Introduced with iOS 16, Live Activities on iPhone lets you access real-time information, such as live sports scores, flight schedules, cab rides, etc., from your apps on the lock screen. This feature is so useful, convenient, and time-saving that it’s irksome when you can’t see the notification.
You are not alone! Several users complained of Live Activities not working properly for all apps on their iPhones. So, to help you guys, I’ve created a list of potential solutions that can restore Live Activities on your iPhone. Let’s go!
Why are Live Activities not working on my iPhone?
Are you wondering why Live Activities suddenly stopped showing up on your iPhone? Before troubleshooting, let’s explore the cause of the issue.
- Live Activities is not supported on your iPhone
- The app you are using currently doesn’t support Live Activities
- You have not enabled Live Activities in settings or only for that particular app
- iOS glitches
- Poor network connection
- Location services are disabled
- Turned on Low Power mode and Low Data mode
Whatever the reason is, you can quickly resolve the feature with some simple hacks.
How to fix Live Activities not working on iPhone
Here is the list of methods you can employ to get back the Live Activities back on your iPhone.
- Update your iPhone
- Check if the app supports Live Activities
- Ensure that Live Activities are enabled on your iPhone
- Enable Live Activities for the app facing issues
- Check for network-related issues
- Check if notifications for the app are enabled
- Ensure that Location Services for the app are enabled
- Turn on Background App Refresh for the app
- Disable Low Power and Low Data Mode
- Force restart your iPhone
- Reset All Settings
1. Update your iPhone
Live Activities for third-party apps were rolled out with iOS 16.1. Hence, if you are still using an iPhone running iOS 16, you must update to the latest iOS 17.
- Go to Settings → General → Software Update.
- Tap Download and Install if any update is available.
2. Check if the app supports Live Activities
Since the launch, many iOS app developers have been rolling out support for Live Activities, but only a handful of major apps support this feature. Hence, you must verify whether the app you’re using is compatible with Live Activities by visiting the app’s App Store page or official website.
You may also update the app and check if it got the support for the feature.
However, if the app you’re using supports Live Activities but it’s not working, move on to the next solution.
3. Ensure that Live Activities are enabled on your iPhone
Even though Live activities are enabled by default on all iPhones ruining iOS 16 or later, it’s worth double-checking if you’ve mistakenly disabled them on your iPhone. Besides, if the feature is already enabled, you may toggle off Live Activities, wait for a few seconds, and toggle it on again.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and choose Face ID & Passcode.
- Enter your iPhone’s passcode.
- Scroll down and toggle on Live Activities.
Note: When the app shows the Live Activities for the first, it asks you to grant permission. Ensure you select Always Allow to continue to get them.
4. Enable Live Activities for the app facing issues
If the first three solutions didn’t help reinstate Live Activities on your iPhone, you must ensure that Live Activities for the app in question are enabled from Settings. Many apps need you to manually enable the feature and grant necessary permissions.
- Go to the Settings. Scroll down until you reach a list of apps.
- Select the app that’s facing issues.
I faced issues with a food delivery app called Swiggy. So, I selected that. - Choose Live Activities.
- Toggle on Allow Live Activities.
- Also, enable More Frequent Updates to get real-time minute details on the Live Activities banner.
Note: Sometimes, Live Activities shows up but doesn’t get refreshed with new data. In such cases, tap the Live Activities banner on the lock screen and use the app in full screen for a few minutes.
Everything you do on your iPhone requires a stable internet connection, and Live Activities aren’t any different.
To ensure that everything works smoothly, you must connect your iPhone to a stable Wi-Fi or cellular data connection, free from any network-related issues. For a temporary solution, you may enable Airplane mode from Control Center and disable it after a few seconds.
6. Check if notifications for the app are enabled
For Live Activities to work, notifications need to appear on your iPhone’s lock screen. Hence, you must double-check if notifications for the app in question are enabled and if it can send you the lock screen alerts, as shown in these steps.
- Go to Settings → Notifications.
- Select the app that’s facing issues.
- Toggle on Allow Notifications and Time Sensitive Notifications.
- Then select the option for Lock Screen alerts.
7. Ensure that Location Services for the app are enabled
Some apps that support Live Activities may require access to your iPhone’s Location Services to work as expected, such as Maps, food delivery apps, etc. So, here’s how you can ensure that an app has access to Location Services on your iPhone.
- Go to Settings → Scroll down and select Privacy & Security.
- Tap Location Services.
- Select the app that is facing issues.
- Ensure that While Using the App option is selected. Then, toggle on Precise Location.
8. Turn on Background App Refresh for the app
The app you want to get Live Activities for, you must let it run in the background. Also, ensure that you don’t close the app from the App Switcher and that it has Background App Refresh turned on. Background App Refresh ensures the app can fetch the latest data.
- Go to Settings → General.
- Select Background App Refresh.
- Toggle on the app in question.
9. Disable Low Power and Low Data Mode
While using Low Power and Low Data Mode can help reduce your iPhone’s battery and cellular data consumption, enabling them will stop several services that are necessary for Live Activities to function. Hence, you must disable both to see if that fixes the issue for you.
- Go to Settings → Battery.
- Toggle off Low Power Mode.
- Then, go back to Settings → Cellular → Cellular Data Options.
- Tap Data Mode.
- Deselect Low Data Mode.
Select any of the other options.
10. Force restart your iPhone
If the previous solutions didn’t work, performing a hard reboot on iPhone might help you resolve software glitches or conflicts that could be affecting the proper functioning of Live Activities.
11. Reset All Settings
If none of the solutions helped resolve the issue, your best bet would be to reset all settings on your iPhone. This action will restore all settings to their default values while leaving your data untouched. So, here’s how to do this:
- Go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Reset → Reset All Settings.
- Enter your passcode.
- Tap Reset All Settings again to complete the process.
Live Activities on iPhone fixed!
By following the solutions mentioned in this guide, you should be able to quickly troubleshoot and fix issues related to Live Activities on your iPhone. However, if you have any queries or know an even better solution that can help users fix the issue, feel free to drop it as a comment.
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