# Live Activities

Source: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/live-activities
Skill: hig-components-system
Snapshot: 2025-02-02

---
<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->
> **Source**: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/live-activities.
> This file is a structured index of that content, snapshot 2025-02-02.
> Apple HIG text and imagery are © Apple Inc.; this repository provides organization and cross-referencing for AI agent consumption only.

# Live Activities

## Anatomy

  * [Compact](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/live-activities#Compact)

  * [Minimal](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/live-activities#Minimal)

  * [Expanded](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/live-activities#Expanded)

  * [Lock Screen](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/live-activities#Lock-Screen)

## Best practices

**Offer Live Activities for tasks and events that have a defined beginning and end.**

**Focus on important information that people need to see at a glance.**

**Avoid displaying sensitive information.**

**Create a Live Activity that matches your app’s visual aesthetic and personality in both dark and light appearances.**

**If you include a logo mark, display it without a container.**

**Don’t add elements to your app that draw attention to the Dynamic Island.**

**Ensure text is easy to read.**

### Creating Live Activity layouts

**Adapt to different screen sizes and presentations.**

**Adjust element size and placement for efficient use of space.**

**Use familiar layouts for custom views and layouts.**

**Use consistent margins and concentric placement.**

**When separating a block of content, place it in an inset container shape or use a thick line.**

**Dynamically change the height of your Live Activity on the Lock Screen or in the expanded presentation.**

### Choosing colors

**Carefully consider using a custom background color and opacity.**

**Use color to express the character and identity of your app.**

**Tint your Live Activity’s key line color so that it matches your content.**

### Adding transitions and animating content updates

**Use animations to reinforce the information you’re communicating and to bring attention to updates.**

**Animate layout changes.**

**Try to avoid overlapping elements.**

### Offering interactivity

**Make sure tapping the Live Activity opens your app at the right location.**

**Focus on simple, direct actions.**

**Consider letting people respond to event or progress updates.**

### Starting, updating, and ending a Live Activity

**Start Live Activities at appropriate times, and make it easy for people to turn them off in your app.**

**Offer an App Shortcut that starts your Live Activity.**

**Update a Live Activity only when new content is available.**

**Alert people only for essential updates that require their attention.**

**Let people track multiple events efficiently with a single Live Activity.**

**Always end a Live Activity immediately when the task or event ends, and consider setting a custom dismissal time.**

## Presentation

**Start with the iPhone design, then refine it for other contexts.**

### Compact presentation

**Focus on the most important information.**

**Ensure unified information and design of the compact presentations in the Dynamic Island.**

**Keep content as narrow as possible and ensure it’s snug against the TrueDepth camera.**

**Link to relevant app content.**

### Minimal presentation

**Ensure that your Live Activity is recognizable in the minimal presentation.**

### Expanded presentation

**Maintain the relative placement of elements to create a coherent layout between presentations.**

**Wrap content tightly around the TrueDepth camera.**

### Lock Screen presentation

**Don’t replicate notification layouts.**

**Choose colors that work well on a personalized Lock Screen.**

**Make sure your design, assets, and colors look great and offer enough contrast in Dark Mode and on an Always-On display.**

**Verify the generated color of the dismiss button.**

**Use standard margins to align your design with notifications.**

### StandBy presentation

**Update your layout for StandBy.**

**Consider using the default background color in StandBy.**

**Use standard margins and avoid extending graphic elements to the edge of the screen.**

**Verify your design in Night Mode.**

## CarPlay

**Consider creating a custom layout if your Live Activity would benefit from larger text or additional information.**

**Carefully consider including buttons or toggles in your custom layout.**

## Platform considerations

### watchOS

**Consider creating a custom watchOS layout.**

**Carefully consider including buttons or toggles in your custom layout.**

**Focus on essential information and significant updates.**

  * Progress, like the estimated arrival time of a delivery

  * Interactive elements, like stopwatch or timer controls

  * Significant updates, like sports score changes

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For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/live-activities