When the iPhone 14 models were unveiled in 2022, Apple managed to attract attention by integrating innovative software features with the striking pill-shaped cutout at the top of the screen. This specific area of the display is known by Apple as the " Dynamic Island, " and this functionality has since been integrated into all iPhone 15 models . This article takes an in-depth look at the features of Dynamic Island and provides valuable insights on how to make the most of this feature for various tasks.
What is Dynamic Island on iPhone?
The Dynamic Island on the iPhone is a new design (since the iPhone 14 Pro) that makes interaction between hardware and software easier. The Dynamic Island adapts in real time to display important alerts, notifications and activities. With the introduction of the Dynamic Island, the TrueDepth camera has been redesigned to take up less space on the display. Without obstructing the content on the screen, the Dynamic Island maintains an active state so users can more easily access the controls by simply touching and holding them. Ongoing background activities such as Maps, Music or a timer remain visible and interactive, and third-party apps in iOS 16 that provide information such as sports scores and ride sharing with Live Activities can use the Dynamic Island.
With the recent unveiling of the iPhone 14 Pro and all iPhone 15 models, we are now actually seeing the display pixels surrounding the so-called "dynamic island" merge into one dynamic pill-shaped area. This area dynamically adjusts in size and shape to enable various alerts, notifications, and interactions. This makes it act as a central information hub on the screen. Learn more about this unique design approach and the versatile capabilities the "dynamic island" offers on the latest iPhone models.
Which iPhone models have the Dynamic Island?
The Dynamic Island is available on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. In addition, it is also available as standard on all iPhone models: the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. However, this expansion promises a unified experience of the dynamic screen island on a wider range of iPhone models in the future, allowing users to enjoy advanced features and refined visual aesthetics.
What can you do with the Dynamic Island?
Below is an overview of the many functions that Dynamic Island can fulfill:
Dynamic Island: warnings and confirmations
- Apple Pay transaction confirmations
- Privacy indicators when microphone or camera is in use
- AirDrop file transfers
- AirPods connection status and battery life
- iPhone charging status and battery life
- Low battery warnings
- Silent mode enabled or disabled
- Face ID unlocking
- Lock/unlock Apple Carkey
- Unlock Apple Watch
- NFC interactions
- AirPlay connections
- Focus mode changes
- Shortcut actions
- Airplane mode/no data warnings
- SIM card warnings
- Connect accessories
- Find my alerts
- Flashlight on indicator
Dynamic Island: background activities
- Upcoming and turn-by-turn directions
- Incoming phone call and duration of the call
- Remaining time of song played
- Active timers
- Live activity sports scores
- SharePlay sessions
- Screen recording
- Voice memo recordings
- Personal hotspot connection
Can I respond to Dynamic Island?
It is possible to interact with certain types of content displayed on the Dynamic Island. For example, if something related to an app's background activity appears, you can click the Dynamic Island to go directly to the corresponding app.
Under certain circumstances, such as when media is playing, you can also long press the Dynamic Island to display a widget with playback controls.
The Dynamic Island can also display multiple background activities at once, such as when a timer is counting down and when you are listening to music. When that happens, the island splits into a larger pill-shaped area and a smaller circular area, allowing you to see and react to both activities. You can toggle and tap the activities just like with the standard Dynamic Island interface.
How do you activate Dynamic Island?
Dynamic Island is activated by default on the new iPhone models. So you don't have to enable or configure the function for Dynamic Island to do its work; it will start automatically when your phone is unlocked and a supported activity is in progress.
Can you turn off Dynamic Island?
There is currently no way to completely disable Dynamic Island content. However, you can disable most Dynamic Island animations once they start. This will immediately turn off the animation and it won't come back for a while. This returns the pill form to its previous inert state.
Finally
Overall, the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro and all iPhone 15 models is an impressive integration of software and hardware that Apple is known for, and the ability of third-party developers to leverage its capabilities means we get new and unexpected features can expect.