If you're not feeling plugged in enough during the 2024 election, Apple News has a way to get up-to-the-second results on your Lock Screen and Apple Watch through Live Activities.
Election results are available as a Live Activity on iPhone
Apple originally introduced Live Activities as a way to whimsically take advantage of the Dynamic Island and present live, updated information to the user. It has been handy for now playing music, sports scores, and active calls, but Apple News is using it for something a little more anxiety-inducing.
Starting 6 p.m. EST Tuesday night, users are able to have a Live Activity from Apple News that tracks the results of the election. So, the Lock Screen will have a large, interactive widget that will launch to the latest election coverage, and the Dynamic Island will show the electoral count for each candidate continuously.
So, while you're doom scrolling X and arguing with your relatives in iMessage, you'll have a constant reminder of exactly how things are going as Americans vote for their future. Of course, users can dismiss the Dynamic Island content with a swipe without closing the Live Activity, which might help preserve some sense of sanity for a moment.
To activate the US election results Live Activity:
- Open Apple News
- Tap the prominent "Follow the 2024 election live" banner at the top of the page or under "Top Stories"
- If unable to find the banner, open the "Election 2024" Special Coverage section in the menu
- A notification will appear about the Live Activity being enabled
Tap on the banner again, and the scheduled Live Activity will be turned back off.
Live Activities will appear on iPhone and iPad Lock Screens, but only devices with a Dynamic Island will get the special UI. Apple Watch can show Live Activity data in the widget view as well.
Apple News had Live Activities for caucus results earlier in the year, and it proved to be a useful way to track the events. While the stakes are much higher for the actual election, the tool will be an excellent way to quickly view immediate results while staying away from polarizing news coverage.
It isn't clear how long Apple News will keep the Live Activity active, as it could be days before preliminary calls are made on the results and final tallies aren't due until December 11. The US election could be an interesting stress test on how users interact with the feature and how it holds up after hours of being active.
Updated November 5, 6PM EST: The Live Activity is now available.