Dynamic Island support in Zonas is Live Activity support.
When a workout is running, Zonas can start a local Live Activity. On iPhones with Dynamic Island, the compact presentation sits around the camera area while you use other apps.
How To Use It
- Start a Zonas workout.
- Tap the Live Activity control in the workout controls.
- Leave Zonas or lock the phone.
- Watch the Lock Screen or Dynamic Island for the live workout state.
- Tap the Live Activity to return to Zonas when needed.
The exact presentation depends on the iPhone model and system state.
What It Shows
In the current Dynamic Island implementation, Zonas can show:
- current BPM
- current zone number
- zone color
- workout name
- timer
- active zone boundaries in the expanded view
- a small five-zone bar
The Lock Screen presentation has more room, so it shows a fuller workout strip.
Live Activity vs PiP
Live Activity and Picture-in-Picture are different surfaces.
Dynamic Island is small and system-native. It is good for a glance.
Picture-in-Picture is a floating window. It is better when you want the heart rate strip visible over another app, especially on phones without Dynamic Island.
In the current app, the controls are mutually exclusive. If you turn one on, Zonas turns the other off.
Zone Change Alerts
Zonas can send an alert when the zone changes.
Regular Live Activity updates are throttled. Zone-change alerts use a separate path so the app can surface meaningful changes without trying to redraw the island every second.
That is a better fit for the system.
Privacy
The Live Activity is local.
The heart rate value comes from your active workout source. Zonas updates the system Live Activity on device. There is no server involved.
Remember that Live Activity content can be visible on the Lock Screen or Dynamic Island. If you do not want heart rate visible there, turn the Live Activity off.
Common questions
Do all iPhones have Dynamic Island?
No. Dynamic Island appears on supported iPhone models. On other supported iPhones, Live Activities can still appear on the Lock Screen and as alert banners.
Is Dynamic Island the same as Picture-in-Picture?
No. Dynamic Island is powered by Live Activities. Picture-in-Picture is a separate floating window. In the current app, the controls are mutually exclusive.
How often does it update?
Zonas throttles regular Live Activity updates and sends zone-change alerts separately. The in-app workout and PiP display update through their own paths.
Sources
- Displaying live data with Live Activities
Live Activities can display current app data on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island.
- Live Activities
Apple design guidance for Live Activity presentations, including Dynamic Island.
- View Live Activities in the Dynamic Island on iPhone
User-facing behavior for Live Activities in Dynamic Island.