The Persistent Widgets
The iPhone features a dynamic notification system called “Live Activities.” Unlike a standard text message that pings once and disappears, a Live Activity is a persistent, constantly updating widget that glues itself to your lock screen. This is heavily used by apps like Uber to show exactly how far away your driver is, or by sports apps to show real-time game scores. While highly convenient, these massive widgets consume a significant amount of battery life because they force the phone to continuously fetch data in the background. Furthermore, they clutter the lock screen and block your wallpaper. You must disable the widget engine.
How to Turn Off Live Activities
You can permanently revoke the ability of applications to render live widgets on your lock screen via the Face ID settings.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode on older models).
- Enter your device’s PIN code to access the secure menu.
- Scroll down to the section labeled “Allow Access When Locked.”
- Locate the toggle switch labeled Live Activities.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position (the green background will disappear).
Standard Notifications Only
The change takes effect instantly. The iPhone will completely terminate the background rendering pipeline for live widgets. You will still receive standard notifications from Uber telling you that your ride has arrived, or from ESPN telling you the final score of a game, but those applications will never again be allowed to spawn a permanent, battery-draining widget that tracks real-time data across your locked display.