Which Apps Use iOS Live Activities Best?

Quick answer

The most effective Live Activities provide dynamic, time-sensitive updates directly on your lock screen or Dynamic Island, such as tracking a food delivery or a sports score. They reduce the need to open an app. Apps become annoying when they display static information for too long or present updates that are not immediately useful.

What Live Activities do

Live Activities are an iOS feature that displays real-time information from an app directly on your iPhone's lock screen or in the Dynamic Island on compatible devices. They offer a compact view of ongoing events, designed to keep you updated without needing to open the full application. This display remains active for a set period, showing changes as they happen. For example, a timer counts down, or a delivery driver's progress updates in real time.

The goal is to provide crucial, time-sensitive data at a glance. Instead of unlocking your phone, finding an app, and navigating to the right screen, the information is presented upfront. This mechanism can save taps and keep you informed about events that are actively unfolding.

What makes a useful Live Activity

A useful Live Activity shares key characteristics. It provides information that changes frequently and needs immediate attention. Ride-sharing apps, for example, show a driver's arrival time, their progress on a map, and the vehicle details. This changes minute by minute. Food delivery services update on order status: when it is being prepared, picked up, and how many stops away the driver is. These are dynamic updates.

Sports apps often use Live Activities to display live scores for ongoing games. A football match or a basketball game provides constant updates on points, quarter, and remaining time. You see the score shift without needing to launch the app. Timers are another strong example. Apple's built-in Timer app shows a countdown directly on the lock screen or in the Dynamic Island. This is a clear, single-purpose function that benefits from being glanceable. It removes a step for a frequent task.

What makes an annoying Live Activity

Live Activities become annoying when they persist longer than their utility. An order confirmation for a coffee pickup might be useful for a few minutes while you wait. If that activity stays on your lock screen for hours after you have collected the coffee, it serves no purpose. This occupies valuable screen space without providing new or relevant information. It creates clutter.

Some apps might use Live Activities for events that are not truly dynamic or time-sensitive. A banking app displaying a static 'transfer initiated' message for an extended period, when the actual processing takes hours or days, is not a good fit. The information does not change in a meaningful, immediate way. Another common frustration arises when multiple Live Activities run concurrently. If you have several active, they can push other notifications off your lock screen, making it harder to see what matters.

How developers shape the experience

The design choices made by app developers directly affect whether a Live Activity is helpful or bothersome. Developers decide what information to display, how often it updates, and for how long the activity remains active. Best practices involve setting clear end points for activities, such as when a delivery is completed or a game finishes.

Apps that allow users to customize their Live Activity experience, for instance, by letting them choose which sports teams to follow or which order types trigger an activity, generally receive better feedback. The decision to use Live Activities also involves technical considerations. Frequent updates can consume more battery, so developers must balance real-time data with power efficiency. A well-implemented Live Activity offers a succinct, clean interface that provides value at a glance, not an overwhelming stream of data.

What it changes for everyday phone use

For the reader, Live Activities primarily change how quickly they can get specific updates. Instead of navigating through apps, critical information is available instantly. This reduces friction in daily tasks like tracking a taxi, checking a flight gate, or monitoring a workout. It makes the phone's lock screen a more functional dashboard for ongoing events.

However, this convenience comes with a trade-off. An increase in persistent notifications means users must be more deliberate about dismissing unneeded activities. If not managed, the lock screen can become crowded. The feature shifts some information access from within apps to the lock screen, making the phone feel more responsive to immediate needs, provided the apps use it thoughtfully.

The future of glanceable information

Live Activities represent a step towards more ambient, glanceable computing. The trend is for devices to present information without requiring full interaction. Future developments might include more intelligent filtering of activities based on user context or location. The aim remains to deliver the right information at the right time, with minimal effort from the user. How developers respond to user feedback on utility versus annoyance will determine the feature's long-term value.