With the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, Apple took the much-maligned notch that houses the TrueDepth camera equipment for Face ID and evolved it into a crucial part of the iPhone interface. Called the Dynamic Island, the pill-shaped area on the iPhone not only accommodates the camera hardware, but also serves as a shape-changing hub for key iPhone alerts.
While the Dynamic Island was initially an iPhone 14 Pro feature, Apple expanded it to all iPhone 15 models in 2023. Both the standard iPhone 15 models and the iPhone 15 Pro models have the Dynamic Island, in addition to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
Dynamic Island Design
Prior to the launch of the iPhone 14 Pro models, all of the rumors depicted a two cutout design with a pill-shaped cutout and a hole punch cutout, and late in the rumor cycle, we learned that Apple would combine the two into one pill-shaped area.
That's exactly what happened, and inside that pill-shaped Dynamic Island, there are actually two hidden cutouts for the hardware necessary to make Face ID work. The space between and around the cutouts is interactive and can display content.
While Apple tried to hide the notch away, and other smartphone manufacturers have minimized cameras as much as possible with small hole punches, the Dynamic Island embraces the need for a camera cutout on the display, cleverly incorporating it into iOS in a way that both blends it into the interface while also putting it front and center.
The Dynamic Island is able to display content that's running in the background, such as timers and music controls, plus it shows interactions like Face ID unlocking, Apple Pay payments, incoming phone calls, and more. It is interactive, so you can tap into it to expand it.
Dynamic Island Shape Shifting
Apple designed the Dynamic Island to change in size and shape depending on what's being displayed. At rest, the Dynamic Island is a small rounded black area on the display that's smaller than the notch, taking up less space than before.
In use, it can elongate in either direction, and it can expand to take up the entire width of the display if needed.
When making an Apple Pay payment, for example, the Dynamic Island morphs into a square shape to match the Face ID confirmation, and while on a call, it expands into a large rectangle so you can quickly access phone controls.
Dynamic Island Functions
The Dynamic Island is able to display both active and background tasks. When you unlock your iPhone, for example, you'll see the unlock icon in the Dynamic Island, or when you connect AirPods, you can see the connection status. Dynamic Island capabilities are listed below.
Dynamic Island: Display Outputs and Alerts
Apple Pay transaction confirmations
Privacy indicators when microphone or camera is in use
When the Dynamic Island is displaying an app that's running in the background, such as a timer, phone call, or now playing widget for music, you can interact with it.
Tap the Dynamic Island to launch the app that's in the Dynamic Island, or long press to activate a widget that has quick access control options.
Split Island
Since the TrueDepth camera system is actually housed in two separate cutouts that are merged through software, the Dynamic Island can do a neat trick where it separates into a small pill on the left and a circle on the right, both of which are able to display different information at the same time, such as music controls and a timer.
The Dynamic Island can display up to two background activities at once. You can interact with both apps, opening them up and swapping their location on the Dynamic Island.
Live Activities
Live Activities work with the Dynamic Island, so you can track live content from the iPhone's Home Screen. You can watch as an Uber drive approaches, get live sports scores on a game you're following, and more.
Up to two Live Activities can be tracked using the Dynamic Island at the same time.
Third-Party Apps
Third-party app developers can take advantage of the Dynamic Island, showing content in the area using an Apple-provided API. Some developers have created games and other fun Dynamic Island additions, and some apps like Spotify and YouTube show up in the Dynamic Island automatically when you play content.
Devices With Dynamic Island
The Dynamic Island is available on the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Apple today introduced the Dynamic Island to the Mac for the first time with its new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, bringing Live Activities, Spotlight, and Siri AI together in an interactive area of the display.
The Dynamic Island first launched on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max in September 2022. It replaced the notch with a smaller TrueDepth camera cutout surrounded by...
Wednesday October 28, 2026 4:28 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Ahead of Apple's expected debut of new touchscreen MacBook Pro models, five system assets have been discovered in macOS 27 that bear a strong resemblance to information displayed in the iPhone's pill-shaped Dynamic Island.
The new MacBook Pros are expected to feature a Dynamic Island-like cutout for the FaceTime camera, finally doing away with the notch that has been part of the machine's...
Monday October 5, 2026 1:25 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
On iPhone 18 Pro models, Apple slimmed down the cutout where the Dynamic Island lives, allowing the latter to support up to three simultaneous Live Activities. But it turns out there's a catch.
As noted by code explorer pdfu, the third Live Activity in iOS 27 is only ever a system activity, such as Now Playing or navigation – it can't be another app. So if you own a new iPhone 18 Pro and...
Friday September 18, 2026 7:34 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
YouTube channel REWA Technology today shared one of the first iPhone 18 Pro teardown videos, offering a look inside the new device.
iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max feature a smaller Dynamic Island, which Apple achieved by moving Face ID's infrared camera under the display in the top-left corner. The pixels above the infrared camera have a special pattern that lets infrared light pass...
Thursday September 17, 2026 11:34 am PDT by Juli Clover
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are launching tomorrow, but we were able to get one early to share some initial impressions.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Both the 18 Pro and Pro Max are heavier than the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models they replace, and it's most noticeable when you pick up the Pro Max. It was a heavy phone to begin with, and now there's ...
