It’s natural to feel frustrated when Dynamic Island is not working on your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Dynamic Island is the name of the new pill-shaped cutout on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max; it’s sadly not present on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus that still come with the good old notch. At first sight, you might think that the cutout is there just for aesthetics. And while that is one of the reasons, it’s actually quite functional.
For starters, the cutout houses a new 12MP f/1.9 front camera sensor with autofocus and 38% better low-light performance. Paired with the new image algorithm called Photonic Engine, the iPhone 14 Pro can now apply Apple’s Deep Fusion processing to uncompressed images. All this combined helps render brighter colors and retain more detail in your selfies.
But perhaps the most impressive thing about Apple’s Dynamic Island feature is how it can intuitively morph into different shapes to display all sorts of glanceable info. For instance, when you put your phone on silent, connect your AirPods, access Face ID, or plug your charger, the cutout will expand and display the activity and then immediately go back to normal.
Also, if there’s an ongoing background activity, such as a call, playlist, podcast, or timer, the cutout will stay expanded until it ends. You can tap it to go to the app or long-press it to explore options, allowing for better multitasking.
For instance, if you get a call while scrolling through your Instagram feed, the cutout will expand to show you who’s calling and the option to accept or deny it. Once you pick up the call, the cutout will stay expanded during the duration of the call. You can long-press the cutout to access various options to cut the call, switch to FaceTime, mute yourself, and more.
Similarly, if you’re listening to music while reading an e-book, you can long-press the cutout to see options to pause the song, skip forward or back, or jump to a particular part in the song. And if there are multiple ongoing background activities, the iPhone 14 Pro’s Dynamic Island will form a new circular bubble beside the pill-shaped cutout. All of this without leaving the app you’re in.
There are a few reasons why your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max Dynamic Island might stop working. Thankfully, there are also a few ways to fix those problems.
Find Out if An App Works with Dynamic Island
If your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max Dynamic Island stops working when you use a specific app, there may be a problem with that app, not your iPhone. First, check to see if the app supports the feature.
The best way to find out if an app works with the Dynamic Island is to open up an app you like or want to learn about/have heard of in the App Store and look for the words" Dynamic Island". You could also try "Live Activities," as these two features often come hand-in-hand.
You can search for these terms in the App Store. From my experience, this will mostly direct you to gimmicky apps and games. But it is a great way to discover new apps if you are looking to find the perfect digital pet, create wallpapers incorporating the Dynamic Island, or other fun but not practical apps.
Update Your iPhone
Apple’s iOS software updates often come with bug fixes and performance improvements. So, if the above methods don’t work for you, it may simply be a bug in the software itself.
Therefore, updating your iPhone may be the solution when Dynamic Island is not working on your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Go to Settings > General > Software Update to see if a new iOS version is available.
Update your apps
If the problem lies in an app—for example, Dynamic Island works on your iPhone 14 Pro except when using a specific app—check whether there’s an update to install via the App Store.
- Open App Store and tap on your account icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
- Scroll down to see a list of available app updates. If there’s an update for the app causing the problem, tap Update to its right.
delete and reinstall the app
If updating the app doesn’t fix the problem, try deleting and reinstalling it. The app will get a completely fresh start once it has been reinstalled.
- Press and hold on the app’s icon until the menu opens.
- Tap Remove App -> Delete App -> Delete to uninstall the app on your iPhone.
To reinstall the app:
- Open App Store and tap on the Search tab in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.
- Type in the name of the app, then tap the Install button to its right. Since it’s an app you’ve previously downloaded, the button will look like a cloud with an arrow pointing down.
contact the app developer
If Dynamic Island is still not working on your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max after you’ve reinstalled the app, send a message to the app developer and ask for advice. They may have a fix for the problem or be working on a solution already.
Here’s how to Send a Message to the App Developer:
- Open App Store.
- Tap Search at the bottom of the screen and search for the app.
- Tap the app icon to open details about the app.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Developer Website. The developer’s website will load.
- Look for a contact form or email address on the developer’s website. It shouldn’t be hard to find it the developer is worth their salt. Remember that good developers appreciate it when you let them know about problems with their apps!
6. Restart Your iPhone
Software glitches can sometimes prevent Dynamic Island from working on your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max. In such cases, simply restarting your iPhone will resolve the problem, making this troubleshooting step worth trying.
To restart your iPhone, simply open the Settings app and tap General > Shut Down. Once the screen goes black, wait for several seconds and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
Dynamic Island still Isn’t Working on your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max!
Is your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max Dynamic Island still giving you problems? It might be time to try restoring your iPhone to its original settings. Before you do this, be sure to back up your iPhone. You can do this by plugging your iPhone into a computer and running iTunes (PCs and Macs running macOS Mojave 10.14 or older) or Finder (Macs running macOS Catalina 10.15 or newer). You also have the option to back up your iPhone to iCloud.
If you have a lot of data on your device, the process can take quite a while, so you should only try this method when you don’t need to use your iPhone immediately.
Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset. Choose Reset All Settings.
Do not accidentally select Erase All Content and Settings, as this will delete all the data on your iPhone.
Fixed Dynamic Island not working on iPhone 14 Pro issue
Dynamic island is a complex and fascinating piece of technology. We hope this list of fixes has helped you solve the problem if Dynamic Island is not working on your iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max, and I’d love to know which solution worked for you in the comments section below.