Live Activity and Dynamic Island: Your Walk Stats Without Opening the App
Live Activities, introduced in iOS 16, allow apps to display real-time updating information on your lock screen and in the Dynamic Island (on iPhone 14 Pro and later). When you start a GPS walk in Steply, a Live Activity launches automatically — keeping your pace, distance, and step count visible without you ever opening the app again.
What Live Activity Shows During a Walk
Steply's Live Activity is designed to give you everything you'd want to glance at mid-walk without stopping. The display is optimized for the Dynamic Island in two states: a compact view that wraps around the camera cutout, and an expanded view that appears when you press and hold the island. On older iPhones, the Live Activity appears as a persistent notification on the lock screen instead.
Current Pace
Min per km/mile
Your pace from the last GPS segment — updated every few seconds. Shows if you're speeding up or slowing down.
Distance
Total km or miles
Cumulative distance from the session start. Updates live as new GPS positions are logged.
Session Steps
Steps this walk
Steps counted during the current GPS session, separate from your total daily count.
The Dynamic Island in Compact and Expanded Views
On iPhone 14 Pro, 15, and 16 models, the Dynamic Island transforms into a live display of your walk stats. In compact mode, you'll see a small pace or distance indicator wrapping the camera pill — enough to glance at without breaking stride. Press and hold the island to expand it and see the full Live Activity with pace, distance, steps, and elapsed time in a larger, more readable format.
Dynamic Island Interaction Guide
- ✓Compact view: glance at current pace or distance while walking — no interaction needed
- ✓Press and hold: expands to full Live Activity with all session metrics
- ✓Tap: opens Steply directly, landing on the active GPS session screen
- ✓Long press + drag: opens Steply in a split-second — faster than any app shortcut
Live Activity on Older iPhones
If you're on an iPhone 13 or earlier, Dynamic Island isn't available — but Live Activities still work. Your walk stats appear as a persistent banner at the top of the lock screen, updating in real time. The experience is slightly less polished than Dynamic Island, but equally functional: raise your phone during a walk and your current pace and distance are immediately visible without unlocking.
Live Activity Tips for Better Walks
- •Start a GPS session in Steply before leaving home — the Live Activity launches automatically
- •Leave your iPhone in your pocket and use raise-to-wake to check stats without breaking stride
- •Pair with Apple Watch for step data on your wrist and GPS data on your phone simultaneously
- •If the Live Activity disappears, open Steply briefly to restart it
- •Live Activities use minimal battery — GPS tracking is the main drain, not the display
Battery Considerations for Live Activity
A common question is whether Live Activity drains battery significantly. The answer is: the Live Activity itself is very efficient — it's essentially just a display layer. The battery cost of a GPS walk session comes primarily from the GPS chip continuously polling for location updates, not from the Live Activity display. Disabling Live Activity would not meaningfully extend battery life during a walk — the GPS is doing the heavy lifting regardless.
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