Apple is enhancing the user experience for iPhone owners during the 2024 US Elections by introducing a new widget within Apple News, designed to deliver live updates and real-time election coverage throughout Election Day. The widget, which was announced on Tuesday, promises to make it easier for users to stay updated on the election results, breaking news about candidates, and other key developments directly from their home screens. This move aligns with Apple’s ongoing efforts to provide more dynamic, informative features that keep users engaged with important events without interrupting their everyday smartphone use.
The widget is available for iPhone users running iOS 17 or later, ensuring that millions of Apple device owners can take advantage of the feature. As the election progresses, the widget will automatically update to reflect significant changes and breaking news, keeping users informed with minimal effort. The tool will be crucial for anyone closely following national race predictions, regional voting trends, or live updates from critical battleground states across the country. With the election results likely to unfold throughout the day and into the night, the widget’s real-time updates will offer an easy, convenient way to stay up to speed.
In addition to providing live updates, the widget is customizable, allowing users to adjust its size and position on their screens for a more personalized experience. This flexibility ensures that the widget doesn’t intrude on users’ regular smartphone activities but instead enhances their ability to track election developments as they happen. The feature is being rolled out to users in the US over the course of Election Day, ensuring that everyone, from voters to election-watchers, has access to timely and relevant information as it emerges.
This new feature builds on Apple’s previous success with the Live Activities feature, which was originally introduced to take advantage of the Dynamic Island on iPhones. Live Activities has been used effectively for tracking real-time events such as music playback, sports scores, and live phone calls, offering users a convenient way to keep up with ongoing activities. Now, in the context of the 2024 US elections, Live Activities will expand its role, delivering election results and updates as the voting process progresses. Apple’s move to integrate live election coverage into the Live Activities framework means users will have a seamless experience tracking the election results alongside other notifications and updates.
To activate the live updates, users can simply open the Apple News app, where they will find a large banner reading "Follow the 2024 election live" at the top of the page, or within the "Top Stories" section. If the banner is not immediately visible, users can navigate to the “Election 2024” section within the app’s menu. Tapping on the banner will trigger the Live Activity feature, and users will begin receiving real-time notifications as the election results unfold. For users who prefer to disable the updates, they can easily turn off the Live Activity feature by tapping the banner again, stopping any further scheduled notifications.
The Live Activity feature will be available on both iPhone and iPad lock screens, ensuring that users can check election results quickly and easily without unlocking their devices. For iPhones equipped with the Dynamic Island, the interface will be especially enhanced, providing a more engaging and interactive experience. Apple Watch users can also access real-time updates via the widget view, ensuring that even those on the go have access to up-to-the-minute election news.
Apple’s new feature isn’t just a casual update — it’s a testament to the company’s ability to leverage its existing technology to keep users informed during some of the most significant events in global politics. Earlier this year, Apple News used Live Activities to offer real-time updates during the Iowa caucus results, which were praised for their utility in keeping users updated in an easy-to-digest format. The upcoming 2024 US elections will provide an even more critical test of how well this feature can handle the demands of continuous, high-profile news coverage.
The 2024 election is expected to be one of the most consequential in recent memory, with results potentially taking days to finalize in certain races. The live updates from Apple News, therefore, could serve as a vital resource for users who want to stay on top of developments without getting bogged down by overly dramatic or biased coverage from traditional news sources. By using real-time Live Activities updates, Apple is helping users avoid feeling overwhelmed by information overload and making it easier to focus on the facts as they come in.
As for the duration of the live updates, it’s unclear how long Apple News will continue providing election coverage. Given the complexity of the election process and the likelihood that results may not be immediately available, the feature could remain active for days as final results are tallied. This makes the 2024 election a key opportunity for Apple to test its real-time information tools in a high-profile context, gauging user engagement and satisfaction as the election unfolds across multiple time zones.
In conclusion, Apple’s new election widget and the expanded Live Activities feature are part of a broader trend toward integrating real-time, user-friendly updates into the mobile experience. By allowing iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users to follow election developments with minimal disruption to their day-to-day activities, Apple is offering a valuable tool for informed engagement. Whether it’s tracking national race predictions, following state-level voting trends, or staying up to date on key battleground states, real-time election updates could serve as a model for how technology can bring important events closer to the user in an accessible, non-intrusive way.
