diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/zulip/android/widget/ZulipWidget.java b/app/src/main/java/com/zulip/android/widget/ZulipWidget.java
index d9e659cfa..294f4e0d3 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/zulip/android/widget/ZulipWidget.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/zulip/android/widget/ZulipWidget.java
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import android.app.PendingIntent;
 import android.appwidget.AppWidgetManager;
 import android.appwidget.AppWidgetProvider;
+import android.content.ComponentName;
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.Intent;
 import android.net.Uri;
@@ -19,6 +20,8 @@
 
 
 public class ZulipWidget extends AppWidgetProvider {
+
+    public static String WIDGET_REFRESH = "com.zulip.android.zulipwidget.REFRESH";
     private static AsyncGetEvents asyncGetEvents;
     private static int INTERVAL_MILLISECONDS = 0;
 
@@ -39,6 +42,10 @@ static void updateAppWidget(Context context, AppWidgetManager appWidgetManager,
             remoteViews.setRemoteAdapter(appWidgetId, R.id.widget_list, intent);
             remoteViews.setEmptyView(R.id.widget_list, R.id.widget_nomsg);
 
+            final Intent refreshIntent = new Intent(context, ZulipWidget.class);
+            refreshIntent.setAction(ZulipWidget.WIDGET_REFRESH);
+            final PendingIntent refreshPendingIntent = PendingIntent.getBroadcast(context, 0, refreshIntent, PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
+            remoteViews.setOnClickPendingIntent(R.id.widget_refresh, refreshPendingIntent);
 
             if (asyncGetEvents == null) {
                 setupGetEvents();
@@ -50,6 +57,12 @@ static void updateAppWidget(Context context, AppWidgetManager appWidgetManager,
     @Override
     public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
         final String action = intent.getAction();
+        if (action.equals(WIDGET_REFRESH)) {
+            final AppWidgetManager mgr = AppWidgetManager.getInstance(context);
+            final ComponentName cn = new ComponentName(context, ZulipWidget.class);
+            mgr.notifyAppWidgetViewDataChanged(mgr.getAppWidgetIds(cn), R.id.widget_list);
+            asyncGetEvents.interrupt();
+        }
         super.onReceive(context, intent);
     }