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Door staff@engadget.com (Adnan Ahmed) - 11 Oct 2026
At a time when most Android phones had already switched to tiny hole-punch cutouts to house their front-facing cameras, the iPhone 14 Pro launched with a long pill-shaped cutout. Apple has used this as its standard since then, aside from the budget "e" phones and iPhone Duo, and even made it smaller for the iPhone 18 Pro series.
This is because iPhones pack more than just a camera inside the cutout; there are additional sensors required for Face ID to work. Instead of hiding the pill with cleverly designed wallpapers, Apple leaned into it with the Dynamic Island, using the surrounding area to turn an otherwise awkward design constraint into a useful part of the iOS experience.
Your iPhone's Live Activities show up on the Dynamic Island when using your phone. They display information you might want to keep an eye on without having to constantly switch back to the associated app: timers, navigation directions, music playback and sports scores can be displayed as Live Activities. Many third-party apps like food delivery and flight tracking services have also adapted to use the Dynamic Island.
Live Activities should be enabled by default, but if you don't see them for certain apps, check if they've accidentally been turned off. On your iPhone, navigate to Settings > Apps and select any app that's been giving you trouble. Make sure the Live Activities slider is enabled. Though Live Activities work independently of regular notifications, you might want to also enable notifications for the app if you're not seeing the expected updates.
These activities will also appear on the Lock screen when you're not using your device. To make sure this is enabled, visit Settings > Face ID & Passcode. Confirm your passcode, then scroll down to the Allow Access When Locked section and be sure Live Activities is on.
This is because iPhones pack more than just a camera inside the cutout; there are additional sensors required for Face ID to work. Instead of hiding the pill with cleverly designed wallpapers, Apple leaned into it with the Dynamic Island, using the surrounding area to turn an otherwise awkward design constraint into a useful part of the iOS experience.
Your iPhone's Live Activities show up on the Dynamic Island when using your phone. They display information you might want to keep an eye on without having to constantly switch back to the associated app: timers, navigation directions, music playback and sports scores can be displayed as Live Activities. Many third-party apps like food delivery and flight tracking services have also adapted to use the Dynamic Island.
Live Activities should be enabled by default, but if you don't see them for certain apps, check if they've accidentally been turned off. On your iPhone, navigate to Settings > Apps and select any app that's been giving you trouble. Make sure the Live Activities slider is enabled. Though Live Activities work independently of regular notifications, you might want to also enable notifications for the app if you're not seeing the expected updates.
These activities will also appear on the Lock screen when you're not using your device. To make sure this is enabled, visit Settings > Face ID & Passcode. Confirm your passcode, then scroll down to the Allow Access When Locked section and be sure Live Activities is on.