iOS 16.1 Beta Makes Dynamic Island Easier to Access With Reachability Support - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iOS 16.1 Beta Makes Dynamic Island Easier to Access With Reachability Support

The first beta of iOS 16.1 seeded to developers and public testers earlier this week enables Reachability support for the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, making the new pill-shaped area easier to access with one hand.

iPhone 14 Pro Reachability Feature
Twitter account Tech-Up shared a first look at how Dynamic Island works with Reachability on the iOS 16.1 beta, as spotted by 9to5Mac.

Reachability is an optional feature that lowers the top half of the screen so it's within easy reach of your fingers. The feature can be enabled in the Settings app under Accessibility → Touch → Reachability. To use the feature, simply swipe down on the bottom edge of the screen. To return to a regular view, tap the upper half of the screen.

On earlier versions of iOS 16, the Dynamic Island does not work with Reachability and remains at the top of the screen while other content is lowered.


Dynamic Island can display system alerts for incoming phone calls, AirPods connected, Face ID, Apple Pay, AirDrop, AirPlay, car keys in the Wallet app, unlocking the iPhone with an Apple Watch, charging and low battery indicators, ring/silent mode, NFC interactions, Focus mode changes, Shortcuts, Airplane Mode, Find My, and more. It will also work with Live Activities in third-party apps when iOS 16.1 is released later this year.

Related Forums: iOS 16, iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 18 pro dynamic island leaked prototype

iPhone 18 Pro Leaks Reveal New Dynamic Island With Under-Display Tech

Wednesday April 15, 2026 8:56 am PDT by
Images claiming to show an iPhone 18 Pro prototype and matching screen protectors have surfaced from multiple sources, appearing to reveal Apple's new and reduced Dynamic Island design with under-display technology. An X user called @earlyappleleaks recently shared an image purportedly showing a prototype iPhone 18 Pro with a noticeably smaller Dynamic Island. In the picture, the flashlight...
iphone 18 pro cad%402x

iPhone 18 Pro CAD Leak Reignites the Dynamic Island Debate

Wednesday May 6, 2026 4:26 am PDT by
New alleged CAD renders of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro are doing the rounds on social media, offering the latest twist in the to-shrink-or-not-to-shrink Dynamic Island saga. An X user called @earlyappleleaks has posted the above image, claiming that "the new CAD confirms the smaller Dynamic Island of the iPhone 18 Pro." CAD renders are often leaked from factories and represent the technical...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...

Top Rated Comments

Chrjy Avatar
48 months ago
Even more impressively, the entire camera and Face ID technology moves with it as well.....can't innovate, my ****!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
48 months ago
Reachability is a sign that phones are too big.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
48 months ago
Now there’s both a dynamic and static island at the same time. The next update will add a third.

The more, the merrier.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
48 months ago
This almost seems like one of those "oh yeah...whoops" moments after shipping.

I don't know how they missed this because reaching the top of the phone is a big enough problem that they made Reachability. This has been a concern for a long time and one of the first concerns people had with Dynamic Island.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
48 months ago

I've always turned off Reachability. Dont like it
Yeah, but now when you turn it off, you lose a whole island.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
48 months ago
it’s the dynamic tectonic shift of dynamic island 😂
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)