Apple's Dynamic Island, introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro, turned the front-facing camera cutout into a functional display area. Live Activities are a key part of this: they show real-time information such as timers, navigation directions, music playback, and sports scores without requiring users to switch apps. Third-party apps for food delivery and flight tracking also support the feature.
On the iPhone, Live Activities are usually on by default. If an app isn't showing them, users can go to Settings > Apps, select the app, and make sure the Live Activities slider is enabled. The activities also appear on the Lock screen; to allow that, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode, enter the passcode, and turn on Live Activities under "Allow Access When Locked."
For CarPlay, Live Activities appear automatically on the Dashboard, the split-screen view. If an app is full-screen, activities show as notifications at the bottom. If they don't appear, open the Settings app in CarPlay and check the Live Activities toggle, as well as "Suggestions in CarPlay" or "Suggestions in Dashboard." Turning off Driving Focus may also help.