Dynamic Island on all iPhone 15 models: Users will love and hate Apple’s ingenious notch replacement

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Dynamic Island on all iPhone 15 models: Users will love and hate Apple’s ingenious notch replacement
No matter which side of the smartphone OS barricade you’re on, it’s hard to deny that Apple’s (ridiculously named) Dynamic Island software-hardware feature is trying really hard to change the way we view display cutouts on phones.

I still remember watching the iPhone 14 Pro announcement nearly a year ago, and being blown away by Apple’s creative approach to the first punch-hole display on iPhone, which finally replaced the infamous notch. What also made the Dynamic Island appear very special is that it was pretty much the only major upgrade to the iPhone 14 Pro that no one saw coming - we had no leaks and not even rumors about it.

But about a year later and with the launch of the iPhone 15 series knocking on the door, it’s about time we have a “Dynamic Island reality check”. Especially, considering that all iPhone 15 models are now expected to adopt this polarizing design change. Is it a game-changing feature; is it better than the notch, can it get any better, and is it a reason to upgrade? Well, the answer to the last question is easy - absolutely not.

But let’s dive in a little deeper…

A year after the debut of Apple's ingenious notch replacement, all iPhone 15 models are getting Dynamic Islands - but is this a reason to be excited?



Let’s start with the cons about the Dynamic Island, and some of them haven’t changed since the first article I ever wrote about the feature after it debuted in 2022…

  • I predicted that using the Dynamic Island won’t feel nearly as natural and intuitive as Apple is making it seem because it’s positioned way too high up on the iPhone, and I might’ve been right - at least if you have an iPhone 14 Pro Max (although this works just fine with my smaller iPhone 14 Pro)

  • I also predicted that the Dynamic Island wouldn’t play nicely with videos and games, and (unfortunately) I got that right too - the Island cuts into YouTube videos more than the notch used to do, which makes watching videos (especially those shot in a wider format) a less immersive



But the Dynamic Island isn’t all bad (at all) - in fact it’s more functional than ever now



All that being said, the Dynamic Island still looks “alive”, and it’s now more functional than the notch ever was, and that’s awesome (and underrated). A year after it became part of the iPhone 14 Pro, it’s more useful than ever, which makes it feel like part of the iOS software experience rather than a hardware “flaw”.


Major music, podcast, and audiobook streaming apps like Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music (duh!) support the Dynamic Island, which is useful for quick audio controls without having to open the actual app, while transport related apps like Uber and Flighty (the latter seems to be US exclusive) will give you live updates on your Uber and flight.

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There are some more “random” apps that can interact with the Dynamic Island like the “Hit the island” game, the Steps activity tracker, the Pestle recipe organizer, the Smart Gym (home workout app), and Apollo (for Reddit) that lets you have a little pixelated animal pet “living” on your Dynamic Island. Frankly, I don’t see any of these apps as being useful but that’s clearly because they aren’t made for me. But also… following a recipe on the Dynamic Island… Really?!


Did Apple forget about the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro, or is it going to get better with iOS 17 and iPhone 15?


Speaking of Island development, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Apple missed on upgrading the Dynamic Island with extra features during WWDC, which was quite strange, considering WWDC is a software-focused conference, and Dynamic Island was the leading, flashiest software feature on the iPhone 14 Pro upon the debut of the phone.

Regardless, WWDC is long gone now, which leaves us with hopes that Apple will take the opportunity to update the Dynamic Island with the launch of the iPhone 15 series, which is expected to take place on September 12. Since all iPhone 15 models are now expected to adopt the Dynamic notch replacement, it makes sense to put some effort into making this the Island even better and more useful than before.

So here are some Dynamic Island features I’d like to see in the final version of iOS 17 and iPhone 15…


  • Live activities on the Dynamic Island on the Always-on display of iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro would be really cool to see, since Apple’s approach to the Always-on display is already quite “lively” anyway; being able to control your music, timers, follow directions, and perhaps even interact with notifications while only a small portion of the display is on sounds delicious; bear in mind, even if Apple went in that direction, it’d be impossible for the vanilla iPhone 15 to get this feature since it’s expected to use a 60Hz display, as opposed to the 1-120Hz variable panel of the Pro models

  • Dynamic Island volume controls - I know this one might be slightly “controversial” but I don’t see why the volume slider that pops up every time you try to adjust your volume can’t move into the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15’s Dynamic Island; sure, adjusting the volume using the slider would be less convenient that way, but I tend to never really do that and use the buttons instead; moreover, don’t forget that future iPhones (16, 17) are now expected to remove the conventional buttons and replace them with 3D touch tech, which should (technically) allow you to gradually adjust your volume in granular/stepless fashion

  • Dynamic Island screenshots - here’s a good one, Apple - how about my screenshot goes to the Dynamic Island after I take it; I click the screenshot; it lets me “copy” it from the Dynamic Island, or “copy and delete” it; or if you want to get crazy, the screenshots go to the Dynamic Island and stay there until I open iMessage/Messenger and drag and drop into the chat

  • Why isn’t Siri living on the Dynamic Island, Apple? Is she special? Does she need her own space? Can she not afford it? What is it? I say make some room for her there - it's a massive cutout... I mean island



All iPhone 15 models are getting the Dynamic Island but the display cutout isn’t really here to stay: When is Apple going to “fix” it?




In the end, I’d like to quickly remind everyone that despite the fact that Apple seems to be leaning heavily into the whole Dynamic Island thing (essentially turning a hardware flaw into a software feature), apparently the Island isn’t really here to stay for long.

According to reputable display analyst Ross Young, Apple will try to make the Dynamic Island a little bit less annoying to look at. Still, despite Young’s high success rate at outing Apple’s secrets, you should take the rumors with a grain of salt, because they are looking quite far into the future…

  • According to reliable tipster and display analyst Ross Young iPhone 16 Pro is rumored to keep the Dynamic Island but gain a taller display aspect ratio, meaning this could address the problem with watching videos where the Dynamic Island cutout cuts into your content more than the notch

  • Again, according to Young, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro are expected to reduce the size of the Dynamic Island by hiding the Face ID sensors underneath the display, leaving a smaller punch-hole for the selfie camera

  • If it all goes to plan, according to Ross Young, Apple's 2027 iPhone, which I believe will be called iPhone XX, should have a 100% screen without any cutouts (so under-display Face ID and selfie camera)

And then it’s over, because the iPhone will be perfect, so Apple will retire it and stick to selling VR headsets…

Not.

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