iOS 17.1 Beta Gives Reachability a Black Background on iPhones With Dynamic Island - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iOS 17.1 Beta Gives Reachability a Black Background on iPhones With Dynamic Island

Starting with the first iOS 17.1 beta released last week, Reachability now has a solid black background on all iPhone models with the Dynamic Island, instead of a blurred view of the device's wallpaper. This minor change means the Dynamic Island no longer appears twice on the screen when Reachability is being used.

ios 17 1 reachability

Image Credit: throwmeaway1784

iPhone models with the Dynamic Island include the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

On older iPhone models without the Dynamic Island, Reachability still shows a blurred wallpaper as the background on the first iOS 17.1 beta.

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.

iOS 17.1 is expected to be released in late October. Last week, we outlined other new features in the first beta for Apple Music, AirDrop, and more.

Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Popular Stories

iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

Apple Preparing 'Most Significant Overhaul in the iPhone's History'

Sunday March 29, 2026 8:18 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has high expectations for Apple's first foldable iPhone. In his Power On newsletter today, he said the foldable iPhone will be "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history." "iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design," he said. Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will reportedly open up like ...
Apple Event Logo

Apple to Launch These 15+ New Products Later This Year

Friday March 27, 2026 2:03 pm PDT by
March has been an incredibly busy month for Apple, with the company unveiling more than 10 new products and accessories. We said hello to the MacBook Neo at the start of the month, and we bid farewell to the Mac Pro at the end of it. Nevertheless, there is still a lot more to come this year. Beyond the usual annual updates to iPhones and Apple Watches, Apple's all-new smart home hub is...
Apple Apps Grid

Apple Releasing Two New iPhone Apps This Year

Saturday March 28, 2026 8:00 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release two new iPhone apps this year, including an Apple Business app and a Siri app with chatbot-like functionality. With the Apple Business app, employees at businesses using the new Apple Business platform will be able to install apps for work, view contact information for colleagues, and request support. Apple Business is launching on April 14, and it replaces Apple ...

Top Rated Comments

vegetassj4 Avatar
33 months ago
They should leave it and call it a feature: Dynamic Archipelago
The most dynamic islands we've ever had on an iPhone
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
33 months ago
I remember when the iPhone X came out and it was against developer guidelines to try to hide the notch by turning it black… how times have changed.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
33 months ago
the mere existence of reachability proves that phones are too big
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FreakinEurekan Avatar
33 months ago

What if you use reachability is used with Facetime call, is it gonna show a fake green LED indicator?
It's not a green LED. There's actually active OLED elements between the cameras in the middle of the Dynamic Island - so it's a real green light, in a fake dynamic island ;)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
33 months ago
What if you use reachability is used with Facetime call, is it gonna show a fake green LED indicator?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zach-coleman Avatar
33 months ago
I’m shocked this didn’t get implemented when they added the DI to reachability in 16.1. It always looked odd.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)