There are all kinds of islands: dreamy, barren, rugged, fantastical, vegetative, frozen, desert, verdant, tropical, etc. Islands come in all sizes and conditions. None, however, have the resources one finds on Apple’s Dynamic Island. Apple brought the Dynamic Island to the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022. It has been continued and expanded in the iPhone 15 series. In my opinion, the Dynamic Island is a new concept in smart phones. I have discussed the change introduced to phones as a result of nanotechnology and the concept of embeddedness possible with digital technology.
What’s At Your Finger Tips: iPhone Dynamic Island
The iPhone 15 has 25 features accessible through the Dynamic Island. Seventeen of these features are foreground activities and eight are background activities. Thus, the Dynamic Island gives in depth access to your phone for maximum utility. The Dynamic Island takes the smart phone further away from anything that would be identified as a phone. Truly, the iPhone 15 is becoming something other than a phone. The iPhone 15 is actually a complex of machines. In years past when you picked up a phone receiver, you had in your hand only a phone. It did one thing, it let you talk to other people who are somewhere else. For the time, that was a miracle! Likewise, when you picked up a hammer, you were in possession of a machine that hammered nails and nothing else. In the 21st century, there are few machines that do just one thing. You don’t have enough fingers and toes to count all the things the iPhone 15 Dynamic Island does!
21st Century Machines: Apple iPhone15
The iPhone 15 Dynamic Island literally gives you access to 25 different machines that all accomplish a different task. Machines in the 21st century will fundamentally differ from those of the centuries before in that they have memory and can reason. Those really are the big features; but we already don’t think about them, we just assume our machines have them. I remember when I got my first computer about 50 years ago. It was a Commodore computer. I was so amazed that this machine, which I viewed as a typewriter, could remember what I typed with it. I had a learning curve for adjusting to the reality of a typewriter with a memory. At that time, there were typewriters coming out with memories. My next learning curve ended in the realization that this computer was not a typewriter with memory. It was something different. If you are not old enough to have had such an experience, just wait a few years. You will soon have one. This is not an experience for only my generation. From now on, every generation will experience their skills becoming obsolete. It has been a generation since Educators have known what to teach children. When a child starts school at 3 years of age, the technology that child will use as an adult has not yet been created. This is not going to change. So let’s look at the amazing changes the iPhone 15 has brought. We had better hurry, because these changes, now so amazing, will soon be obsolete.
Display Outputs and Alerts: iPhone 15 2023
There are 17 features available in the Dynamic Window that are display outputs and alerts. I already known some but I needed an explanation for a few. First there is Apple Pay. This is an old feature, but now it makes buying apple products easier. Apple Pay is now Apple Pay Later. What makes buying Apple products easier is that you can now pay for a product in four installments without interest! It’s much easier for me, now, to make a purchasing decision!
The second feature is the Privacy Indicator when microphone and camera are in use. From the Dynamic Window you have the options of hiding your email address, internet activity, keep track of app permissions and monitor insecure passwords to name a few. Thus, you have more and easier access to maintain your privacy.
Thirdly, further privacy and security is created by Airdrop Files. These are person2person connections with encryption that creates a firewall around your connections. To me, that represents a level of sophistication that makes me feel secure. I’m very happy that Apple is making this available to everyone.
A fourth feature shows that Apple researches its users experiences with their product. This is the Airpod Connection and Battery Life function. Lose your air pods, the iPhone 15 can find them no matter where they are. Your iPhone is no longer dependent upon the distance of the Bluetooth range. For me, that is a huge improvement. When I lose things, it’s never in a close and convenient place.
The fifth feature, the iPhone Charging States and Battery Life. Your iPhone 15 has USB-C connector. The USB-C is the universally accepted standard for connectors and allows such functions as syncing data, charging, playing audio and video. It’s data transfer speed is 20 times that of the base model. You can also use android connectors. This is so convenient. There are few things as annoying as piles of connectors.
Number six is self-explanatory. Low Battery Alert. A simple of piece of information, but very important. It should be readily accessible.
Number seven is likewise self-explanatory. Silent Mode. In my android phone, this function is not so accessible and when involved in a pleasant evening, like going to the movies, I will generally forget to put my phone in silent mode.
Feature eight is a continuation from iPhone 12, 13, and 14. It is Face ID Unlocking. Apple responded to the demands of the past pandemic and created a Face ID system that identifies you without data about your nose or mouth. Thus, you can unlock your phone even if you are wearing a mask using only visual data about your eyes. But the iPhone 15 does more than unlock your phone. Merely by looking at your phone, you can authorize payments and purchases and sign-in to many third party apps. This feature wins my “What Will They Think Up Next” award– a holdover award from the early, last century.
I found feature nine mysteriously bizarre, Carkey Locking/Unlocking. Who in the world, I thought, is Carkey. Interestingly, I assumed it was a person who had invented something amazing. Likely a genius who lives in the backwards of Apple research programs, known to only a select few. I started my research. It turns out that “Carkey” is “Car Key..” I think I will name my next dog, Carkey. Well, your iPhone 15 uses NFC (Near Field Communication) to unlock and lock your car. How convenient. I am always fumbling around with my car keys to lock and unlock my car while holding my smartphone. I would never have guessed telephones would be unlocking my car.
