Android 16 May Get iPhone-Like “Dynamic Island” – Here’s What You Need to Know!
Android 16 is likely to adopt the iPhone's dynamic island feature, enhancing its functionality.
Innovating the iPhone 14 Pro
In 2022, Apple made a significant leap with the launch of the iPhone 14 Pro, transforming the previously mocked camera setup into a pioneering feature called ‘Dynamic Island’. This innovative design allows the camera to appear as if it’s expanding and contracting to display notifications through slick animations. The TrueDepth camera was redesigned to take up less screen space, ensuring content isn’t obscured. Dynamic Island remains active, making it easier for users to access controls with a long press while keeping background activities like Maps, Music, or a timer visible and interactive, including third-party apps.
Utilizing ‘Dynamic Island’
Top applications of ‘Dynamic Island’ integrate with ‘Live Activities’ to display real-time information from background applications. For example, Apple Music shows a song preview that expands into playback controls with a long press. This feature extends beyond Apple’s own apps, with third-party applications like Citymapper, United Airlines, Uber, and Spotify also making use of it.
A Similar Feature for Android?
Android might be getting a comparable feature. Mishaal Rahman from Android Authority discovered a new API called Rich Ongoing Notifications in the Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3, which allows for more than just an icon in the status bar, providing additional contextual information. Though not yet available for Android apps, Rahman’s findings suggest a potential future feature inspired by iPhone’s ‘Dynamic Island’.
Future Developments
While currently hidden in an Android 15 beta, Rahman believes this feature is more likely to debut with Android 16 next year. Given that Android 15 has already reached platform stability and begun rolling out to Pixel devices, it’s improbable that Google would introduce a new API at this stage.