You’re probably on an island of sorts if you haven’t heard of Apple’s new Dynamic Island. The Internet is still divided on the name, but the cool new iPhone 14 Pro exclusive has created a huge buzz with clones suggesting that Apple might be onto something massive.
That 2017 Notch is on the way out
The Notch first debuted with the iPhone X back in 2017. Apple replaced Touch ID and its iconic home key – the key we all used to hit if we lost our way and returned home (the home screen in this case), with Face ID. The largeish cut-out housed Face ID components and also the selfie shooter. It knocked off the large bezels of the earlier generation of iPhones (all the way to the iPhone 8) and created a new navigation experience. But as Android camera cut-outs became smaller, the iPhone still clung to the large Notch that began to look dated. That’s changed with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
A fun pill
The Dynamic Island is Apple speak for its new pill-shaped cut-out. Apple claims that its TrueDepth camera has been redesigned to take up less of the display area. This new cut-out also includes Face ID components. But Apple didn’t just stop with a hardware redesign. It’s a design overhaul that blends the line between hardware and software. In simple terms it allows you to stay on your primary display and allows you to access controls on a whole bunch of apps with a simple tap-and-hold action.
Dynamic Island is not just a hardware redesign. It's a design overhaul that blends the line between hardware and software
How it works
Let’s say you’re typing an email and you need to flip tracks on Apple Music, all you have to do is tap and hold (this takes some getting used to but is a breeze once you get a hang of it) and you can skip to the next track without leaving the screen. The tiny cut-out displays the album art and a waveform. It doesn’t stop there, when I ran Spotify and Google Maps simultaneously, Dynamic Island split the elongated cut-out into two sections. You will see a smaller pill on the left for one app and a small dot or circle on the right for the other app. You can’t decide which app goes where; at least not yet. Currently you can use it for a raft of Apple Apps like Screen Recording, Personal Hotspot as well as some third party apps like Spotify and Google Maps. There are some cool animations, for instance the wave form pattern changes when you mute your caller.
On iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, you can check alerts and current activity in progress — such as a Voice Memos recording, music that’s playing, and directions from Maps — in the Dynamic Island on the Home Screen or in any app
We’re excited about the future
Imitation is the best form of flattery. We’ve already seen Android clones like dynamicSpot attempting to mimic the Dynamic Island experience, appearing on the Google Play Store. We’re excited at the prospect of third-party developers jumping into the fray with cool new apps that leverage Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro duo. I’m hooked to Hit the Island that converts the Dynamic Island into a paddle. There’s also Dynamic Island Zoo on Apollo for Reddit that adds a cool animated character to the cut-out. The new version of iOS 16.1 has also added a live score feature that is currently available in markets like the US but could soon play out for sports like cricket in India. It’s these possibilities that can soon include food delivery, cabs that has piqued our interest in the Dynamic Island. Meanwhile watch this space, or should it be… watch the island?
