Apple has started testing iOS 16.2 publicly, the next major iPhone operating system, with the first betas available to users. We’re finding out more details about the new software release as people dig through it. And the latest iOS 16.2 feature concerns the iPhone 14 Pro’s signature feature, the Dynamic Island.
Apple plans to change the size and animation of the Dynamic Island in at least one instance. Music playback will still populate the Dynamic Island. But the software notch will have a smaller footprint on iPhone 14 Pro. As a result, you’ll see the cellular, Wi-Fi, and battery indicators on the right side.
As I explained recently, I was wrong to think it’d be better to turn off the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. You might not interact with the apps in it that often. But they’ll be ready to accommodate your needs when you need to.
Playing music is easily one of the things you do most on an iPhone, so the iOS 16.2 Dynamic Island change certainly makes sense. Found by 9to5Mac, the change seems to only concern the Music app.
Specifically, when playing music on the iPhone 14 Pro, the Dynamic Island will deliver a new animation in iOS 16.2. The software will shrink the Dynamic Island slightly so that all three icons fit on the right side.
The way it works now, one of the three icons would disappear when playing music on iPhone 14 Pro. Some people might think they’ve temporarily lost cellular signal as the icon is no longer visible.
That’s clearly not what’s happening. Even if you lose cellular signal, you’d still see the indicator. Also, you can find the missing icon by swiping down on the right corner to invoke Control Center.
But iOS 16.2 will fix this Dynamic Island problem. The new animation will see a subtle change when playing music on the iPhone 14 Pro. Initially, the Dynamic Island will have the same size as iOS 16.1, with the cellular indicator disappearing. But then the Dynamic Island will shrink in size. The cellular indicator will appear on the right side of it.
This Dynamic Island animation change might apply to other Live Activities, not just music playback. The purpose would be the same, to show that missing indicator. But that’s only speculation.
Also, as you might have noticed, I only mentioned the iPhone 14 Pro as the only beneficiary of this iOS 16.2 Dynamic Island update. The iPhone 14 Pro Max has a wider screen, and the cellular icon does not vanish when the Dynamic Island is active.
More iPhone coverage: For more iPhone news, visit our iPhone 14 guide.
