Technologies
Dynamic Island Is One of the Most Helpful Parts of Your iPhone and It’s Right Under Your Nose
The iPhone’s Dynamic Island is a fun, fast way to see system alerts, apps running in the background and track ride shares and food delivery.
Whatever your thoughts on the name, the iPhone’s Dynamic Island has managed to win over fans (apparently even some Android users, too). The pill-shaped cutout and alert interface replaced the much-maligned iPhone notch that housed the True Depth camera system required for Face ID.
Unlike the notch, which was a static physical cutout, the Dynamic Island is an area on top of the iPhone’s display, which serves as an interactive hub and shape-shifts depending on the context. Within the Dynamic Island, two discreet cutouts remain for the camera and sensors, but the surrounding area is an interactive canvas of sorts for various content.
Apple’s introduction of the Dynamic Island in 2022 for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max was greeted with a combination of excitement, curiosity and laughter. The feature, which surfaces up system alerts and shows live updates on apps running in the background, was overshadowed by its name.
On social media, people poked fun at the name Dynamic Island saying it sounded like an offbeat tourist destination. Apple enthusiasts worried that name didn’t have the finesse that other Apple feature names, like AirDrop or FaceTime, had. Popular YouTuber MKBHD even offered a backhanded compliment in a post on Twitter that said it was «the most Apple thing they’ve ever Appled.»
By adding the Dynamic Island as a now-signature feature on the iPhone, Apple marked a departure from its rival Android phone makers. The latter opted to replace the screen notches on their devices with hole-punch cutouts for the selfie cameras. Through the Dynamic Island, Apple found a way to use the area around its cutout for system alerts, app controls, and tracking live activities, among other functions.
When idle, the Dynamic Island is a fairly unobtrusive black area that takes up about an inch of screen real estate, which is smaller than the previous notch. Depending on what apps you’re using, any background activities running and iPhone system alerts, the Dynamic Island will change into one of three shapes: a long oval, a large pop-up window and a combination of medium-sized oval and circle.
When using a single app like Apple Music, it becomes a long oval and shows an album cover on one end and a waveform for the song being played. In this state, if you tap on the Dynamic Island, it’ll open the Music app to the current song. If you press and hold on the Dynamic Island, it’ll pop out into a larger window spanning the top of your iPhone with mini-playback controls. Likewise, if you receive a call the pill-shaped cutout lengthens to display caller information.
If you have two apps open at once, like the Music app and Apple Maps, the Dynamic Island will look like a lowercase letter «i» on its side. One of the apps, Maps, has its own medium-sized oval to show turn-by-turn directions. The second app, Music (in this case) is off to the right in its own circle — displaying the album artwork.
Because it integrates with third-party apps, the Dynamic Island can also show a real-time estimate for your Uber’s arrival as well as food delivery orders — and when you press and hold on the Dynamic Island, it’ll physically size up into a pop-up window to show that information.
The Dynamic Island also provides visual feedback for privacy indicators (such as when the microphone or camera is active), AirDrop file transfers, or Apple Pay transactions, among other system functions.
Here are some of the things the Dynamic Island can show:
- System alerts
- Turn-by-turn navigation with Apple Maps or Google Maps
- Contact information and call length for phone calls
- Battery percentage when your iPhone or AirPods are charging
- Find My Alerts
- Screen recording duration
- Cover art when playing songs from Apple Music
- Transit card payments
- Live sport scores
- Flight information
- Timer length
- Payments with Face ID
- Files sent with AirDrop
- Mute icon
- Live activities for services like Uber
The ability to dynamically change shape and display relevant content enhances the overall user experience. Since its launch, Apple has trickled down the feature to its base models which means the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus also feature the shape-morphing cutout in addition to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. If you want to learn more about the Dynamic Island, read our iPhone 14 Pro review and our iPhone 15 reviews.
Technologies
Level Up Your Pokemon Legends: Z-A Adventure With These Active Free Gifts
Get ready for a new adventure. These free mystery gift codes and rewards are available for you to grab today.
After 12 years, it’s finally time for Pokemon players to head back to the Kalos region in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the newest game in the popular monster-catching franchise. If you’ve missed the worldwide capital of Mega Pokemon, fairy-type Pokemon and a whole bunch of baked bread, now’s the time to jump back into the world of pocket monsters.
The Switch 2’s first Pokemon game seems a bit scarier this time around. Though the beautiful Lumiose City projects safety and security, recent unexplained rampages from wild Mega Pokemon threaten the peace.
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Between unearthing the cause of this phenomenon and taking down competitors in the Z-A Royale Pokemon battle ladder, there’s a lot of work to do in the Kalos region. You’ll need special partners to get the job done — and there are some special Mystery Gifts that have just the powerful pals you’re looking for.
There are already multiple Mystery Gift codes you can use right now in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, unlocking rare Pokemon and tons of items to help you get started on a new Pokemon journey.
All active Mystery Gifts for Pokemon Legends: Z-A
While some Pokemon Legends: Z-A promo codes are uniquely tied to Nintendo purchases, we’ve gathered every free code and redemption requirement in one place for you here.
Below is a chart that contains every active Mystery Gift code for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, what it unlocks and its expiration date:
Active Pokemon Legends: Z-A Mystery Gifts
| Reward | Code or alternative redemption requirements | Expiration date |
|---|---|---|
| Ralts holding Gardevoirite | No associated code. Select «Get via internet» in the Mystery Gift menu. | Feb. 28, 2026 |
| 100x Poke Balls | Every code is unique. You can unlock the code for this Mystery Gift by purchasing the digital version of Pokemon Legends: Z-A. The code will be sent to the email associated with your Nintendo account. | March 10, 2026 |
| 3x Fast Balls, 3x Lure Balls, 3x Heavy Balls, 3x Level Balls | Every code is unique. You can unlock the code for this Mystery Gift by purchasing the Mega Dimension DLC. The code will be sent to the email associated with your Nintendo account. | March 10, 2026 |
How to redeem Mystery Gifts in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
If you have Mystery Gift codes to redeem in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, you’re likely eager to grab those rewards as soon as possible. But you need to do a little bit of legwork before unlocking the code redemption menu.
