One of the standout features of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max is the “Dynamic Island.” The replacement for the notch (or “sensor housing,” as Apple called it) works in tandem with the display. While the notch simply took up space, the Dynamic Island interacts with iPhone apps and expands to deliver notifications. App developers are already finding surprising new uses for the feature, including the very first Dynamic Island games.
Dynamic Island games for iPhone 14 Pro
The first Dynamic Island game began making the rounds on Twitter last week. It’s called Hit The Island, and it’s basically Pong, but you have to hit the Dynamic Island to score points. Hit The Island is more of a concept than a full game, as developer Kriss Smolka writes. That said, it could be the beginning of a new world of interactivity on the iPhone.
In a similar vein, developer Christian Selig added a fun new feature to his Reddit app, Apollo. When browsing Reddit with Apollo on an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max, you can now place a tiny, pixelated pet on your Dynamic Island.
The feature is called Pixel Pals, and you can access it from Settings > General in the Apollo app. From that menu, tap the toggle to activate the “Dynamic Island Zoo” in the app. There are five to choose from: Hugo the cat, Rupert the dog, Chortley the hedgehog, Finnegan the fox, and Mochi the axolotl. Only the cat and the dog are available for free users. You’ll have to pay for Apollo Ultra if you want the full suite of animals.
Finally, if you wanted to spend even more time with your Pixel Pal, you can add a widget to your Lock Screen. Tap on it to go straight to the Apollo app.
Games and virtual toys such as these will bring even more value to the Dynamic Island over time. We can’t wait to see how iOS developers make use of the feature in the years to come, especially if the Dynamic Island is around for multiple generations.
More iPhone coverage: For more iPhone news, visit our iPhone 14 guide.
