How to Use Dynamic Island on iPhone 15

The Dynamic Island is the pill-shaped cutout at the top of every iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max screen. Instead of being dead space for the front camera, it changes shape to show what’s happening in the background: a song playing, a timer counting down, a phone call, directions or a food delivery on its way.

You don’t have to turn anything on. The Dynamic Island works automatically whenever an app has something live to show. This guide explains what appears there, how to interact with it, and how to control which apps use it.

What Shows Up in the Dynamic Island

• Media playback: Music, Podcasts, Spotify and other audio apps show album art and a waveform.
• Timers and alarms: a countdown from the Clock app.
• Calls: ongoing phone and FaceTime call duration.
• Navigation: turn-by-turn directions from Maps.
• System alerts: Face ID, AirDrop transfers, charging, Silent mode switching, Apple Pay and screen recording.
• Live Activities: sports scores, rides, deliveries and flights from apps that support them.

How to Use the Dynamic Island on iPhone 15

Step 1: Start an activity

Play a song, start a timer or begin navigation, then go to the Home Screen or open another app. The activity shrinks into the Dynamic Island.

Step 2: Tap to open the app

Tap the Dynamic Island to jump straight back into the app that’s using it. If two activities are showing, tap the one you want.

Step 3: Touch and hold to expand

Touch and hold the Dynamic Island to expand it into a larger view with controls. For music, you can play, pause and skip tracks. For a timer, you can pause or stop it. For a call, you can mute or end it.

Step 4: Collapse it again

Swipe the expanded view up, or tap elsewhere on the screen, to shrink it back down.

Step 5: Handle two activities at once

When two things are running, such as music and a timer, the Dynamic Island splits into a main pill and a small bubble. Tap either one to open its app, or touch and hold to expand it. You can also swipe across the island to tuck an activity away for a while.

Apple explains these gestures in its guide to viewing Live Activities in the Dynamic Island.

Control Which Apps Use Live Activities

You can’t turn the Dynamic Island off, but you can stop specific apps from showing Live Activities. Go to Settings > Apps, choose the app, and turn off Live Activities. Some apps also have their own setting inside the app. To stop Live Activities from showing on the Lock Screen, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode and turn off Live Activities under Allow Access When Locked.

Tips

• Use the Dynamic Island as a quick remote: start music, open another app, and control playback without switching back.
• Start a timer from Control Center or Siri and keep an eye on it from any app.
• During a call, touch and hold the island to mute or end the call without opening the Phone app.
• If you’re done with an app, closing it removes its activity from the Dynamic Island.

Troubleshooting

• Nothing appears in the Dynamic Island. The app may not support Live Activities, or you turned them off for that app. Check Settings > Apps.
• The activity won’t go away. Close the app from the App Switcher, or end the timer, call or navigation.
• Touch and hold doesn’t expand it. Some activities only offer the compact view. Tap to open the app instead.
• The Dynamic Island looks stuck. Restart the iPhone. See how to restart iPhone 15.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Dynamic Island?

It’s Apple’s interactive area around the front camera cutout that shows alerts and ongoing activities.

Do all iPhone 15 models have it?

Yes. All four iPhone 15 models have the Dynamic Island. On earlier generations, only the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max had it.

Does it drain the battery?

The effect is small. Activities like navigation use more power because of the app itself, not the Dynamic Island.

Can I disable the Dynamic Island?

No, but you can turn off Live Activities for individual apps so less appears there.

Wrapping Up

The Dynamic Island works on its own. Tap it to open the app that’s using it, touch and hold to expand the controls, and swipe up to collapse it. Turn off Live Activities in Settings for any app you don’t want showing up there.