Apple Executives Talk About iPhone 14 Pro's Dynamic Island in New Interview

In a new interview, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, and Apple's vice president of human interface design, Alan Dye, sat down to discuss the thinking behind the iPhone 14 Pro's Dynamic Island and how it was developed.

dynamic island alan dye
During the interview with the Japanese magazine Axis, Federighi, who oversees the development of iOS, said ‌Dynamic Island‌ represents the first major user experience change for the ‌iPhone‌ since the ‌iPhone‌ X five years ago.

It's probably the first major operation change in five years since the iPhone X came out. Five years ago, we lost the home button with iPhone X. This has fundamentally reviewed various iPhone operation methods, such as how to unlock the lock screen, return to the Home Screen, and how to switch apps. This new feature has also changed the appearance of the iPhone, and it made me think again about how to run multiple apps, notifications, and how to manage the ongoing behavior in the background. It was a very exciting challenge for us to consolidate what is happening on our iPhone into this small interactive place.

Dye, who presented ‌Dynamic Island‌ during Apple's "Far Out" event last month, said ‌Dynamic Island‌ further blurs the line between where the hardware ends and the software begins on ‌iPhone‌, calling it an example of "Apple-like development."

For one purpose, our hardware and software partners will come together in the same studio to solve the problem together. This new feature also made it possible to display alerts, notifications, and ongoing operations in real-time without seeing the boundary between hardware and software. I think it's a good example of Apple-like development.

Speaking about where the idea of ‌Dynamic Island‌ originated from, Dye said that the team thought about what the extra space at the top of the display could be used for, thanks to the smaller TrueDepth camera system.

At Apple, it's very difficult to trace the source of ideas. Because our work is based on a huge discussion with different groups of people. However, one of those discussions was that if the sensor area on the screen could be made smaller, what could be done with the surplus space. It's not an argument that has come out in the past year or so, but it's one of the topics that has been discussed for many years.

Dye said the status bar area is a small yet crucially important part of the ‌iPhone‌ experience. "It is an area where our hard work put into every pixel has a very big effect," Dye said. "So, there was a story about doing something more special in this area anyway. Something that is very elegant, yet very useful."

So that this experience feels so smooth and natural, we brushed up with meticulous care and skills from both sides of design and engineering. Our goal was to make them forget that there is static physical hardware and make them think that the whole thing is fluid-like dynamic software.

Federighi noted that during the ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro's event at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park, there was an audible sense of surprise when ‌Dynamic Island‌ was revealed for the first time, saying that he had the same reaction when he saw it for the first time internally. "Personally, I felt as if there was a new life-saving identity on my ‌iPhone‌," Federighi said. "It's a very delicate animation effect, but it's a little different from anthropomorphism, but I think it gave the ‌iPhone‌ a new strong personality and vitality."

Since its introduction, ‌Dynamic Island‌ has received positive reactions from users and customers online, with some calling it one of Apple's best designs in years. Already, some Android makers are looking to replicate the ‌Dynamic Island‌ experience on other smartphones.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive These Five Perks

Wednesday July 9, 2025 9:20 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, did you know that Apple offers you five perks beyond the extra storage space, at no additional cost? Here are the perks included with all iCloud+ plans:Private Relay keeps your Safari browsing history entirely private from network providers, websites, and even Apple. Hide My Email generates unique, random email addresses whenever needed. Hom...

Top Rated Comments

Antes Avatar
36 months ago
It’s way too over-hyped. Not at all that useful especially since it’s way up on the top of the screen. I do like seeing the waveform of music I’m playing though.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LoveTo Avatar
36 months ago
I feel like people give it too much credit. I was blown away by the reveal like everyone but essentially, it’s just a different way to show notifications. The interactions with it are mostly optional. It’s a UI change, not UX!
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1557750 Avatar
36 months ago
Love it or hate it. I think it was a brilliant use of space where ‘needed’ hardware is at right now. I don’t even notice the pill anymore and the only time I remember it’s there, is when the software makes a cool animation out of it.

Looking forward to the future with it, or without it.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sheepish-Lord Avatar
36 months ago
Odd, all the reviews I’ve read or watched don’t care about the DI after a day. Just another gimmick like the touchbar and will be an asterisk in the history books.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
36 months ago
Interesting interview! I would like to see more new innovative features with Dynamic Island. Make it more user-intuitive, please.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ct2k7 Avatar
36 months ago
So far my experience with Di feels limited, not enough apps make use of it, and we’re back to the fragmented ecosystem that Apple loathed at one point.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)