Guide to Hiding Dynamic Island Feature on iPhone

The Dynamic Island feature was introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro and quickly became a defining characteristic of the device, morphing the traditional static notch into an engaging, interactive element. While many users appreciate its convenience for accessing notifications and updates, some find it distracting or cumbersome. If you’re looking for ways to hide Dynamic Island on your device, you’re in the right place!

Can You Completely Remove Dynamic Island From Your iPhone?

First, it’s important to note that Dynamic Island is exclusive to newer iPhone models. If you own one of the following, you have access to this feature:

iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 16
iPhone 16 Plus
iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro Max

Unfortunately, if you’re using an older model, Dynamic Island is absent from your interface entirely. For those with compatible devices, while there isn’t a direct method to deactivate Dynamic Island, there are several tricks you can employ to minimize its visibility.

Swipe to Hide Dynamic Island on Your iPhone

Do you want to capture a screenshot without the distractions from Dynamic Island? Here’s a quick trick: swipe horizontally across the Dynamic Island—either to the right or left—while it’s displayed on your screen. By doing so, any information within the Dynamic Island will be hidden, allowing for a clearer view during your screenshot or general use.

Swiping on the Dynamic Island to hide it or show it again on iPhone screen.

To restore the information, a simple horizontal swipe in the opposite direction will reinstate it. Keep in mind, however, that certain apps—like WhatsApp—do not allow you to swipe away notifications from Dynamic Island. For instance, during an active call, swiping will only present indicators, like a phone icon and a yellow dot indicating microphone usage. Additionally, some core system applications might not permit you to dismiss their alerts through this method.

WhatsApp notification in Dynamic Island on iPhone that can't be swiped off.

Disabling Live Activities for Dynamic Island

Although this won’t remove Dynamic Island itself, disabling Live Activities can greatly reduce the number of notifications you see topping your screen. Coupling this tactic with the swiping method can significantly declutter your visual space.

Live Activities are designed to provide real-time updates on various tasks, such as ride statuses from Lyft or delivery notifications from Uber Eats. Not all apps leverage this functionality, so you’ll need to explore your settings to determine which ones do.

Here’s how to disable Live Activities:

Open your Settings app and scroll down to find Apps (or the list of your installed apps if you haven’t upgraded to iOS 18 yet).

Select an application you frequently use with Dynamic Island features, then tap on it.

Selecting an app that makes use of Dynamic Island from iPhone settings.

Locate Live Activities. If you don’t see an option for it, it means that app doesn’t support this feature. If it does appear, toggle off the Allow Live Activities setting. For further reduction, consider disabling the More Frequent Updates option as well.

Disabling Live Activities won’t completely eliminate all Dynamic Island notifications related to the app, but it will avert time-sensitive alerts from appearing. For example, after turning off Live Activities for WhatsApp, you will still receive indications from the Dynamic Island when on a voice call.

While Apple hasn’t yet implemented an option to eradicate Dynamic Island entirely, these strategies can substantially limit its intrusiveness. Want to explore more customization options? Learn how to modify lock screen shortcuts or update the icons on your iPhone for a fresh look.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I completely remove Dynamic Island from my iPhone?

No, there is no option to completely remove Dynamic Island from supported iPhone models. However, you can hide it temporarily or reduce its visibility through swiping and disabling Live Activities.

2. Does swiping in Dynamic Island work for all apps?

No, swiping to hide content in Dynamic Island does not work for all apps. Some applications, including system ones and WhatsApp, restrict this feature during certain activities like calls.

3. What are Live Activities?

Live Activities are real-time notifications that appear in Dynamic Island, providing updates on time-sensitive tasks such as ride-sharing statuses or food deliveries. You can disable them for individual apps through the settings to minimize distractions.

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