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What is a live activity?

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A live activity is a small readout of something that is happening right now and changes over time, such as a countdown, a delivery or a song. Apple’s design guidance says a Live Activity lets people track the progress of an activity, event or task at a glance, for example the time left until a food delivery arrives.

Where Apple shows them

Apple lists these places for Live Activities: the Lock Screen, the Home Screen, the Dynamic Island and StandBy on iPhone, and the menu bar on a Mac.

Why it matters for notch apps

In notch app marketing, the word means a tiny readout that stays visible while the panel is closed, instead of making you open the panel to look. Whether you want that is a real choice. A readout at the edge of the screen can help you keep an eye on a timer, and it can also be one more thing moving in your view. Each notch app builds its own version, so ask whether the readout stays when you move the pointer away, and whether it needs the panel open. The guide on the Dynamic Island for Mac has a table of what to check with a trial.

NotchStar

NotchStar describes itself as a toolbox you open on purpose. Its Timers tool keeps counting while the notch is closed, and it plays your chosen sound when the time is up.

See Dynamic Island for Mac and the definition of a notch app.

Keep reading.

Dynamic Island for Mac: what it is and what you can get
The Mac has no Dynamic Island, but notch apps can imitate one. See what live activities are, which apps do it and what to expect.
What is the Dynamic Island?
The Dynamic Island is Apple's name for an interactive area at the top of the iPhone screen. Macs have a notch instead. Some notch apps imitate the effect.
What is a notch app?
A notch app is a Mac utility that puts a small panel of tools around the MacBook notch. Learn what it does and what it cannot do.
Timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro in the notch
A timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro with session tracking, always one hover away in the Mac notch. It keeps counting while the notch is closed.

More in Notch and apps.

What is a notch app?
A notch app is a Mac utility that puts a small panel of tools around the MacBook notch. Learn what it does and what it cannot do.
What is the Dynamic Island?
The Dynamic Island is Apple's name for an interactive area at the top of the iPhone screen. Macs have a notch instead. Some notch apps imitate the effect.
What is a file shelf?
A file shelf is a temporary place to park files while you work, then drag them out or send them. Learn how it differs from a folder and from AirDrop.
What is clipboard history?
Clipboard history is a list of the things you recently copied, so you can paste an older item again. Learn how it works on a Mac and what to watch for.
What is the Pomodoro technique?
The Pomodoro technique splits work into timed focus blocks with short breaks. Learn the basic pattern and how a Mac timer in the notch tracks it.
What is a teleprompter?
A teleprompter shows a scrolling script near the camera so you can read while looking at the lens. Learn how a notch teleprompter works on a Mac.
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