iOS 16 "Real-time Activities" is adapted to Smart Island: display scores or takeaway progress, etc.!

The biggest update of the iPhone 14 series this year is the “Smart Island” function added to the iPhone 14 Pro series. Many netizens joked that the iPhone 14 can only be regarded as the iPhone 13s, and the iPhone 14 Pro series is the real iPhone 14.

​With the release of the iPhone 14 series, Apple is also accelerating the adaptation of the iOS 16 system to the iPhone 14 series. Earlier today, Apple also released a design guide for the adaptation of iOS 16 "Real-time Activities" and iPhone 14Pro Smart Island to inform developers of the relevant specifications for adding real-time activity functions to apps.

Apple mentioned on its developer website that real-time activities help people keep track of tasks and events they care about, providing a persistent place to display frequently updated information. For example, a food delivery app can show the remaining time before the food order arrives, or a sports app can show the scores of ongoing games, etc.

In addition to displaying Live Activities on the lock screen, devices that support Live Activities can also display your app information in different ways, depending on whether the device also supports the Smart Island feature.

In the design guidelines, Apple also lists three different forms for displaying real-time activities in the Smart Island: compact, minimal, and expanded.

In the display of real-time content on Lingdong Island, Apple also gave developers some suggestions, including:

• Provide real-time activities for tasks or ongoing events with a clear start and end;
• Only present the most important content;
• Update live events only when new content is available, and alert people when it’s important to get their attention;
• Avoid displaying sensitive information in live events;
• Avoid using real-time events to display advertising or promotions;
• Users can control the start or end of real-time activities;
• Make sure that clicking on a real-time activity will automatically jump to the corresponding App;
• Consider removing live activities from the lock screen after it ends;

In terms of adaptation, Apple also requires developers to ensure unified information and design for compact presentations in Smart Island, create a consistent layout between compact and extended presentations; adapt to real-time active presentations on different screen sizes; support dark mode and always-on display, etc.

As early as when the iOS 16.1 beta was released earlier this month, Apple stated that it would enable a new real-time activity feature in iOS 16.1, allowing iPhone users to see what is happening in real time directly from the lock screen, such as sports game scores or the progress of takeaway orders.

Since iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max support the Smart Island function, real-time activities will also be integrated into the Smart Island, and the progress of real-time activities can also be viewed through the Smart Island.

Considering that Apple has opened the API in iOS 16.1 and now the real-time event design guidelines have also been released, it is expected that many apps will start to adapt in the near future.