4 Things You Probably Didn’t Know iPhone Dynamic Island Could Do

Apple introduced Dynamic Island with the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max in 2022, and it has been a staple of the iOS experience ever since. That little bubble at the top of the screen is useful, adapting to show notifications, details of an app or connected device you’re currently using, activities and more. From maps to music playing, timers and more, Dynamic Island is a popular feature among Apple users. You don’t even need to do anything to use it: once activated with the apps that support it, it just works. And while rumors suggest the next iPhone 18 could include a smaller Dynamic Island, it’s still an integral part of the device.

Most commonly, Dynamic Island is used for things like ride-sharing apps so you can stay on top of the status of your Uber, food delivery so you know when dinner has arrived, flight schedules and status updates, and other features. When you want more details, long press or tap to open the full app. You can even swipe to view two live activities at once. But you can use it for so much more. Below Settings SO Applicationsselect any app that supports the feature, then enable the option Live Activities option to have the current state of the application appear in the dynamic island when you are actively using it. Not all third-party apps support it, but if you find some that do, you can get creative with how you use this handy front screen window.

You can use My Sports on an iPhone to follow specific sports teams, leagues, and even athletes, a feature that was added with Apple Sports in 2024. You can also set up live activity so the score appears in real time as the game progresses. But you can also do it with the Google app. Open the Google app on your iPhone, search for the specific game you want to track, then search for the Pin live score and select it. Grant permissions if it appears and you will be able to see the game score in Dynamic Island. Note that you must enable the Live activity option for Google app under Settings > Applications > Google First of all. You’ll only see the Pin Live Score option next to a game an hour before it starts.

In addition to the Dynamic Island view, the game score will also appear on the iPhone’s lock screen unless you choose to disallow it. It’s a great way to get an overview of your team’s status without having to pick up and unlock your phone, avoiding that distraction during social gatherings or meetings. A quick glance is enough to see who wins and who loses. It’s worth noting that there are other third-party sports-related apps that also work with Dynamic Island that you may prefer, like Sports Alerts.

If you’re recording a conversation (with permission, of course) like an interview using the Voice Memo app, Dynamic Island can display a confirmation that the recording is in progress so you don’t have to open the bright white screen with the timer running to check that the recording is still in progress. It displays a red line with the audio sensor so you can be sure that voices are being heard, as well as the current recording duration.

The latter is useful if you’re on time and need to end a meeting in exactly 45 minutes to take care of something else. Maybe the interview subject only has 15 minutes and you want to be able to take a look to make sure you’ve answered all your important questions. For students who record a lecture, this prevents distractions and gives you a running tally of the duration of the lecture. This is all useful information to see without turning on the phone and interrupting your stream.

You may know that you can see music playing in Dynamic Island, including album cover and dance lines showing that there is active audio. But you can also extend it without opening the app entirely – a useful feature, especially for multitasking and quick control. Long press on live activity while music is playing from an app like Apple Music (which adds tons of extra features with iOS 26.4) or Spotify. A drop-down rectangle appears displaying the song title, artist, playback progress bar, and controls including play, pause, and track skip buttons.

This is an easy way to pause the song, see the name if it’s a song or artist you don’t know, or go back or forward to another track. There’s also a quick access button to enable AirPlay if you get home and want to quickly send the music to your whole-home audio system or to a single speaker or soundbar. This feature is one that you may not have realized works with Dynamic Island to make it even more useful.

As with all things iPhones, once Dynamic Island was announced, third-party brands developed ways to integrate their apps with it. And some have created games that specifically use Dynamic Island for fun. Pixel Pals is a popular game. In the widget pet game, you can select an adorable pixelated virtual pet – from cat to dog or fish to parrot – and have it appear on your dynamic island. The idea is to fill that black bar with something entertaining when you don’t have any live activity.

Once selected, the adorable Pixel Pal appears in or around the vibrant island, running, sleeping or just relaxing. It’s basically a 21^stCentenary version of the Tamagotchi. If you long press on the live activity, you can Food Or Play with the Pixel Pal and check its age (basically, how long you’ve had it) and weight. To interact, you must sign up for Premium. But even just downloading the app, choosing a pet, and letting it occupy the window so it’s not so bland when nothing’s happening could make you smile. Have fun exploring these and other unique ways to enjoy Dynamic Island on iPhone, a feature so popular it might even come to MacBooks.