To unlock Mystery Gift functionality, you need to progress through the main story until you reach the third main mission, called A New Life in Lumiose City.
During this mission, you’ll meet Mable, the acting director of the Pokemon Research Lab in Kalos. Once you unlock Mable’s research, a new «Link Play» tab becomes accessible in the pause menu.
Within the Link Play tab, you can redeem Mystery Gift codes — as long as you’re connected to the internet.
What are Mystery Gifts?
Mystery Gifts are a long-running way to reward Pokemon players with extra goodies. The official gift distributions have existed since Pokemon Gold and Silver was released in 1999.
Back then, players needed to have special hardware — like a Game Boy Advance Wireless Adaptor — in order to acquire Mystery Gifts. Newer games make the process much easier, since you need only connect to Wi-Fi in order to access gifts for the Pokemon games on the Nintendo Switch.
While some Mystery Gifts are accessible for free, others are unlocked by promo codes that you’ll have to hunt down through specific means. Mystery Gifts are good ways to gather precious items, add mythical Pokemon to the Pokedex and capture rare shiny Pokemon.
Technologies
Will Tim Cook Step Down? Apple CEO’s Impending 65th Birthday Sparks Succession Talk
Apple is likely in the process of choosing someone to fill the chief executive role once Tim Cook decides to retire. Here are a few potential candidates that reports say are being considered.
Tim Cook‘s 65th birthday is next week, on Nov. 1. And with the Apple CEO’s special day almost here, talks have been growing as to who could be his successor should he choose to retire. Cook has made no official public mention of stepping down yet, but according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the tech giant is working behind the scenes to ensure a seamless transition when the time comes.
Cook replaced Steve Jobs in 2011, and after a period of uncertainty, Cook ushered Apple into its most profitable era. Stock-watching website Stocktwits reports that the company’s stock has increased by around 1,800% since Cook took over leading the company.
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Jobs may have introduced devices like the iPhone into everyday use that changed how we interact with technology, but Cook expanded on the Apple experience. Under his guidance, the company built upon Apple’s smartphone by introducing subscription services and more mobile products, including earbuds and wearables.
He introduced Apple Pay, Beats headphones became part of the company’s ecosystem, the Apple Watch launched 10 years ago, and Apple even entered the entertainment business, producing original Oscar-winning movies and Emmy-winning TV shows through Apple TV Plus.
Read more: Best iPhone in 2025: Here’s Which Apple Phone You Should Buy
We should reiterate that the notion of Cook stepping down is pure speculation at this point. We don’t know what Apple’s CEO is currently planning or what his thoughts about retirement may be. That said, there are a handful of contenders who have reportedly been part of the succession conversation.
Potential Apple CEO contenders
Apple likely has «a solid bench of successors» that the company’s board has been developing, says Bryan Ma, VP of Devices Research at IDC.
«But the anxiety gets amplified when there isn’t clear visibility for such a valuable and iconic company,» Ma says. «Compounding the challenge is the fact that the bar has been set by big rock stars like Steve Jobs and Tim Cook. The next generation of leaders have very big shoes to fill.»
John Ternus, Apple’s current vice president of Hardware Engineering, was top of Gurman’s list. Ternus has been with the tech giant for more than two decades, so he has the knowledge and experience for a chief executive upgrade. There would be value in having an engineer behind the wheel.
Ternus appeared during the September Apple event to introduce the iPhone Air. At 50, he’s the same age Cook was when he took over as Apple CEO.
Other potential contenders are also being considered, including Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering; Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing; and Jeff Williams, the company’s former chief operating officer, according to a report by Apple Insider. On Oct. 10, Bloomberg reported that Federighi also will soon be overseeing the Apple Watch operating system watchOS, while Ternus will be overseeing Apple Watch hardware engineering once Williams departs at the end of the year.
Federighi has been with Apple for a long time and has the public speaking experience — frequently speaking during Apple Events — that would be vital if he replaced Cook as CEO. Considering his current role, Joswiak has a more marketing perspective and a broader overview of the company and may not be as hands-on with the tech as Ternus and Federighi. And according to Gurman, Williams was viewed as a shoo-in to be Cook’s replacement until his role as COO was announced to be ending. (He’s now Apple’s senior vice president of design, watch and health.) Cook held the position of chief operating officer before he replaced Jobs as CEO in 2011. Sabih Khan will be stepping into that COO role, which also puts his name in the running.
When Cook steps down, Apple will undoubtedly have a pool of qualified talent to choose from to take up the leadership mantle. Who exactly will take the mantle remains to be seen.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Technologies
Meta Will Close Down Its Messenger Apps on Mac and Windows
You’ve got two more months until the apps are gone.
Meta is discontinuing its desktop Messenger apps for Windows and Mac. Starting Dec. 15, you’ll need to head to Facebook to continue chatting through the app on your computer.
Once the sundowning process begins, you’ll receive an in-app notification. You’ll have a 60-day window to continue using Messenger before the app is permanently shut down. (But don’t worry — the mobile app for Messenger will remain.)
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If you want to save your chat history, Meta suggests activating secure storage before the app is gone forever. Otherwise, your chat history will be gone forever, as well.
The Messenger desktop app is no longer available on the Apple App Store. After Dec. 15, Meta users who try to access Messenger on desktop will be redirected to Facebook.com. Users without a Facebook account will be redirected to Messenger.com.
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