The Dynamic Island gets a small but important change in the latest iOS 16.2 Beta

The Dynamic Island is arguably the best new feature found on this year's iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. The shape-shifting multitasking notification panel that replaces the notch will reportedly be found on all four iPhone 15 models next year. That Apple was able to take the controversial notch and turn it into something exciting is quite a feather in Apple's cap.

According to 9to5Google, Apple has made a slight change to the Dynamic Island in the latest iOS 16.2 Beta. In previous versions of iOS 16, the width of the Dynamic Island allowed only two icons to be shown on the iPhone 14 Pro status bar. These were the battery icon (with the percentage of battery life remaining) along with either the Wi-Fi logo or the bars representing the strength of the cellular signal.

With the iOS 16.2 Beta installed, when playing music on the iPhone, the Dynamic Island reduces its width allowing all three icons to be visible in the status bar at the same time. This might not seem like a big deal, but it has turned out to be for those who see one of the icons disappear from the status bar on their phones and think that there is a connectivity issue. That's because it isn't always obvious that the missing icon is due to the size of the Dynamic Island.

Keep in mind that this is not a problem for the iPhone 14 Pro Max because of that model's larger 6.7-inch display compared to the 6.1-inch screen on the iPhone 14 Pro. With the larger screen, the iPhone 14 Pro Max could show all three icons in the status bar at the same time even before the change.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that iOS 16.2 won't be released by Apple until the middle of December. But if you join the iOS 16 Beta program by pressing on this link, you can have this new and improved version of the Dynamic Island on your iPhone 14 Pro now. After opening the Apple Beta Software Program site, tap on iOS 16, enter your Apple ID and password and follow the directions.

Just make sure that you backup your data first because if you want to leave the beta program before the stable release of iOS 16.2 is pushed out, you will have to wipe the data from your phone.

And Android users don't have to be left out. This writer has used the dynamicSpot app on a Pixel 6 Pro and while it is not exactly the Dynamic Island, it is as close as one might hope for. And the developer is updating the app often, adding little things that improve it. You can find the app right here in the Google Play Store. With the dynamicSpot, you can even reply to texts from the app's notifications.

If you're an Android user dying for a Dynamic Island of your own, check out the dynamicSpot.