iPhone 15 Dynamic Islands - What you need to know

iPhone 15 Dynamic Islands - What you need to know

The iPhone 15 is here, and there are a number of important features that make it an attractive upgrade from the iPhone 14. But while USB-C and a sharper 48MP camera are welcome, most users must be swayed by the arrival of Dynamic Island. After all, this is an upgrade you face every day when using the iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus.

For those who have somehow missed Dynamic Island, it may sound like the title of Netflix's best show, but it is a fun feature. The feature was introduced in last year's iPhone 14 Pro, replacing the infamous notch that Apple has used since the iPhone X to house the front-facing camera and sensors needed for features like Face ID unlock.

In short, the Dynamic Island is a notch at the top of the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 and 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus that fluidly expands and adapts depending on the function currently being used. For example, it can display the next direction while navigating Apple Maps, or the currently playing song when playing music while navigating another application

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It also integrates with third-party apps so that users can get real-time updates on, for example, food delivery, ride sharing, sports scores, etc.

As long as people prefer to take selfies, make video calls, and enjoy the benefits of face-based biometrics, front-facing cameras are not going anywhere. While many good Android phones use hole-punch cameras, some manufacturers (Samsung and ZTE to name a few) are experimenting with cameras below the display. While this is slowly improving, it still stands out as part of the screen and can be a bit distracting if you want a perfect display.

Apple's answer is to make the front component a practical part of the phone's everyday use. And it really, really works.

Given that the company has been under fire for years from various parts of the Internet (and the tech industry) for its obsession with the notch, the Dynamic Island is both aesthetically pleasing and easy to use.

Below is a list of all the features that Dynamic Island can notify and interact with inside iOS; there are many more third-party features like Spotify and YouTube, but here are the core features that are readily available:

Dynamic Island is just one of the improvements added to this year's iPhone. If you want to know everything Apple announced at this year's Wanderlust, check out our event recap here.

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