Glance ships MCP server so AI agents can create and update native iPhone Home Screen widgets

Dense-Map-406 · reddit · 2026-10-24

Glance, an iOS app, launched an MCP server that lets AI agents create and update native iPhone Home Screen widgets — so scheduled agents (daily news digests, business metrics, long-task progress) can surface output without reopening a chat.

How it works

MCP tools let agents design widgets: size, layout, colors, content. Examples: "two positive news stories each morning," "show business metrics and last-updated time," "latest findings from my research agent"
Data paths: (1) your agent fetches via its own tools and pushes — no per-service integration needed; (2) Glance fetches directly (Google Calendar/Tasks/Sheets, YouTube, GitHub); (3) custom RSS/JSON endpoints; plus on-device sources like Weather, Apple Calendar/Reminders, Fitness
Widgets render natively (not webviews); free layouts cover text/images/numbers/lists/calendar, paid tiers add charts, tables, activity grids, tap-to-reveal; "UI on Demand" lets agents push a new layout with each update
Feeds can be private, link-shared, or published for others to subscribe to

Pricing

Free ($0): MCP connection, 3 feeds, 5 layouts, 24 updates/feed/day, 3 automations at 60-min minimum interval
Pro ($6/mo): 8 feeds, 15 layouts, 96 updates/day, 10 automations at 15-min, RSS/JSON, UI on Demand, advanced layouts
Power ($11/mo): 25 widgets, unlimited layouts/automations, 288 updates/day, 5-min minimum interval

Note: iOS controls actual widget refresh timing, so it's not a streaming display.

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Glance ships MCP server so AI agents can create and update native iPhone Home Screen widgets

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