iOS 16.1 Live Activities — 11 apps you should try right now - Tom's Guide

The accomplishment of iOS 16.1 brings different alteration to your iPhone’s fastener surface successful the signifier of Live Activities. And app makers are jumping astatine the accidental to incorporated enactment for the caller diagnostic into their ain apps.

Live Activities are alerts that look connected your fastener surface and enactment there, relaying updates to you astir ever-changing statuses. Wondering wherever that cheeseburger you ordered done a nutrient transportation app whitethorn beryllium oregon however the Warriors are faring against the Lakers? Live Activities tin bring that accusation to your fastener screen, with updates arsenic the cheeseburger transportation draws ever nearer of the Warriors spell connected different tally against the hapless Lakers.

The accomplishment of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max adds different destination for Live Activities. Both of those phones person got escaped of the notch that’s appeared connected iPhones since 2017, replacing it with the Dynamic Island. And portion its main intent seems to beryllium lodging the phone’s beforehand camera and Face ID sensors, the Dynamic Island tin besides beryllium a spot wherever notifications appear, giving you different country to interact with Live Activities.

While iOS 16 came retired successful September, Apple held backmost Live Activities until the iOS 16.1 update. But erstwhile iPhones users could upgrade to the caller version, a clump of app updates soon followed, arsenic third-party developers looked to amusement disconnected however their bundle tin instrumentality vantage of Live Activities.

Countdown timers person proven to beryllium a fashionable Live Activity for galore apps, from productivity tools to workout apps. But we’ve besides seen Live Activities that tin stock upwind data, formation accusation and sports scores. 

We’ve spent immoderate clip going done App Store updates to find apps that instrumentality vantage of Live Activities. While not a implicit list, the 11 apps beneath surely caught our oculus portion giving you a wide spirit of however Live Activities volition enactment with the fastener surface and Dynamic Island to bring much glanceable accusation to your attention.

Structured

Structured is simply a time planner and clip absorption app that puts each your tasks and calendar items successful 1 place, turning them into a wide outline of what you person to bash successful a fixed day. The app has added a countdown timepiece showing you however overmuch clip is near for a circumstantial task that’s accessible from the Lock Screen (or the Dynamic Island if you’ve got an iPhone 14 Pro.)

You tin download Structured for free, but immoderate of its features, including notifications and integration with the built-in Reminders app, necessitate a subscription. You tin motion up for a monthly ($1.99) oregon yearly ($7.99) subscription portion a $29.99 acquisition gives you a beingness membership.

Download Structured (opens successful caller tab)

Flighty

The Flighty formation tracking app puts a batch of accusation astatine your fingertips — everything from the formation way to hold predictions and upwind forecasts. For iOS 16.1, Flighty brings that accusation to the fastener surface and Dynamic Island with a Live Activity alert that shows accomplishment and departure times, gross info and formation status.

Flighty is simply a escaped download, and that mentation already includes a batch of captious formation information. More precocious features similar hold predictions, propulsion alerts and unrecorded inbound level tracking necessitate a Flighty Pro subscription ($5.99/month oregon $49.99/year).

Download Flighty

Smart Gym

If you usage SmartGym to support way of your workout routines, you’ll privation to drawback the latest update, which adds Live Activity support. With Live Activities, you tin commencement a timer to show the fastener screen, and you tin besides get guidance for your adjacent acceptable oregon exercise. Dynamic Island enactment lets you way rests and execution during a workout.

You tin effort retired SmartGym for free, with enactment for 2 routines, 10 histories and 2 measures. A subscription ($9.99/month oregon $59.99/year gives you unlimited entree to each those things, positive the quality to sync information to SmartGym’s unreality service.

Download SmartGym (opens successful caller tab)

Wakeout

Wakeout has been a godsend for desk-bound workers who don’t privation a sedentary concern to creep into their lifestyle. The app comes up with workout breaks you tin bash astatine your table to enactment progressive and alert, and it besides helps you absorption connected tasks astatine manus with a countdown timer to assistance you enactment connected task until the adjacent Wakeout break. With Live Activities, that timer moves to your phone’s fastener screen.

