iPhone 15: What Dynamic Island Does and How to Use It

[MacRumors]

When the iPhone 14 Pro models were announced in 2022, Apple surprised many with its innovative integration of software functions with the pill-shaped cutout at the top of the screen. Apple calls this area of the display the "Dynamic Island," and has since extended the feature to all iPhone 15 models. This article explains what Dynamic Island does, how it works, and how you can interact with it to perform actions.

What Is Dynamic Island and How Does It Work?

Prior to Apple's iPhone 14 Pro launch, we learned that Apple was working on an alternative to the notch that incorporated a pill-shaped cutout and a hole punch cutout to house the TrueDepth camera hardware. We also exclusively reported that these cutouts would appear as one contiguous, longer pill shape when the iPhone 14 Pro was in use, and that Apple also planned to integrate software functions around the pill.

As we know now, on the iPhone 14 Pro and all of this year's iPhone 15 models, display pixels around what Apple calls the "Dynamic Island" merge it into one pill-shaped area that changes size and shape to accommodate various types of alerts, notifications, and interactions, turning it into a kind of front-and-center information hub.

Which iPhone Models Feature Dynamic Island?

In the iPhone 14 series, the Dynamic Island is limited to the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌, while the standard iPhone 14 models offer the same notch as the previous iPhone 13 models. In 2023, Apple extended Dynamic Island to the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

What Can Dynamic Island Do?

Here's a breakdown of the many functions Dynamic Island can fulfill.

Dynamic Island: Display Outputs and Alerts

• 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 alerts
• Silent mode turned on or off
• Face ID unlocking
• Carkey locking/unlocking
• Apple Watch unlocking
• NFC interactions
• AirPlay connections
• Focus mode changes
• Shortcut actions
• Airplane mode/no data alerts
• SIM card alerts
• Accessories connect
• Find My alerts

Dynamic Island: Background Activities

• Upcoming and turn-by-turn Maps directions
• Incoming phone call and duration of call
• Time remaining of playing song
• Active timers
• Live Activity sports scores
• SharePlay sessions
• Screen Recording
• Voice memo recordings
• Personal Hotspot connection

Can I Interact With Dynamic Island?

It's possible to interact with certain types of content displayed in the Dynamic Island. For example, if it's showing something related to an app's background activity, you can tap the Dynamic Island to switch straight into the associated app.

In certain circumstances, such as when media is playing, you can also long press the Dynamic Island to bring up a widget containing playback controls.

The Dynamic Island is also capable of displaying multiple background activities at once, such as when a timer is counting down and when you're listening to music. When that happens, the island splits into a larger pill-shaped area and a smaller circular area, so you can see and interact with both activities. You can swap between them and tap into them, just like you can with the standard Dynamic Island interface.

Can I Disable Dynamic Island Animations?

There's currently no way to outright disable Dynamic Island content, however if you're distracted by its animations you can dismiss them by swiping left or right across the Dynamic Island, without affecting any related background activity. This will return the pill-shape to its previous inert status.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro and all iPhone 15 models is the type of impressive integration of software and hardware that Apple is known for, and the ability of third-party developers to tap into its potential means we can expect new and unexpected features to come out of it.

In addition, after the release of iOS 16.1 later in 2022, Dynamic Island also started working with Live Activities in third-party apps, so there is plenty m... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: iPhone 15: What Dynamic Island Does and How to Use It

 

[max2]

Thank you macrumors!

This helps a lot!

 

[adammusic]

So much potential. Terrible initial implementation.
Most notifications dont need to expand to a fat dynamic notification. Ex: Shortcuts.
Fat dynamic notifications block time.
When you receive a phone call, sometimes you want to glance at the time, but its blocked.
Tap status bar to scroll back to the top is now a wonky mess.
Island now makes notification center and control center access even smaller and more difficult.
Face id doesnt need to be a popped out square, just give us a small animation inside dynamic island.

Island cuts in to youtube videos in portrait and landscape.
The status bar is just too big now.
If it going to be big and fat, let us add other stuff to status bar and customize.

Tap for widget, long press for app would be better.

Let us make something permanently stay in the island, like apple music player or podcast, for quick access to an app. Or some permanent info in there, day & date maybe. Anything really.

I get it’s early its implementation, but lets not eait 4 years until it’s fixed like everything else apple does.

We want day 1 full baked products, not half.

 

[DMG35]

I think the Dynamic Island is awesome. I love it!!

