This is how “Dynamic Island” works in the iPhone 15

By Adrian Mühlroth | September 13, 2023, 4:45 p.m

Even in the run-up to the September event, everything indicated that the iPhone 15 would adopt many of the features of the iPhone 14 Pro. In addition to the chip and camera, one thing in particular stands out.

From notch to “pill”

For years, Apple barely said a word about the small indentation – better known as a notch – at the top of the screen. But the important hardware such as the camera and Face ID and other sensors ultimately have to be located somewhere. With the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, Apple has taken a new approach and placed the Dynamic Island at the center. With the iPhone 15 series, all models now have this feature.

The island is a trick

The Dynamic Island of the iPhone 15 houses the selfie camera and Face ID sensors, which are 30 percent smaller than the iPhone 14. However, the long pill you see when you turn on the screen is just a software trick. Because Face ID and camera are actually sitting next to each other – there are actually screen pixels in between. However, these are simply black, so it looks as if they are one continuous area:

Android manufacturers switched to smaller camera notches years ago. Many smartphones only have a circular cutout in the display for the selfie camera. Proximity and light sensors are hidden in the edge of the screen or even under the screen. The latest trend in the Android world is to install the selfie camera under the display. However, this technology is still in its infancy and is plagued by poorer image quality.

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Dynamic Island makes the pill smart

However, none of the Android manufacturers have yet come up with the idea of ​​integrating an unavoidable disruptive factor – and that is a notch – into the operation of the smartphone. The iPhone 14 Pro is the first in which the notch doesn’t just take away something from the user interface. The pill instead adds new functionality.

As the name suggests, Dynamic Island is more than just a static surface. Compatible apps move up into the pill when closed. Depending on what function the app has, the area of ​​Dynamic Island increases. For example, album covers from Apple Music and navigation from Apple Maps appear there – even if these apps are running in the background. You can see exactly what that looks like in Apple’s iPhone 15 announcement video on YouTube:

Mini multitasking

This effectively turns Dynamic Island into a small multitasking quick access point. If you hold down the small area, it expands to show more details and controls. Detailed instructions such as the lane assistant appear for Maps and the playback control for Music. A simple tap on the pill, however, opens the respective app directly. The last app opened takes up the largest part of the pill. Other apps in the background appear next to it in a circle.

More features of Dynamic Island

Dynamic Island also displays notifications and context-based information. For example, when you flip the mute switch, a small animation appears directly in the pill instead of as a free window on the screen as before. The animations when unlocking via Face ID, connecting to AirPods, plugging in a charger and starting focus mode also move there.

In certain apps, Dynamic Island switches off and only the actual pill with camera and Face ID remains visible. This happens, for example, when playing videos and in mobile games. In these situations, the surface does not respond even when tapped.