If the notch at the top of your iPhone has always bothered you, the iPhone 14 Pro might have something to interest you. Apple’s two more expensive models have a smaller notch, sort of like a small oval island. It makes that space a little more useful. It can become part of other things you do while using the phone.
Apple calls this a „Dynamic Island.“
Along with the always-on display on the iPhone 14 Pro and Max, Dynamic Island is one of two new screen features that are exclusive to the more expensive iPhone 14 line. The new Dynamic Island around the static notch turns the seemingly dead space into a small notification center with crisp animations for everything you’re doing on your phone.
How it works?
Dynamic Island is a new feature at the top of the screen on iPhone 14 Pro models. It rethinks the space occupied by the front camera. The spot changes shape and size to show notifications and timely information about current actions and ongoing background activities, depending on what you’re doing on your phone.
Here are some of the famous things that the dynamic island will show:
Arrival time for ride-sharing services like Lyft
Turn-by-turn navigation with Apple Maps
Contact information and duration of phone calls
Battery percentage when iPhone or AirPods are charging
Song cover when playing songs from Apple Music
Card payments
Sports results
Flight information
Timer duration
Payments with Face ID
Files sent with AirDrop
Mute icon
What if you’re doing two things at once on your iPhone 14 Pro?
If you’re doing two things in the background, such as a phone call and a timer, the Dynamic Island area on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will split into two. It will show you information about both of your activities.
Can you push Dynamic Island? Yes!
On the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, if you press and hold the dynamic island while it’s showing information, it can expand to show even more.
For example, if you tap the cut part when playing a song in Apple Music, you can check the song title and artist name. How to control the music – pause, play, rewind and fast forward.
If you tap the cropped image when it shows the flight departure time, it can also show the location, baggage details, possible delays, and more.
Which apps and services will the notch on the new iPhone 14 Pro work with?
You can expect Dynamic Island to work with most Apple features, services, and apps, as well as some third-party apps like Lyft. We expect more app makers to join in the future.
Live Activities, which is the new iOS 16 widget for your lock screen that displays interactive and up-to-date notifications, will work seamlessly with Dynamic Island. It will provide information from third-party apps on both your lock screen and your home screen.
Is Dynamic Island worth it?
Yes, the new variant is smaller than the previous notches. However, there is still one hidden under the Dynamic Island, which houses the camera, speaker, and Face ID components. The dynamic island changes its size, but it can never disappear completely because of the notch. It is rather a disguise that, in addition to hiding the „hole“, provides new functionalities. And successfully.