The tenth feature, Apple Watch Unlocking, also lacks self explanation. What if, for some reason, your iPhone does not recognize you and you find yourself locked out? Not to worry. If you own an Apple watch, your apple watch will unlock your phone for you. Sweet.
The eleventh feature has already been mentioned, NFC (Near Field Communication) interactions. Your iPhone 15 makes multiple uses of its near connections with other devices. But the conditions for finding those devices are not as precise as they are with earlier iPhone.
Number twelve, Air Play Connections, provides a wireless protocol for sharing music, video, and photos. So what is a protocol? A protocol is a set of rules that allow data to be shared between computers. These protocols are now available in your Dynamic Island to help you manage your music, videos, and photos.
Number thirteen, Focus Mode Changes, is another layer of privacy. It allows you to block notifications and apps when you don’t want to be disturbed. You can choose which apps you want to silence at any particular time.
Feature fourteen, Shortcut Actions, is a feature we now expect from our iPhone. This feature automates tasks and allows the user to stack apps on top of one another in a daisy chain for use at a specific time when needed.
The fifteenth feature speaks for itself, the Airplane Mode. For me, having it so accessible is a God-send.
Feature sixteen is Sim Card Alerts. I’ve never known what the acronym states for but I known my phone doesn’t work without one. SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) is a chip that contains the identifying information of your phone and connects you to your subscriber so you can make calls, send texts, and use data. The iPhone 15 uses an eSIM. I’ve never understood why we had a little physical chip.
The last feature, Accessory Connect, is definitely 21st century. The Accessory Connect notifies you when your friend’s location changes, or any phone connected to yours. Basically, it’s a tracking device.
The iPhone 15 has nine more features accessible in the Dynamic Island bringing the total accessible features to twenty-six.
Background Activities
These eight features are not new but their placement in the Dynamic Island gives a unique feature to the iPhone 15.
I couldn’t live without this first feature, Upcoming and Turn-by-Turn Map Directions. Especially in unfamiliar areas at night, street signs are often difficult to see. In such situations the turn-by-turn directions are essential to get where you are going. To have this feature easily accessibly, perhaps in a daisy chain, gives me an appreciated sense of security.
the second background feature is not so common but appreciated, Incoming Call. It’s a little like having your personal office manager. This feature also gives the duration of a call, essential if you value staying on schedule like I do.
The third feature may lend itself to obsessiveness but it can be useful, Time Remaining for playing a song. Self explanatory. I probably would seldom use it.
For me, the fourth feature did not explain itself, Active Timer, but the phone timer can be set without actually opening the clock app. This is very nice.
The fifth feature is a hat tip to the sports fans, Live Activity Sports Scores. Wow!! This kind of feature makes me feel that Apple is thinking specifically about me!
The Share Play Sessions is the sixth background feature and shows Apple’s dedication to its consumers. I don’t known who thought of this feature but it is unique. You and your friend can share the same moment of an event. That is, using FaceTime, your iPhone allows you to sync music, movies, and shows with your friends. In the early days of telephones, phones were on party lines and everyone on a line could listen in to a conversation, even without an invitation. The Share Play Sessions uses that idea but with much more privacy.
Number seven: Screen Recording. This is the notorious screen shot. I call it notorious because taking a screen shot with my android requires practice. Not so with an Apple iPhone. We don’t use this every day, but when you need it, you need it now! So nice to be accessible in the Dynamic Island.
Number eight: Voice Memo Recording. How nice to take notes without typing. This is a feature that makes its appearance in many of my daisy chains.
Number nine: Personal Hotspot Connection. For an active person, this is really a must have.
From this list of twenty-six features that are found in the Dynamic Island, the iPhone 15 achieves a new level of accessibility. Given the complexity of this machine, just imagine what it would be like to use this phone without a Dynamic Island. At this level complexity requires efficiency. Apple has achieved this with the Dynamic Island.
Too Much Information
My intention in this blog was not to tell you something new but to make some important information more accessible. We find ourselves in a new world where the machines we use are intelligent. No longer does one buy a tool and merely begin to use it. By the late 20th century machines were accompanied by manuals. These manuals basically told us the parts of the machine. They didn’t speak of functions. These machines generally had only one function, so the word, function, wasn’t used. The machine’s function was obvious. Those days have passed. In those days, machine styles changed but that was about all. Now, not only do machines change in what they do but they change us. We have to keep up with this change but it happens so rapidly that we drop behind. I began my website, because I began to feel the need to tidy up at least some of this information. This information is not always that accessible. I was beginning to feel dumber and dumber. Technical acronyms are used as if they were common language. I believe there is a growing need for this new information to be presented in a common sense form for those of us who are not specialists. I hope I have accomplished that for you.