iOS 16 introduced Live Activities, which is supported by all newer versions of the operating system. We’ll explain what it is and when to use this handy iPhone tool.
What is Live Activities on your iPhone?
With the upgrade to iOS 16.1, Apple has added a tool for everyone who wants to stay up to date. The company defines Live Activities as ongoing, interactive notifications displayed immediately on the lock screen.
Live Activities are widgets that can update information online. Its banners are more significant than standard notifications. That is, you can see the information you are interested in without going into the application, which will be updated as needed.
This innovation first appeared on the iPhone 14 Pro, replacing the notch with the new Dynamic Island. It solves the problem of where to place the camera and contributes to the overall iPhone functionality. Dynamic Island is now the hub for this functionality, working perfectly with the always-on display.
Continuous Development From Apple
A big update added this feature to the Apple Sports app. Now, following sports events has become easier. You can instantly receive live streams of matches of your most-liked teams.
Apple News has also implemented Live Activities to track the US elections, allowing you to stay up to date without interrupting your daily activities. This became a great convenience for users who want to spend their time on something other than checking the news.
Third-party apps also actively support this innovation. Uber Eats and DoorDash simplify tracking food deliveries, and various restaurant and delivery apps offer similar features.
Endless Possibilities of Live Activities
The advantages are obvious: It makes it easier for users to engage with apps and quickly view relevant information. This increases user loyalty and satisfaction.
Live Activities are engaging for the following industries and use cases, among others:
- Sports – real-time statistics on games & competitions
- News – breaking news & live ticker
- Fitness – statistics during your workout
- Delivery – current information on delivery
- Entertainment – live updates on events & concerts
- Travel – flight & booking updates
- And many more!
How Famous Apps Use iOS Live Activities
The central point of Live Activities support is, for sure, in various sports-related apps. For example, Slopes is used by skiers and snowboarders to track data on each descent and ascent and get information on speed, elevation gain, and distance traveled.
For many, this app allows you to find friends with the same interests. With Live Activities, information about friends on the same slope, the distance covered, and the elevation are displayed on the screen.
1. Mountain App
The Landscape app has approximately the same functionality, only it is designed for climbing mountains, not skiing and snowboarding. In real time, you can track your ascent graph, distance traveled, and altitude gain.
2. Sports App
The Liftin application has launched Live Activities for those who prefer more traditional sports. You can track the number of reps, rest timer, and the duration of each workout set directly from the lock screen.
If you have a recent iPhone Pro, you can launch a workout directly in the application, and all the necessary information will appear on both the lock screen and Dynamic Island.
If Liftin does not work for you, use the SmartGym application. This is a handy tool for weightlifting. Thanks to Live Activities, you can effortlessly track your progress in real time right from your lock screen, making it a convenient tool for fitness enthusiasts.
3. Sports Events App
But what if you prefer not to play sports but follow them? For football fans, the FotMob is a perfect match app. Here, you need to select your favorite leagues and teams, and as soon as a game involving them starts, it will instantly show up on the lock screen.
If you want to track a match not from the list of your subscriptions, then click on the star, and it will immediately be shown on the lock screen.
4. Recipe App
However, the world is not limited to sports. Sometimes you want to eat something tasty. Here, the Pestle application will help. It allows users to import any recipe from the Internet and turn it into a step-by-step process displayed on the lock screen with a special timer.
All you have to do is follow the guide step by step without being distracted by anything. This is a very convenient feature for those who like to cook.
The app also has additional options: creating a shopping list, a 14-day meal plan, and scanning recipes from paper with subsequent recognition. Users note that the app converts recipes into a very convenient format for cooking.
5. Grocery App
Grocery is an innovative, well-designed grocery shopping and meal planning app. Its support for syncing with iCloud and reminders helps you keep your list organized while shopping.
You can easily add shopping list items from Siri and Recipes. Live activity support on the lock screen makes tracking your shopping list or recipe timer convenient.
6. Flight Tracking App
Flighty is an iOS flight-tracking app with a sleek and user-friendly interface. The latest version displays information about your planned trip on your iPhone’s lock screen three hours before departure. You can also check flight status immediately on Dynamic Island.
7. Weather App
Carrot Weather is an iOS and macOS app that shows the weather forecast in its original form. Now, you can see details about weather events like rain or strong winds directly on your iPhone’s home screen or Dynamic Island.
8. Music App
The Soor app is excellent for those who want more than the standard Apple Music app. It works on iPhone and iPad. Now, users can see song lyrics on the screen with Live Active and Dynamic Island.
9. Remote Control App
If you have an Apple TV, a TV remote app is a must-have for every iPhone. Now, the most essential buttons are accessible directly through Live Activity, including on the lock screen and Dynamic Island.
The Live Activities Limitations
In September 2024, it became evident that Live Activities could not be updated as frequently in iOS 18. App developer Nico reported this on X, stating that previously, they could update Live Activities every second. However, starting with iOS 18, they can only update every 5-15 seconds.
Apple explained the change by stating that each update writes data to disk, leading to excessive wear on the device’s NAND storage. The company clarified that Live Activities never intended to deliver “real concurrent experiences,” describing the previous capability as an unintended “API loophole.”
This should not affect Live Activities that have time tracking, such as Uber or Lyft, which display a countdown timer for your arrival time. These apps don’t require frequent data refreshes from the app to function well.
Final Words
IOS Live Activities makes the iPhone lock screen practical for users. It allows them to track real-time information efficiently and conveniently without frequently going to the app. It’s a simple way to stay on top of things, save time, and keep important information at your fingertips!
