Photo source: IDB
Apple has introduced a new widget that provides updates on Election Day directly to your Lock Screen and Home Screen.
As Election Day unfolds in the United States, many are keenly following the latest developments regarding the presidential candidates’ standings. To facilitate this, Apple has launched a Live Activities widget within its Apple News app, delivering real-time election updates straight to your iPhone or iPad.
This widget leverages a feature that enables iOS applications to refresh their widgets with current data, moving beyond a static display. Known as Live Activities, this capability was first introduced with iOS 16 in 2022 and is particularly useful for widgets that track ongoing information, such as news, stock prices, or weather conditions.
To activate the Apple News Live Activity in the U.S., users must open the News app and click on the banner at the top of the screen that offers live updates. Following this action, a notification will appear stating “Live Activity Scheduled,” indicating that users will start receiving real-time updates on both their Home Screen and Lock Screen.
Notably, iPads also gained access to Live Activities on their Lock Screens with the release of iOS 17. The widget will provide continuous updates on electoral vote counts as they are reported from various states across the U.S.
Additionally, users can opt to add other standard Apple News widgets that track the latest headlines or follow the Elections 2024 topic from their Home Screen, which showcases significant stories.
Alongside the Live Activities widget, the Apple News app features an in-app hub titled “America Votes 2024.” This section presents top election news, guides on voting procedures, and insights into news from key battleground states such as Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Minnesota.
Users can delve deeper into comprehensive election coverage that includes news articles, analyses, and discussions focused on critical campaign issues like climate change, economic policy, healthcare access, immigration reform, reproductive rights, and more.
From this hub, users can also stay informed about Republican, Democratic, and third-party candidates by accessing a curated selection of articles about each.