Apple News Live Activities for tracking election results now live on iPhone

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone edited November 5

If you're not feeling plugged in enough during the 2024 election, Apple News has a way to get up-to-the-second results on your Lock Screen and Apple Watch through Live Activities.

Phone screen displays a split bar showing results for Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, with Senate and House results for Democrats and GOP.
Election results are available as a Live Activity on iPhone



Apple originally introduced Live Activities as a way to whimsically take advantage of the Dynamic Island and present live, updated information to the user. It has been handy for now playing music, sports scores, and active calls, but Apple News is using it for something a little more anxiety-inducing.

Starting 6 p.m. EST Tuesday night, users are able to have a Live Activity from Apple News that tracks the results of the election. So, the Lock Screen will have a large, interactive widget that will launch to the latest election coverage, and the Dynamic Island will show the electoral count for each candidate continuously.

So, while you're doom scrolling X and arguing with your relatives in iMessage, you'll have a constant reminder of exactly how things are going as Americans vote for their future. Of course, users can dismiss the Dynamic Island content with a swipe without closing the Live Activity, which might help preserve some sense of sanity for a moment.

To activate the US election results Live Activity:


  • Open Apple News

  • Tap the prominent "Follow the 2024 election live" banner at the top of the page or under "Top Stories"

  • If unable to find the banner, open the "Election 2024" Special Coverage section in the menu

  • A notification will appear about the Live Activity being enabled



Tap on the banner again, and the scheduled Live Activity will be turned back off.

Live Activities will appear on iPhone and iPad Lock Screens, but only devices with a Dynamic Island will get the special UI. Apple Watch can show Live Activity data in the widget view as well.

Apple News had Live Activities for caucus results earlier in the year, and it proved to be a useful way to track the events. While the stakes are much higher for the actual election, the tool will be an excellent way to quickly view immediate results while staying away from polarizing news coverage.

It isn't clear how long Apple News will keep the Live Activity active, as it could be days before preliminary calls are made on the results and final tallies aren't due until December 11. The US election could be an interesting stress test on how users interact with the feature and how it holds up after hours of being active.

Updated November 5, 6PM EST: The Live Activity is now available.



Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    Wesley HilliardWesley Hilliard Posts: 260member, administrator, moderator, editor
    If I see anything that looks like this is going off the rails, this thread will be closed or bans will be handed out. Don't be weird.

    ronnapple4thewinmbenz196212Strangers
  • Reply 2 of 14
    acjnracjnr Posts: 2member
    Is this available overseas or only in the US?
    appleinsideruser
  • Reply 3 of 14
    Wesley HilliardWesley Hilliard Posts: 260member, administrator, moderator, editor
    acjnr said:
    Is this available overseas or only in the US?
    It is in the Apple News app now, so you just have to check. If it isn't there, then it is US only.
  • Reply 4 of 14
    acjnracjnr Posts: 2member
    Wesley Hilliard said:
    acjnr said:
    Is this available overseas or only in the US?
    It is in the Apple News app now, so you just have to check. If it isn't there, then it is US only.
    Damn.  Looks like it's a no then.  Is it a Live Activity that can be shared - hoping there might be a link you can add here so I can try that.
    appleinsideruser
  • Reply 5 of 14
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,597member
    Wesley Hilliard said:
    acjnr said:
    Is this available overseas or only in the US?
    It is in the Apple News app now, so you just have to check. If it isn't there, then it is US only.
    I can confirm that, while I had to hunt for it by finding following the directions in the article, it is there — and I’m outside the US.
  • Reply 6 of 14
    apple4thewinapple4thewin Posts: 302member
    Wesley Hilliard said:
    If I see anything that looks like this is going off the rails, this thread will be closed or bans will be handed out. Don't be weird.

    I second this^
    12Strangers
  • Reply 7 of 14
    jensonbjensonb Posts: 533member
    chasm said:
    Wesley Hilliard said:
    acjnr said:
    Is this available overseas or only in the US?
    It is in the Apple News app now, so you just have to check. If it isn't there, then it is US only.
    I can confirm that, while I had to hunt for it by finding following the directions in the article, it is there — and I’m outside the US.
    That's weird, I'm in the UK and I can't see it anywhere. I went to the 2024 US Election section under Special Coverage in the Following Menu and there's just the list of curated stories, nothing about a Live Activity.
    appleinsideruser
  • Reply 8 of 14
    ihatescreennamesihatescreennames Posts: 1,971member
    If it helps, I opened Apple News just now and this popped up. I didn’t have to search for anything, it appeared on my first time opening News for the day  
    edited November 5 appleinsideruser
  • Reply 9 of 14
    brapeibrapei Posts: 1member
    chasm said:
    Wesley Hilliard said:
    acjnr said:
    Is this available overseas or only in the US?
    It is in the Apple News app now, so you just have to check. If it isn't there, then it is US only.
    I can confirm that, while I had to hunt for it by finding following the directions in the article, it is there — and I’m outside the US.

    Directions from the article as in the "go to app -> see banner"? Doesn't show up where I am, can't be time difference surely? Southern hemisphere here.
  • Reply 9 of 14
    appleadaynewsappleadaynews Posts: 2member
    chasm said:
    Wesley Hilliard said:
    acjnr said:
    Is this available overseas or only in the US?
    It is in the Apple News app now, so you just have to check. If it isn't there, then it is US only.
    I can confirm that, while I had to hunt for it by finding following the directions in the article, it is there — and I’m outside the US.
    Hmmmm I’m following the election 2024 coverage however haven’t seen a pop up for live activity… hopefully it comes through. 
  • Reply 11 of 14
    appleinsideruserappleinsideruser Posts: 657member
    No sign of it for me in the UK
  • Reply 12 of 14
    jvm156jvm156 Posts: 45member
    worked great for me last night. watching the red wave come in 
    kdupuis77
  • Reply 13 of 14
    Cesar Battistini MazieroCesar Battistini Maziero Posts: 406member
    It was beautiful seeing the red wave live.
    kdupuis77
  • Reply 14 of 14
    afkpuzafkpuz Posts: 9member
    I was really pleased with the apps performance. I was watching it most of the night. It was so much better than the main stream media in terms of timliness, usefulness, and lack of bias. I didn't have to worry about Apple's partisanship, it was just good and useful data in a visually appealing form. 

    I think it further drove home the point that legacy media is being left in the dust. And good riddance I say. 
    appleinsideruserkdupuis77
Sign In or Register to comment.