IPHONE
Where Live Activities show on an iPhone 17e without a Dynamic Island
In short
The iPhone 17e has no Dynamic Island, so a Live Activity such as a running timer does not show at the top of the Home Screen. Swipe down from the top to see it on the Lock Screen and in Notification Centre, with its own controls. There was no Live Activities switch in Settings, Apps, Clock on ours.
4 of 4 steps show a real screenshot from our iPhone 17e. Each step was checked against the maker's own instructions, linked at the end.
Steps
- 1
Start something that has a Live Activity
We started a 1-minute timer in Clock, Timers.
- 2
Go to the Home Screen
At the top there is only the time and the Wi-Fi and battery icons: no timer pill.
- 3
Swipe down from the top
The timer shows as a Live Activity above Notification Centre, with pause and stop buttons and the time left.
- 4
Check the Clock settings
In Settings, Apps, Clock there were only Apple Intelligence & Siri, Search, Notifications and Mobile Data. Searching Settings for Live Activities found no switch either.
If you do not see this option
- On an iPhone with the Dynamic Island? Apple says you touch and hold the activity in the Dynamic Island to see more, and swipe it up to make it smaller. Source: View Live Activities in the Dynamic Island on iPhone
- Want it bigger on the bedside table? StandBy can show widgets or Live Activities full screen. Turn it on in Settings, StandBy, then put the locked iPhone on a charger on its side and keep it still. Source: Use StandBy to view information at a distance while iPhone is charging
If this does not work
- No Live Activity at all? The app has to support it. A Clock timer did on ours.
- Missing from the Lock Screen? Check that notifications for that app are allowed: iPhone notifications not showing: 7 settings to check.
- Another app's Live Activity is missing? Apple says some apps have their own switch: open Settings, tap Apps, tap the app, then tap Live Activities. Apple also notes that not all apps have this setting, which matches the Clock page on ours.
- Lock Screen shows nothing while locked? Check Settings, Notifications, Show Previews. With When Unlocked or Never, details may stay hidden until you unlock the phone with Face ID or your passcode.
- Notification Centre seems empty? On the Lock Screen, Apple says to swipe up from the middle to see earlier notifications. On other screens, swipe down from the top-left corner instead.
Good to know
For video that keeps playing over other apps, see how to use Picture in Picture on an iPhone.
Media works the same way. Apple says that when you play music or a film, the Lock Screen shows playback controls to play, pause, rewind and fast-forward, and these can also control a remote device such as an Apple TV 4K or a HomePod. You do not need a Dynamic Island for any of this.
If you wear an Apple Watch, Apple says Live Activities such as a workout, a timer or music also appear on the watch face and at the top of the Smart Stack. On the watch, Settings, Smart Stack, Live Activities lets you choose when they appear.
About this guide
- Device
- iPhone
- Shown on
- iOS 27.0.1 (iPhone 17e)
- App
- Clock
- Path
- Clock › Timers › Lock Screen / Notification Centre
- Real screenshots
- 4 of 4 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 4 official, linked below
Sources
Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Spotted a mistake? Menus change with updates, and we want every step to match your screen. Email us about this page or use the contact form. We read every report, and fixes are listed on What changed.
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