iOS 16.1 Live Activities – 11 Apps You Should Try Now
Arrival iOS 16.1 It brings another change to your iPhone lock screen in the form of live activities. App makers are taking the opportunity to incorporate support for the new feature into their own apps.
Live Activities are alerts that appear on the lock screen and stay there, bringing updates to you on ever-changing situations. Wondering where the cheeseburger you ordered through a food delivery app might be or how the Warriors stand against the Lakers? Live activities can bring this information to your lock screen, with updates as cheeseburger delivery gets closer and closer to having the Warriors go on another run against the hapless Lakers.
Arrival iPhone 14 Pro And the iPhone 14 Pro Max Adds another destination for live activities. Both phones got rid of the notch that appeared on iPhones since 2017, and replaced them with dynamic island. And while its main purpose appears to be to place the phone’s front camera and Face ID sensors, Dynamic Island could also be a place for notifications to appear, giving you another area to interact with live activities.
While iOS 16 In September, Apple paused Live Activities until the iOS 16.1 update. But once iPhone users were able to upgrade to the new version, a raft of app updates soon followed, as third-party developers sought to show how their software could benefit from direct activities.
Countdown timers have proven to be a popular live activity for many applications, from productivity tools to workout apps. But we’ve also seen live activities that can share weather data, flight information, and sports scores.
We’ve spent some time browsing App Store updates to find apps that take advantage of Live Activities. While it’s not a complete list, the 11 apps below definitely caught our eye while giving you an overview of how Live Activities work with the lock screen and Dynamic Island to draw your attention to more information to look at.
Organizer
Structured is a daily planner and time management app that puts all your tasks and calendar items in one place, turning them into a clear outline of what you have to do on a given day. The app has added a countdown clock that shows you how much time is left for a specific task that can be accessed from the lock screen (or dynamic island if you have an iPhone 14 Pro.)
You can download Structured for free, but some of its features, including notifications and integration with the built-in Reminders app, require a subscription. You can sign up for a monthly ($1.99) or yearly ($7.99) subscription while a $29.99 purchase gives you a lifetime membership.
Download Organizer (Opens in a new tab)
reckless
Flighty’s flight tracking app puts plenty of information at your fingertips – everything from your flight path to forecast delays and weather forecasts. For iOS 16.1, Flighty brings this information to the lock screen and Dynamic Island with a live activity alert showing arrival and departure times, gate information, and flight status.
Flighty is a free download, and this version actually includes a lot of vital flight information. More advanced features like delay forecasts, push alerts, and incoming plane tracking require a subscription to Flighty Pro ($5.99/month or $49.99/year).
Download reckless
Smart Gym
If you use SmartGym to track your workout routine, you’ll need to get the latest update, which adds Live Activity support. With Live Activities, you can start a timer to display the lock screen, and you can also get instructions for your next group or workout. Dynamic Island Support allows you to track rest periods and execution during your workout.
You can try SmartGym for free, with support for 2 routines, 10 dates, and 2 measurements. A subscription ($9.99 per month or $59.99 per year) gives you unlimited access to all of these, plus the ability to sync data with SmartGym’s cloud service.
Download Smart Gym (Opens in a new tab)
wake up from
Wakeout has been a godsend for office workers who don’t want a stable career to creep into their lifestyle. The app comes with workout breaks that you can take at your desk to stay energized and alert, and it also helps you focus on the tasks you do with a countdown timer to help you stay on task until your next Wakeout break. With Live Activities, this timer goes to your phone’s lock screen.
You can try Wakeout for a week before starting your subscription. A month Wakeout costs $12.99 per month with a lower monthly rate available when you sign up for a year.
Download wake up from (Opens in a new tab)
Islands weather
Live activities in other weather apps
• Albinglo (Opens in a new tab)
An update to Carrot Weather for iOS adds a Rain Start Soon Live activity that pops up on the lock screen when rain is forecast for the next hour. A rain chart that appears with live activity lets you keep track of the upcoming storm.
While you can download Carrot Weather for free, Rain Live Activity Starts Soon requires enrollment in the Premium Ultra app, which costs $29.99 per year.
Download Islands weather (Opens in a new tab)
vegetables
Live activities for other foods applications
• Toast (Opens in a new tab)
• Crumbl . cookies (Opens in a new tab)
• miles (Opens in a new tab)
• pestle (Opens in a new tab)
Grocery gives you a place to jot down what you need the next time you run to the store, and a new live app activity keeps that list visible on the lock screen or on the iPhone 14 Pro’s dynamic island. If you happen to stock recipes on groceries—you can, you know—there’s a countdown timer that appears as a live activity.
Grocery is a free download, although membership unlocks premium features like sharing between families and store tracking. It will cost you $3.99 per month or $9.99 per year. Paying $29.99 gives you lifetime access.
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Just click on register
Live activities in other facilities
• Calzy (Opens in a new tab)
• passcodes (Opens in a new tab)
• TV remote control (Opens in a new tab)
Just tap to record cuts to the chase when it comes to one-click recording, and its approach to live activities is quite straightforward. When you’re recording a memo, lecture, interview, or anything else, a console will appear on your iPhone’s lock screen, giving you quick access to pause or stop the recording.
Just Press Record is a $4.99 download with features beyond what’s offered by the Voice Memos app built into iOS 16.
Download Just click on register (Opens in a new tab)
Sports Alerts
Live activities in other sports apps
• FotoMob (Opens in a new tab)
Sports updates are the common fodder for live activities, and one of the first apps I jumped into is the aptly named Sports Alerts app. Currently supporting the major sports leagues in the United States – MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL – sports alerts allow you to start live action up to six hours before game time. Live activity will remain on the lock screen to notify you of any changes in the score without having to unlock your phone.
You can download sports alerts for free. The $4.99 in-app purchase gets rid of any ads for one year.
Download Sports Alerts (Opens in a new tab)
tide guide
Tide Guide excels at giving you tidal information and solar charts in an easy-to-see format. The iOS 16.1 update lets you view the current tidal height, solar or lunar highs, and information on when the next tide will occur, whether it’s shown on the lock screen or in Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models.
You can download and use Tide Guide for free for three days before you start your subscription. Tide Guide charges $4.99 per month or $29.99 for a full year.
Download tide guide (Opens in a new tab)
MoneyCoach
The MoneyCoach budgeting app helps you manage your spending and keep track of your bills, with a focus on creating healthy financial habits. With Live Activities, you will see the transactions appear on the lock screen, along with the amount you spent on that particular category for the coin tracking period and compared to your previous spending. iPhone 14 Pro owners can see that data in Dynamic Island.
You can download MoneyCoach for free, while a $34.99 annual subscription unlocks the app’s premium features.
Download MoneyCoach (Opens in a new tab)
lyme
Lumy tracks sunrise and sunset, focusing on helping photographers and videographers get a perfectly lit shot. (Your clue that this app focuses on photos? One of the main things Lumy tracks is when the golden hour arrives and the lighting is at its best.) The app update for iOS 16.1 lets you track any sun event, from golden to first light, whether on the lock screen or from Dynamic Island.
A $6.99 purchase gives you full access to Lumy and all of its features.
Download lyme (Opens in a new tab)
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