Live Activities on iPhone provide users with the possibility of real-time information that is sent directly to the Lock Screen or the Dynamic Island thus, making it the easiest it has ever been to be updated without unlocking the device. This detailed instruction facilitates the activation, setting, and utilization of Live Activities on iOS 16.1 and later, contained among other things the supported applications, solving problems, and energy-saving.
📲 What Are Live Activities on iPhone?
Live Activities on iPhone are non-stop widgets that show changing data from corresponding apps straight to the iPhone Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. Here, they make the consumer independent of repeated checking of notifications and opening of apps for getting current information.
Key Capabilities:
- Show live sports scores
- Follow deliveries and rides
- Track timers, workouts, and flights
- Interactive capabilities (pause, resume, cancel actions)
Such events always support the real-time updating along with the interactivity that is a key feature of these apps.
✅ How to Enable Live Activities on iPhone
Recomended method to enable Live Activities on iPhone globally:
- Launch the Settings app.
- Go to Face ID & Passcode.
- Type in the passcode.
- Scroll down to Allow Access When Locked, and switch Live Activities ON.
In this way, your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island will no longer be limited by the static wallpapers provided by the apps and will be able to show you more
🔍 How to Enable Live Activities on iPhone for Specific Apps
Using Live Activities on iPhone on a per-app basis lets you have more precise control with the apps that are active.
Steps:
- Go to Settings > [App Name].
- Tap on Live Activities.
- Toggle ON Allow Live Activities.
- For prioritized updates, enable More Frequent Updates.
This gives particular apps the first spot for background refreshes and also increases the detail of live tracking.
🧠 How Live Activities on iPhone Operates
Live Activities are activated by in-app activities or events. When a user:
- Orders food
- Starts a workout
- Tracks a ride
- Watches a game
…the app asks the user to allow it to show real-time updates on the Lock Screen. After granting permission, the Live Activity remains until the task is accomplished.
Note: The feature needs the apps to be written with the ActivityKit framework in iOS 16.1+.
📦 Popular Apps That Support Live Activities on iPhone
Here is a categorized list of popular apps that support Live Activities in 2025:
🛵 Food Delivery
- Uber Eats, Swiggy, Zomato, DoorDash, Grubhub, Instacart
🚕 Travel & Rideshare
- Uber, Lyft, Ola, Citymapper, Flighty
🏋️♂️ Fitness
- SmartGym, Gentler Streak, Slopes, Strava, StepsApp
🏀 Sports Scores
- theScore, MLB App, FotMob, NBA App, Race Control
📆 Productivity
- Structured, TickTick, Sticky Timers, Forest, Things 3
☁️ Weather
- Carrot Weather, Lumy, Weather Live, Widgy, RainViewer
🎛️ Customization & Utilities
- Lock Launcher, ActivityBuilder, OneWidget, Apollo, Dark Noise
🎥 Media & Entertainment
- Apple TV, Shazam, TV Time, Spotify (Now Playing)
For a complete list, browse r/iPhone or App Store categories with “Live Activities” filters.
For a complete list, browse r/iPhone or App Store categories with “Live Activities” filters.
⚙️ How to Use Live Activities on iPhone Lock Screen & Dynamic Island
- Trigger the event in a compatible app.
- Lock your iPhone.
- Live Activity appears automatically on the Lock Screen or Dynamic Island.
- Interact with the activity (if supported)—pause a timer, check progress, or expand for details.
Dynamic Island-exclusive interactions are available on iPhone 14 Pro and later.
📺 Using Live Activities with Apple TV App
To follow sporting events via Apple TV:
- Go to the Settings > TV > Live Activities.
- Turn on Allow Live Activities.
- Turn on More Frequent Updates.
- In the TP app, tap Follow next to live games or matches.
The Lock Screen and Dynamic Island become your go-to for sports as they will show you live scores.
🕹 Dynamic Island: Live Activities Powerhouse
Dynamic Island shows small animated Live Activities, which are great for:
- Timer countdowns
- Music controls
- Ride progress
- Score updates
In addition to this, for iPhone 14 Pro series and newer, the Dynamic Island gets rid of cumbersome pop-ups and instead offers a sleek, non-intrusive notification system.
📉 Troubleshooting Live Activities on iPhone Not Working
Use the checklist below to fix Live Activities issues:
- ✅ iPhone is running iOS 16.1 or newer
- ✅ App has Live Activities support
- ✅ Notifications for the app are ON
- ✅ Live Activities is ON in Face ID & Passcode settings
- ✅ Low Power Mode is turned off
- ✅ Background App Refresh is on
If however things still do not work as expected, try reinstalling the
🔋 Do Live Activities Drain Battery?
Yes, only slightly. The refreshes in the background that are necessary for Live Activities take very little power. Still, if you switch on “More Frequent Updates” it may use a bit more power.
Battery optimization tips:
- Allow Live Activities only for those apps that you really need.
- Where suitable, turn off “More Frequent Updates”.
- In Settings > Battery, check which apps consume most of the battery.
⌚ Live Activities on Apple Watch
The capability of mirroring iPhone’s Live Activities is now available for Apple Watch with watchOS 11. This is a very handy feature for running, tracking delivery, and timers.
Steps to turn on:
- Launch the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Go to Notifications > [App Name].
- Turn on Mirror iPhone Alerts.
- Make sure that watchOS 11 is the version you have.
📌 Final Thoughts
The new Live Activities feature is massively altering the way in which people interact with iPhones in the real world. It brings order to the notification system, makes situation monitoring easier, and facilitates user participation with minimal interruption.
Switching it on gives you a more intelligent, cleaner, and more user-friendly interface while handling daily chores.
🧾 FAQs
Can I disable Live Activities for certain apps?
Absolutely. Go to Settings > [App Name] > Live Activities and switch it OFF.
Can I customize where Live Activities appear?
So far, Live Activities can only be seen on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island (if your device has one) and there is no option for further customization.
Are there privacy concerns?
Live Activities are encrypted and work like the App Privacy regulations. You can also disable them for those apps that you consider to be more sensitive at any time.
Will it work during Focus Mode or Do Not Disturb?
Yes, unless explicitly restricted in Focus settings.