You tin springiness Wakeout a effort for a week earlier your subscription kicks in. A period of Wakeout costs $12.99/month with a little monthly complaint disposable erstwhile you motion up for a year.

Download Wakeout (opens successful caller tab)

Carrot Weather

An update to Carrot Weather for iOS adds a Rain Starting Soon Live Activity that pops up connected your fastener surface erstwhile rain’s expected successful the adjacent hour. A rainfall illustration appearing with the Live Activity lets you support way of the incoming storm.

While you tin download Carrot Weather for free, the Live Activity for Rain Starting Soon requires you to motion up for the app’s Premium Ultra tier, which costs $29.99/year.

Download Carrot Weather (opens successful caller tab)

Grocery

Grocery provides you a spot to jot down what you request the adjacent clip you marque a tally to the store, and a caller Live Activity for the app keeps that database disposable connected your fastener surface oregon successful the Dynamic Island of your iPhone 14 Pro. If you hap to store recipes connected Grocery — you can, you cognize — there’s a countdown timer that appears arsenic a Live Activity.

Grocery is simply a escaped download, though a rank unlocks premium features similar sharing among families and pantry tracking. That volition outgo you $3.99/month oregon $9.99/year. A $29.99 outgo gives you beingness access.

Download Grocery (opens successful caller tab)

Just Press Record

Just Press Record cuts close to the pursuit erstwhile it comes to one-tap recording, and its instrumentality connected Live Activities is conscionable arsenic straightforward. When you’re signaling a memo, lecture, interrogation oregon conscionable astir thing else, a controller volition look connected your iPhone’s fastener screen, giving you speedy entree to intermission oregon halt the recording.

Just Press Record is simply a $4.99 download with features that spell supra and beyond what iOS 16’s built-in Voice Memos app offers.

Download Just Press Record (opens successful caller tab)

Sports Alerts

Sports updates fig to beryllium fashionable fodder for Live Activities, and 1 of the archetypal apps to leap connected that is the aptly named Sports Alerts app. Currently supporting the Big Four sports leagues successful the U.S. — MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL — Sports Alerts lets you commencement a unrecorded enactment up to six hours earlier crippled time. The Live Activity volition enactment connected your fastener surface letting you cognize of immoderate people changes without having to unlock your phone.

You tin download Sports Alerts for free. A $4.99 in-app acquisition gets escaped of immoderate ads for 1 year.

Download Sports Alerts (opens successful caller tab)

Tide Guide

Tide Guide excels astatine giving you tidal accusation and solunar charts successful an easy-to-glance format. An update for iOS 16.1 lets you show the existent tide height, star oregon lunar altitudes and info connected erstwhile the adjacent tide is coming in, whether that appears connected your fastener surface oregon successful the Dynamic Island connected iPhone 14 Pro models.

You tin download Tide Guide and usage it for escaped for 3 days earlier a subscription kicks in. Tide Guide charges $4.99/month oregon $29.99 for a afloat year.

Download Tide Guide (opens successful caller tab)

MoneyCoach

The budgeting app MoneyCoach helps you negociate your spending and way your bills, with an oculus toward creating steadfast wealth habits. With Live Activities, you’ll spot transactions look connected the fastener screen, on with however overmuch you’ve spent connected that peculiar class for the currency tracking play and a examination to erstwhile spending. iPhone 14 Pro owners tin spot that information successful the Dynamic Island.

You tin download MoneyCoach for free, portion a $34.99/year subscription unlocks the app’s Premium features.

Download MoneyCoach (opens successful caller tab)

Lumy

Lumy keeps way of sunrises and sunsets, with an oculus toward helping photographers and videographers get a perfectly lit shot. (Your hint that this is simply a photo-focused app? One of the main things Lumy tracks is erstwhile the Golden Hour arrives and lighting is astatine its astir photogenic.) The app’s update for iOS 16.1 lets you support way of immoderate prima event, from the aureate to archetypal light, connected either your fastener surface oregon from the Dynamic Island.

A $6.99 acquisition gets you afloat entree to Lumy and each of its features.

Download Lumy (opens successful caller tab)