Live Activity
A Live Activity is an iPhone feature that shows an app's live progress on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, without opening the app.
Apple introduced Live Activities for things that change over minutes or hours: a delivery on its way, a sports score, a timer. The app posts a small, updating card to the Lock Screen and, on iPhones with a Dynamic Island, a compact view at the top of the screen. You glance at progress without unlocking the phone or switching apps.
Live Activities are an iPhone (and iPad, where supported) feature; Android has ongoing notifications that play a similar role.
How it works
An app starts a Live Activity and updates it as things change. The system limits how long an activity can run and how often it updates, and users can switch them off per app in Settings. A Live Activity shows progress; it doesn't keep the app running in the background by itself.
An example: checking a tether at a glance
Between moments a photographer picks up the phone and glances at the Lock Screen before unlocking it. The card shows 214 shots, 3 sending and 211 delivered, so a single look confirms everything is arriving.
Live Activities in CloudTether
On iPhone, CloudTether gives each connected camera its own Live Activity on the Lock Screen, showing shots captured, sending and delivered — with two cameras, you see both. Keep CloudTether open while you shoot, though: on iPhone the camera link pauses while the phone is locked. Pocket mode darkens the screen while the tether keeps running. See iPhone tethering.
Turning them on or off
If you don't see the card, check that Live Activities are allowed for the app in the iPhone's Settings.
Tips and common mistakes
- Allow Live Activities for CloudTether in Settings if they don't appear.
- Use Pocket mode rather than locking the phone mid-shoot.
- Glance at the delivered count after key moments to confirm uploads.
Put it into practice
CloudTether tethers your camera to your phone and delivers every shot to the cloud, live as you shoot — no laptop.