is the wrong basis for a decision that matters. Open Airtable before acting on anything important.