Sports fans will rejoice over the feature coming to the Dynamic Island in iOS 16.1
The Dynamic Island injected a shot of adrenaline into what could have been a boring upgrade for the 2022 iPhone 14 Pro models. More amazingly, Apple took what had been an oft-criticized part of the modern iPhone design, the notch, and turned it into a useful tool for iPhone users, one that many were drooling over during its introduction. It is not clear whether Apple knew what it had in the Dynamic Island; on one hand, the company did keep it locked down as no leaks came close to revealing what Apple was up to.
Dynamic Island: useful multitasking feature or an over-hyped ruse?
Next year, it appears that Apple might have the Dynamic Island available on all four iPhone 15 models instead of just the Pro models like this year. And while many have criticized Apple by calling the Dynamic Island an over-hyped ruse, others have praised it as a genius multitasking system created by the tech giant. And as Apple adds more features to the Dynamic Island from third-party apps, the "notchification" system is just going to get better and more useful.
How a Premier League score will look on the Dynamic Island. At right, how it will look after a long press.
In addition, keep in mind that this is just the first generation of the Dynamic Island, and some of the things that users are complaining about, such as it getting in the way of the screen, will surely be improved on by Apple in time for the release of the iPhone 15 line up. In fact, earlier this month Apple announced that the Dynamic Island will receive an update in iOS 16.1 that will allow users to track their ride shares or food delivery orders right from the Dynamic Island.
Now is the time to buy the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
You'll also be able to view sports scores from the Dynamic Island after the iOS 16.1 update. Regardless of the team sport, the visiting squad's score will be on the left side of the Island with the team logo in a circle on the left. The home team's score and logo will be on the right side. A long press will expand the size of the Island allowing it to include the inning, quarter, or period that the game is in, how much time remains in the period or quarter, possibly the number of outs for baseball, and other pertinent play-by-play information.
Apple will release iOS 16.1 beta later this year
Installing the iOS 16.1 beta will allow iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max users to receive sports scores on the Digital Island right now. A Twitter subscriber named Jorge González Medina (@jaquia) posted an example of what a Premier League score looks like on the Dynamic Island, and how it looks when the user long-presses on the score. On the iPhone 14 Pro models, when the screen is locked, scores will appear on a widget in the lock screen.
How an MLB score will look on a locked iPhone 14 Pro model. Credit MacRumors
Apple will release iOS 16.1 later this year. If you don't mind using unstable software and the risk that some features won't work right, you can dismiss with the waiting and install the iOS 16.1 beta now. To do that, go to the Apple Beta Software Program by tapping on this link. Sign in to the Beta program using your Apple ID and follow the directions to install iOS 16.1. Keep in mind that if you decide to leave the beta program early, you will need to wipe all your data off of your phone, so make sure to back up all of your data first.
To use the Dynamic Island sports scores feature with the iOS 16.1 beta installed, open the TV app and tap "follow" on supported games. Major League Baseball scores will be available for those in the U.S., Canada, Australia, U.K., Brazil, Mexico, Japan, and South Korea. NBA and Premier League games can be received by the Dynamic Island for users in the U.S. and Canada.
Eventually, we'd expect to see support for the Dynamic Island to show NHL scores and NFL scores as well. The ceiling is very high for the Dynamic Island and it will be interesting to see what features Apple adds to it in the future.
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