How to Fix Live Activities Not Working on iPhone

Cannot track the progress of apps due to Live Activities not working on iPhone?

Keeping a real-time check on your activities is essential nowadays. And adding to your experience, Apple recently released a new Live Activities feature. Now you don’t have to launch apps to know how far away your Uber ride is, your flight schedule, live match score, food delivery status, etc., as they directly appear on your Lock Screen.

Though only available in the newer iPhone models, this interactive feature that’s integrated with Dynamic Island may occasionally encounter an issue. The reason may include a poor internet connection, incorrect configuration, app restriction, software bugs, etc.

If you’re also in a similar situation and cannot track an app’s progress on your Lock Screen, worry not. We bring you some of the most effective solutions for the stated problem. So let’s dive right into ‘em!

1. Ensure Your iPhone is Running on iOS 16.1 or Later. 

Live Activities is a fairly recent iPhone feature that wasn’t released before iOS 16.1. So the very first thing you should do in case it doesn’t work on your device from the very start is make sure it’s running the supported iOS version.

Sometimes, a bug may also find its way into your device’s software, preventing features from working properly even if you have the required iOS installed. In that case, too, updating your device software may be able to fix the issue.

If you have an update available, follow the steps below to install it:

1. Firstly, launch the Settings app on your device.
2. Then, go to General.
3. From there, tap on Software Update.

4. Your iPhone will fetch any available updates. If it is, tap on Download and Install to begin the process.

If prompted, enter your passcode and agree to the terms and conditions to install the latest software.

2. Check If Live Activities are Enabled.

However, the Live Activities feature is enabled by default once your iPhone is updated to iOS 16.1 or later, you may want to double-check just in case. If it’s already enabled, there could be a glitch in the feature. In that situation, simply restart Live Activities to fix the issue.

Here’s how to do it:

1. First, open the Settings app.
2. Then, go to Face ID & Passcode.
3. Locate Live Activities on the next screen and toggle it off and on.

In case, only particular apps are encountering issues with the display of live notifications on the Lock Screen, you need to ensure that the feature is enabled for them as well. Follow the steps below to do so:

1. To start, go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Then, scroll down to the app you wish to enable Live Activities for and tap on it.
3. After that, ensure Live Activities is enabled.

Remember that although your iPhone model may support Live Activities, not all applications will. So ensure the app experiencing the problem supports the feature before proceeding further.

3. Restart Your iPhone.

Restarting your device whenever it experiences any type of issue is the most effective solution for resolving it. The same is the case with Live Activities not working on iPhone. It discards all temporary data and cache, eliminating any glitches within the software.

To do so, use the instructions below:

1. Long press the Side button of your iPhone and let go once the power off slider appears.

2. Drag the slider all the way to the right to turn off your iPhone.
3. Wait for a few moments.
4. Long press the Side button again to turn it back on and let go when the Apple logo appears on the screen.
   
   

4. Turn Airplane Mode On and Off. 

A strong internet connection is a must for Live Activities to work smoothly. That means any hindrance in the connection will affect its functionality or may even prevent it from working at all. 

If your iPhone is affected, turning the Airplane Mode on and off just might do the magic in refreshing the connection. Use the instructions below to do so:

1. Begin by going to the Settings app.
2. At the top, toggle on Airplane Mode.
3. Wait for a few moments before turning it back off.
4. Alternatively, you may swipe down from the top right corner of your screen to access the Control Center. 
5. Tap on the airplane icon at the top to enable and disable the mode.

In case the internet isn’t working on any of your other devices as well, it’s best to contact your internet service provider. 

5. Turn On Location Services for the App. 

Since most apps that use the Live Activities feature also use your current location, you need to ensure all the necessary permissions are granted. For that, head over to your settings and ensure that the application is allowed to access your live location.

Here’s how to do it:

1. From the Settings app on your iPhone, go to Privacy & Security.
2. Then, tap on Location Services.
3. Now, scroll down and go to the app you want to enable Live Activities for.
4. Under the Allow Location Access section, choose either While Using the App or Always.
5. Also, enable Precise Location.

Now quit the Settings app and check if the issue has been resolved. Otherwise, continue to the next method.

6. Disable Low Power Mode. 

Another one of the iPhone’s greatest features, Low Power Mode helps reduce the consumption of your device’s battery by limiting the background activity. As Live Activities works by running the application in the background, enabling the mode may affect its functionality.

Therefore, we recommend your turn off Low Power Mode and check whether the issue gets resolved. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings app on your device.
2. Then, scroll down and choose Battery.
3. From there, turn off the toggle for Low Power Mode.

Remember that Low Power Mode, although an efficient feature, should best be enabled when your battery drops below 20%. Otherwise, it may affect most activities on your device.

7. Enable Background App Refresh.

Now that you have disabled Low Power Mode, you may want to check if the background activity for each individual app experiencing an issue with Live Activities is also enabled. Otherwise, Live Activities will fail to work for that particular app.

Follow the steps below to do so:

1. To begin, head over to the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Next, go to General.
3. From there, tap on Background App Refresh.
4. Ensure Background App Refresh is enabled by tapping on it and choosing either Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi & Cellular Data.

5. Now go back and ensure the toggle next to the application is enabled.

Check if this resolves the issue of Live Activities not working on iPhone. Otherwise, continue reading.

8. Update the App. 

Outdated applications are exposed to all kinds of errors. For this reason, it’s best to ensure that all your applications are always up-to-date. Newer versions are usually free of all glitches and bugs and often contain fixes for most widespread issues.

Use the steps below to manually update apps on your iPhone:

1. To get started, open the App Store.
2. Then, tap on the profile icon.
3. Under the Upcoming Automatic Updates, tap on the Update button next to the application. If you have multiple newer app versions, tap on Update All to update them all at once.

It’s best to enable the auto-update feature on your device so you don’t have to manually do it every time from the App Store.

9. Reinstall the App. 

When updating the affected application doesn’t resolve the issue with Live Activities, its data files might be corrupted or damaged. In that case, reinstalling is the only solution for the stated issue. It deletes all current data and cache and reinstalls a fresh copy of the app.

Here’s what you need to do to reinstall any app on your iPhone:

1. Press and hold the app icon until a context menu appears.
2. Then, tap on Remove App.

3. Finally, choose Delete App to confirm your action.
4. Now, launch App Store.
5. Go to the Search tab and search for the desired app.
6. Tap on the Get button next to the app in the search results.
7. Your device may ask for your Touch ID or Face ID to confirm the action.

Afterward, check whether the issue is resolved. If it persists, move to the following method.

10. Reset All Settings. 

When none of the methods above were successful in resolving the issue, your last resort is to factory reset your iPhone. By doing so, all your device settings will be restored to their default state. So if the issue arose due to incorrect configuration of your device, it would hopefully be resolved. 

Follow the instructions below to do so:

1. Start by opening the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Then, go to General. 
3. Scroll to the bottom and choose Transfer or Reset iPhone.
4. Next, tap on Reset and select Reset All Settings.

5. If prompted, enter your passcode to begin the process.

Remember that this will not delete any of the saved data or media, so you don’t need to create a backup before following this method.

This concludes our guide on how to fix Live Activities not working on iPhone. We have provided the most effective solutions for the problem and hope you could resolve it. For more tips or feedback, communicate with us through the comment section below.

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