Andrew Orr
Apple's launch of the Dynamic Island served as a practical method for showcasing alerts and activities on the iPhone. However, it's possible to hide these activities to keep the display clutter-free.
The launch of the Dynamic Island with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max updated the iPhone interface. The feature, a pill-shaped area at the top of the screen, aesthetically blends into the iOS interface while serving as a hub for key iPhone alerts and activities, such as Face ID unlocking and Apple Pay payments.
But you can control the activities in the Dynamic Island to prevent clutter at the top of your iPhone's display.
How to manage activity on the Dynamic Island in iOS 17
- Dismiss Activities: Swipe left or right across the Dynamic Island to dismiss activities.
- Switching Between Activities: Use swipe-out gestures to bring back and switch between multiple activities.
- Expanding and Collapsing Activities: Touch and hold an activity or swipe from the center to the sides to see more details.
- Split Dynamic Island for Multiple Activities: The Dynamic Island can split into two parts, displaying different information simultaneously.
Dismissing activities won't impact any ongoing actions. For example, if you dismiss an Apple Music playback from the Dynamic Island, the music will continue to play in the background.
Managing the activity of the Dynamic Island on the iPhone is beneficial for several reasons. First, it enhances focus by allowing you to dismiss activities, thereby reducing distractions and enabling you to concentrate on the main content.
Second, it contributes to multi-tasking efficiency, as the ease of switching between activities facilitates a smoother, more user-friendly experience. Last, customizing Dynamic Island activity personalizes the user experience so you can tailor your device's functionality to suit your individual needs and preferences.
Wesley Hilliard
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
4 Comments
I love the concept of the Dynamic Island and maybe it was always meant to be more of a sublet feature, but I do feel that its full potential has been fully realized (read: implemented) yet by Apple. What that potential is I cannot say, but every time I think about it I get this niggle that something seemingly obvious has been overlooked.
I have to admit that I pretty much ignore the Dynamic Island on my 14 Pro Max. Not by choice but simply by habit and conditioning. Something may appear in the pill hole every so often but my Pavlovian conditioning from several years of using notchy phones kicks in and my brain pretty much blocks it out. Poof! It's suddenly invisible. I may occasionally notice something in the hole, but it doesn't register as anything important because it's so tiny. If it was something I really needed to know it would be put into a notification and have persistence. I honestly cannot attest to ever seeing the Dynamic Island cleave into two smaller mini islands. As conditioning based responses go, this one's not too bad I suppose. There's no uncontrollable salivation or drooling involved.