There is a huge variety of health and fitness apps available on your iPhone. And starting with IOS 16.1, a great feature is making it easier to interact with apps with just a quick glance on your lock screen or home screen.
We’re highlighting some great apps that take advantage of both Live Activities and Dynamic Island.
What Are Live Activities?
Live Activities are available on any iPhone with iOS 16.1 or later installed. On all models, a Live Activity will give you up-to-date information from an app on your lock screen. There’s no need to unlock your iPhone.
That makes it easy to see information at a glance or when your hands are busy doing something else, like during a workout.
With the iPhone 14 Pro lineup, there is an extra added plus. That same information is also available on Dynamic Island. There’s a small preview available at all times, and to see all of the information just tap the Dynamic Island.
1. Slopes
While skiing or snowboarding, it’s not exactly easy to remove your gloves and check on your stats. But that’s not a problem with the great tracking app Slopes. On your lock screen, you can customize the information you see in the Live Activity. Choose from being vertical, distance, speed, number of runs, and more. You’ll also be able to see any friends at the resort and the timeline of your day.
On the Dynamic Island, you can view the same information and even pause or resume a run.
Slopes Is a free download for the iPhone. It’s also available on the Apple Watch and is one of our favorite apps for the Apple Watch Ultra. A subscription will unlock additional information like enhanced trail maps, run-by-run stats, speed heat maps, interactive 3D/AR replays of your runs, comparison of runs against friends, and more.
Download: Slopes (Free, subscription available)
2. Gentler Streak
Gentler Streak is a different kind of fitness app. Instead of Apple’s approach to fitness where you close the Move, Exercise, and Stand rings daily, the app helps you balance fitness and rest. It can help anyone better understand what they need to do for a healthier lifestyle.
Along with those features, the app sports a top-notch workout tracker. On the Apple Watch, you can quickly view important information like heart rate, heart rate zone, and the immediate effect of workout intensity on your body. That allows you to increase or decrease the intensity to help avoid exhaustion.
All of the great data is also available on your iPhone as a Live Activity or in the Dynamic Island.
The app is a free download and requires an Apple Watch. An optional subscription unlocks additional features like a 10-day Activity Path, daily workout suggestions, and much more.
Download: Gentler Streak (Free, subscription available)
3. Liftin’ Workout Tracker
Liftin’ Workout Tracker is all about making your weightlifting routine quick and easy on both the iPhone and Apple Watch.
The app’s Live Activity will show both your rest timer and the next exercise up in the routine. The same information will also appear in the Dynamic Island.
With the free app, you can do up to a maximum of five workouts per month. To remove that limitation, you’ll need an optional subscription.
Download: Liftin’ Workout Tracker (Free, subscription available)
4. Pedometer++
Let Pedometer++ be your guide while on a walk or run with your iPhone. The great workout app allows you to quickly and easily start a walking workout on your handset. And to see your progress, there is a wide variety of Live Activity options available. Among the choices include a basic time and distance and even a live updating map with your current route and location overlaid. Those are also available in the Dynamic Island.
While the iPhone and Apple Watch app is free to download, the iPhone workout tracking and Live Activity/Dynamic Island support is part of the optional subscription tier. Subscribers will also unlock the ability to see your position on a live map, route overlays, offline maps, and Apple Watch maps.
Download: Pedometer++ (Free, subscription available)
5. Streaks
Instead of specifically tracking your fitness, Streaks takes a different approach. The app is a to-do list that helps you form good habits. That can be everything from walking a certain amount each day to eating a healthy meal and more. You can track up to 24 tasks per day.
As a nice touch, you can create timed tasks like exercise. Thanks to the app’s Live Activity and Dynamic Island support, you can see the progress of your timed task on the lock screen so you don’t have to worry about unlocking your phone. That lets you focus on what’s most important.
Download: Streaks ($4.99)
6. Pestle
Being healthy is more than just exercising, Eating well is also a big component. And cooking your own meal is usually much healthier than eating out. Pestle is a top-notch cookbook and more. Along with the ability to add recipes, the app provides step-by-step cooking directions. With support for Live Activities and the Dynamic Island, you can always keep track of timers while cooking. On the Dynamic Island, you can view two timers at the same time. Just select it to see a bigger overview of the current step. The lock screen Live Activity will show the expanded view with additional information.
The iPhone and iPad app is free to download. You can import a recipe from any website ad use the shopping list feature. But there is a 15-recipe limit. With the optional subscription, you can save an unlimited amulet of recipes and also unlock additional features like the ability to import recipes via PDF or a scanner. Subscribers can also use a great meal planning feature.
Download: Pestle (Free, subscription available)
Using Live Activities to Help Improve Your Fitness Experience
Thanks to the great Live Activities feature on the iPhone, you can still interact with these fitness and wellness apps without needing to lift a finger. See important stats and data right on your lock screen while your hands are busy doing something else.