 

[Ojiisan]

Thanks macrumors looking forward to seeing all it will be able to do for my new Pro Max.

 

[SteveJUAE]

I still do not understand why these reviews fail to show how DI behaves in landscape and looks in bright sunlight

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Still trying to get used to Dynamic Island. I have to say it continues to surprise me daily now.

 

[dogstar]

You don't use Dynamic Island, Dynamic Island uses you!

 

[ItsMeMicke]

Under display Face ID and camera will make the Island 100% dynamic, now it is just a bit dynamic

Wonder how long the island will stick around…

 

[BobSc]

You don't use Dynamic Island, Dynamic Island uses you!

Please, please, please. Can we have just one thread that consists of constructive comments, both positive and negative, and stop the "hate" comments. Let us have just one thread that features intelligence instead of mindboggling malignant hate? Thanks.

 

[anthogag]

iPhone 14 could have a dynamic notch…a dynotch

 

[IzzyMandelbaum]

About as useful as the touch bar on my Macbook Pro...

Meaning it'll be useless.

 

[IzzyMandelbaum]

Will Andy Samberg join forces with Dynamic Island and call themselves The Lonely Dynamic Island?

 

[coolfactor]

So much potential. Terrible initial implementation.
Most notifications dont need to expand to a fat dynamic notification. Ex: Shortcuts.
Fat dynamic notifications block time.
When you receive a phone call, sometimes you want to glance at the time, but its blocked.
Tap status bar to scroll back to the top is now a wonky mess.
Island now makes notification center and control center access even smaller and more difficult.
Face id doesnt need to be a popped out square, just give us a small animation inside dynamic island.

Island cuts in to youtube videos in portrait and landscape.
The status bar is just too big now.
If it going to be big and fat, let us add other stuff to status bar and customize.

Tap for widget, long press for app would be better.

Let us make something permanently stay in the island, like apple music player or podcast, for quick access to an app. Or some permanent info in there, day & date maybe. Anything really.

I get it’s early its implementation, but lets not eait 4 years until it’s fixed like everything else apple does.

We want day 1 full baked products, not half.

Yikes! You bring up some good points!

I always want to be able to see the time, but now it seems to be victim of this new feature?

And I *always* tap the top of the screen (not just the top of the scroll bar) to scroll back to the top. How is that affected? Is it broken now? Is it way more finicky?

😱

As for pulling down the Notification Centre and Control Centre... the gesture has always been to start *above* the screen, so the horizontal target area should not have been changed. Has is really been reduced on each side? If so... I can't imagine why they'd do that, and that's a major f-up, if true.

I've heard the justification for tap-for-widget, but the long-press has always been for contextual menu/information/control, which the widget is, so they are adhering to that correctly. Do they break the rules just this once?

 

[Tecban]

I still do not understand why these reviews fail to show how DI behaves in landscape and looks in bright sunlight

I can describe it - in landscape mode, the DI disappears along with the time, signal, and battery - it’s all blacked out on the left margin.

In bright sunlight the sensors are more visible, but not distracting. There isn’t a lot to look at in the DI so it’s just not that noticeable to me. What I notice most in sunlight is the huge brightness boost in the 14 pro max; it’s the best I’ve ever used in sunlight.

 

[Ludatyk]

I get it’s early its implementation, but lets not eait 4 years until it’s fixed like everything else apple does.

We want day 1 full baked products, not half.

That’s wishful thinking… Apple along with other manufactures release smartphones annually because that’s the nature of the tech industry. And if you want fully baked products… why not wait until you personally think the product is ready to purchase.

 

[Muzzakus]

Yes, but how do you turn it off?

 

[coolfactor]

I still do not understand why these reviews fail to show how DI behaves in landscape and looks in bright sunlight

How does it behave in landscape? Tell us. Show us.

As for bright sunlight... DI is an illusion, which is part of its brilliance, but there's no getting away from physical hardware that's embedded in the screen. Can't really complain about that.

 

[SteveJUAE]

I can describe it - in landscape mode, the DI disappears along with the time, signal, and battery - it’s all blacked out on the left margin.

In bright sunlight the sensors are more visible, but not distracting. There isn’t a lot to look at in the DI so it’s just not that noticeable to me. What I notice most in sunlight is the huge brightness boost in the 14 pro max; it’s the best I’ve ever used in sunlight.

Thanks, someone did show that the Icons on the DI do rotate, like the headphones one however I noticed on dave2d review other pop ups were not the DI expanding but a whole new land mass created

I understood that DI was trying to add consistency of some notifications but seems has created its own inconsistency



Is this representative of bright sunlight and does 2000 nits make DI illusion worse ?