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max feature a smaller Dynamic Island, with support for up to three simultaneous Live Activities.
Until now, the Dynamic Island has only supported a maximum of two simultaneous Live Activities. Here is how three Live Activities display at the same time:
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said ahead of the event that the redesigned Dynamic Island would be...
A leaker has activated Apple's upcoming three-item Dynamic Island mode inside the iOS 27 simulator, offering the first video demonstration of the new iPhone 18 Pro feature.
The leaker, known as pdfu, posted a video showing the Dynamic Island toggling between three simultaneous Live Activities, matching what Bloomberg's Mark Gurman described in his report earlier today. "The new Dynamic...
Wednesday September 9, 2026 3:39 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro will come with a narrower Dynamic Island that will allow it to display more Live Activities than the current iPhone 17 Pro, according to Bloomberg.
iPhone 18 Pro mockup by Filip Vabrousek
Mark Gurman reports that the new "smaller and improved" Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will allow users to "toggle between three live tasks" at the...
In iOS 27, Siri now appears as a glowing pill-shaped orb that expands directly from the Dynamic Island, but may give way to a circle on next-generation iPhones.
Instead of the glowing light effect that previously traced the edges of the display, a swirling Siri orb expands from the Dynamic Island in iOS 27, with the design hiding its true cutouts, just like other Dynamic Island animations.
...
New alleged CAD renders of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro are doing the rounds on social media, offering the latest twist in the to-shrink-or-not-to-shrink Dynamic Island saga.
An X user called @earlyappleleaks has posted the above image, claiming that "the new CAD confirms the smaller Dynamic Island of the iPhone 18 Pro."
CAD renders are often leaked from factories and represent the technical...
Images claiming to show an iPhone 18 Pro prototype and matching screen protectors have surfaced from multiple sources, appearing to reveal Apple's new and reduced Dynamic Island design with under-display technology.
An X user called @earlyappleleaks recently shared an image purportedly showing a prototype iPhone 18 Pro with a noticeably smaller Dynamic Island. In the picture, the flashlight...
Apple is weighing two options for the iPhone 18 Pro's Dynamic Island, and a final decision has yet to be made, according to the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station.
In a new post today, the leaker says that current supply chain feedback points to an A/B scenario: one option retains the existing screen mold from the iPhone 17 Pro, while the other introduces a significantly smaller...
New images of an alleged iPhone 18 Pro prototype and screen protectors have emerged from multiple sources, adding weight to earlier reports that Apple plans to significantly shrink the Dynamic Island later this year.
An X user called @earlyappleleaks recently shared an image purportedly showing a prototype iPhone 18 Pro with a noticeably smaller Dynamic Island. In the picture, the flashlight ...
Next year's regular iPhone 18 will feature the smaller Dynamic Island rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro models this September, according to Chinese leaker Ice Universe, who has a decent track record for leaks.
iPhone 18 Pro with a smaller Dynamic Island (mockup via Ice Universe)
In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said the smaller Dynamic Island will be adopted across the full iPhone...
Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:22 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is testing a standalone Siri chatbot app for iOS 27, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple plans to debut a chatbot version of Siri that will compete with Claude and ChatGPT, and the new Siri could be accessible through a dedicated app.
Gurman previously said that Apple was not going to develop a standalone Siri app, but it appears plans have changed. It was not clear how the rumored...
Apple's progress toward under-display Face ID and a fully uninterrupted iPhone display is encountering ongoing challenges, with a new report indicating that the company is likely to focus on incremental reductions to the Dynamic Island rather than major front-facing design changes in the near term.
A new post from Weibo user "Fixed Focus Digital" suggests that Apple's development of...
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models may not have a smaller Dynamic Island after all, despite rumors suggesting that it would see a reduction in size this year, according to a known leaker.
Citing recent supply chain information, the leaker known as "Digital Chat Station" claims that the iPhone 18 Pro models may reuse some of their predecessor's molds and chassis designs. Face ID and the Dynamic...
Wednesday February 25, 2026 8:45 am PST by Tim Hardwick
By the end of this year, at least five Apple devices are expected to ship with new versions of Dynamic Island – Apple's pill-shaped display cutout – and two of them aren't even iPhones.
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are both rumored to feature a smaller Dynamic Island when they launch in the fall, with Apple reportedly moving the Face ID dot illuminator under the display and using...
Tuesday February 24, 2026 1:49 pm PST by Juli Clover
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will have a smaller Dynamic Island, according to Bloomberg. Over the past year, there have been mixed rumors about whether the iPhone 18 Pro models will continue to feature a Dynamic Island or have a hole punch camera with under screen Face ID and no Dynamic Island, but the latest information suggests we're not getting rid of the Dynamic Island just yet.
Along...
Tuesday February 24, 2026 1:23 pm PST by Juli Clover
The rumored touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro that Apple has in development will adopt the iPhone's Dynamic Island and a hole-punch camera, reports Bloomberg.
The Dynamic Island will replace the notch, leaving more available screen space for content. As with the iPhone's Dynamic Island, the Mac Dynamic Island will be interactive and it will contextually expand based on the app or Mac feature in...
