The arrival of iOS 16.1 brings another change to your iPhone lock screen in the form of Live Activities. And app makers are jumping at the chance to build support for the new feature into their own apps.
Live Activities are alerts that appear on your lock screen and stay there, giving you updates on ever-changing statuses. Wondering where that cheeseburger you ordered through a food delivery app is or how the Warriors are doing against the Lakers? Live activities can bring that information to your lock screen, with updates as the cheeseburger delivery gets closer and closer to the Warriors for another run against the hapless Lakers.
The arrival of iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max adds another destination for live activities. Both of these phones got rid of the notch that appeared on iPhones since 2017, replacing it with Dynamic Island. And while its main purpose appears to be to house the phone’s front camera and Face ID sensors, the Dynamic Island can also be a place where notifications pop up, giving you another space to interact with live activity. .
While iOS 16 was released in September, Apple held back on Live Activities until iOS 16.1 update. But once iPhone users were able to upgrade to the new version, a slew of app updates soon followed, as third-party developers sought to show how their software could take advantage of live activities.
Countdowns have proven to be a popular live activity for many applications, from productivity tools to workout apps. But we’ve also seen live activities that can share weather data, flight information, and sports scores.
We’ve spent time scouring App Store updates to find apps that take advantage of Live Activities. While not a complete list, the 11 apps below certainly caught our attention while giving you a general overview of how Live Activities work with the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. to draw your attention to more visible information.
Structure
Structured is a day planner and time management app that brings all your tasks and calendar items together in one place, turning them into a clear overview of what you need to do on any given day. The app has added a countdown showing you how much time is left for a specific task accessible from the lock screen (or the dynamic island if you have an iPhone 14 Pro.)
You can download Structured for free, but some of its features, including notifications and integration with the built-in Reminders app, require a subscription. You can sign up for a monthly ($1.99) or yearly ($7.99) subscription while a $29.99 purchase gets you a lifetime subscription.
To download Structure (opens in a new tab)
fickle
Flighty flight tracker app puts a lot of information at your fingertips, from flight route to delay forecast and weather forecast. For iOS 16.1, Flighty brings this information to the lock screen and Dynamic Island with a live activity alert that shows arrival and departure times, gate information, and flight status.
Flighty is a free download, and this version already includes a lot of vital flight information. More advanced features like delay predictions, push alerts, and live tracking of incoming planes require a Flighty Pro subscription ($5.99/month or $49.99/year).
To download fickle
smart gym
If you use SmartGym to track your workout routines, you’ll want to grab the latest update, which adds live activity support. With Live Activities, you can start a timer to show the lock screen, and you can also get tips for your next set or workout. Dynamic Island support lets you track rests and execution during a workout.
You can try SmartGym for free, with support for two routines, 10 histories and two metrics. A subscription ($9.99/month or $59.99/year gives you unlimited access to all of these things, plus the ability to sync data with SmartGym’s cloud service.
To download Smart Gym (opens in a new tab)
Awakening
Wakeout has been a boon for office workers who don’t want a sedentary occupation to interfere with their lifestyle. The app offers exercise breaks you can take at your desk to stay active and alert, and it also helps you focus on the tasks at hand with a countdown timer to help you stay on task until at the next Wakeout break. With Live Activities, this timer moves to your phone’s lock screen.
You can try Wakeout for a week before your subscription starts. A month of Wakeout costs $12.99/month with a lower monthly rate available when you sign up for a year.
To download Awakening (opens in a new tab)
Weather Carrot
Live activities in other weather apps
• Alpenglow (opens in a new tab)
An update to Carrot Weather for iOS adds a Rain Starting Soon live activity that appears on your lock screen when rain is forecast within the next hour. A precipitation map appearing with live activity lets you track the storm’s arrival.
While you can download Carrot Weather for free, the live rain activity starting soon requires you to sign up for the app’s Premium Ultra tier, which costs $29.99/year.
To download Weather Carrot (opens in a new tab)
Grocery
Live activities for other food applications
• Croutons (opens in a new tab)
• Crumbled cookies (opens in a new tab)
• Mela (opens in a new tab)
• Pestle (opens in a new tab)
Grocery gives you a place to jot down what you need the next time you go to the store, and a new live activity for the app keeps that list visible on your lock screen or in the dynamic island of your iPhone 14 Pro. If you happen to store recipes on Grocery – you can, you know – there’s a countdown that appears as a live activity.
Groceries is a free download, though a subscription unlocks premium features like family sharing and pantry tracking. It will cost you $3.99/month or $9.99/year. A payment of $29.99 gets you lifetime access.
To download Grocery (opens in a new tab)
Just press save
Live activities in other public services
• Calzy (opens in a new tab)
• Access codes (opens in a new tab)
• Remote (opens in a new tab)
Just Press Record cuts to the chase when it comes to one-click recording, and its view of live activities is just as simple. When you’re recording a memo, lecture, interview, or just about anything else, a controller will appear on your iPhone’s lock screen, giving you quick access to pause or stop the recording .
Just Press Record is a $4.99 download with features beyond what iOS 16’s built-in Voice Memos app offers.
To download Just press save (opens in a new tab)
Sports Alerts
Live activities in other sports apps
• Fot Mob (opens in a new tab)
Sports updates seem to be popular fodder for live activities, and one of the first apps to jump on it is the aptly named Sports Alerts app. Currently supporting the Big Four sports leagues in the US – MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL – Sports Alerts lets you start live activity up to six hours before game time. Live activity will stay on your lock screen to notify you of any score changes without having to unlock your phone.
You can download sports alerts for free. A $4.99 in-app purchase removes all ads for one year.
To download Sports Alerts (opens in a new tab)
Guide to the tides
Tide Guide excels at giving you tide information and solunar charts in an easy-to-read format. An update for iOS 16.1 lets you view the current tide height, solar or lunar elevations, and information about when the next tide is coming, whether it’s on your lock screen or in the dynamic island on iPhone 14 Pro models.
You can download Tide Guide and use it for free for three days before a subscription starts. Tide Guide charges $4.99/month or $29.99 for a full year.
To download Guide to the tides (opens in a new tab)
MoneyCoach
The MoneyCoach budgeting app helps you manage your expenses and track your bills to build healthy money habits. With Live Activities, you’ll see transactions appear on the lock screen, along with the amount you’ve spent on that particular category for the currency tracking period, and a comparison to previous spend. iPhone 14 Pro owners can see this data in Dynamic Island.
You can download MoneyCoach for free, while a $34.99/year subscription unlocks the app’s Premium features.
To download MoneyCoach (opens in a new tab)
Lumi
Lumy keeps track of sunrises and sunsets, with the aim of helping photographers and videographers get a perfectly lit shot. (Your clue that this is a photo-focused app? One of the main things Lumy tracks is when the golden hour arrives and the lighting is at its most photogenic.) Day app for iOS 16.1 lets you track any solar event, from golden to first light, either on your lock screen or from the dynamic island.
A $6.99 purchase gives you full access to Lumy and all of its features.
To download Lumi (opens in a new tab)
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