 

[haruhiko]

That’s wishful thinking… Apple along with other manufactures release smartphones annually because that’s the nature of the tech industry. And if you want fully baked products… why not wait until you personally think the product is ready to purchase.

Well said! (Lol) pre-iPhone Nokia literally released 20 phones a year. One major model per year is not very frequent already.

Some people in MacRumors are really negative here, Apple released phone - negative, iPhone has a new feature - there is so much potential! - but still negative.

 

[JosephAW]

I think it would be very easy for Apple to implement this around the notch as well.
I think Apple was caught off guard as well of the popularity of this topic.

 

[SteveJUAE]

How does it behave in landscape? Tell us. Show us.

As for bright sunlight... DI is an illusion, which is part of its brilliance, but there's no getting away from physical hardware that's embedded in the screen. Can't really complain about that.

I was hoping a review would

 

[nwcs]

In playing with it, I’ve found that it takes some getting used to. For example, the animation for faceid is there and not in the center where I’ve seen it for years.

 

[preetb]

When the iPhone 14 Pro models were announced, Apple surprised many with its innovative integration of software functions with the pill-shaped cutout at the top of the screen, which it calls the "Dynamic Island." This article explains what it does, how it works, and how you can interact with it to perform actions.

What Is Dynamic Island and How Does It Work?

Early in the rumor cycle before the iPhone 14 Pro was announced, we learned that Apple was working on an alternative to the notch that incorporated a pill-shaped cutout and a hole punch cutout to house the TrueDepth camera hardware.

It wasn't until late August, a week after Apple's iPhone event invitations went out, that we exclusively reported these cutouts would appear as one contiguous, longer pill shape when the iPhone 14 Pro was in use, and that Apple also planned to integrate software functions around the pill.

As we know now, on the iPhone 14 Pro models, display pixels around what Apple calls the "Dynamic Island" merge it into one pill-shaped area that changes size and shape to accommodate various types of alerts, notifications, and interactions, turning it into a kind of front-and-center information hub.

Which iPhone Models Feature Dynamic Island?

The Dynamic Island is limited to the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ and the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max. The standard iPhone 14 models continue to offer the same notch as the iPhone 13 models.

What Can Dynamic Island Do?

Here's a breakdown of the many functions Dynamic Island can fulfill.

Dynamic Island: Display Outputs and Alerts

• 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 alerts
• Silent mode turned on or off
• Face ID unlocking
• Carkey locking/unlocking
• Apple Watch unlocking
• NFC interactions
• AirPlay connections
• Focus mode changes
• Shortcut actions
• Airplane mode/no data alerts
• SIM card alerts
• Accessories connect
• Find My alerts

Dynamic Island: Background Activities

• Upcoming and turn-by-turn Maps directions
• Incoming phone call and duration of call
• Time remaining of playing song
• Active timers
• Live Activity sports scores
• SharePlay sessions
• Screen Recording
• Voice memo recordings
• Personal Hotspot connection

Can I Interact With Dynamic Island?

It's possible to interact with certain types of content displayed in the Dynamic Island. For example, if it's showing something related to an app's background activity, you can tap the Dynamic Island to switch straight into the associated app.

In certain circumstances, such as when media is playing, you can also long press the Dynamic Island to bring up a widget containing playback controls.

The Dynamic Island is also capable of displaying multiple background activities at once, such as when a timer is counting down and when you're listening to music. When that happens, the island splits into a larger pill-shaped area and a smaller circular area, so you can see and interact with both activities. You can swap between them and tap into them, just like you can with the standard Dynamic Island interface.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models is the type of impressive integration of software and hardware that Apple is known for, and the ability of third-party developers to tap into its potential means we can expect new and unexpected features to come out of it.

In addition, with the release of iOS 16.1 later in 2022, Dynamic Island will also work with Live Activities in third-party apps, so there is plenty more to look forward to.

Article Link: iPhone 14 Pro: What Dynamic Island Does and How to Use It

Quick do a rerun of DI and distract them from your twerking iPhone.

 

[Ludatyk]

Lol pre-iPhone Nokia literally released 20 phones a year. One major model per year is not very frequent already.

Yeah.. you right, but it’s about context. Nokia released quite a few phones in a year which wasn’t that expensive compared to flagship models these days.

Heck, I used to upgrade annually… but its different now since flagships reached the 1k mark.