Election Day is finally upon us, with millions of Americans heading to the polls to decide who the next President of the United States will be. For many, today means dropping off your ballot, turning off your phone, and spending as long as you can in blissful ignorance of the results. For others, it’s a day for staying glued to their device, fervently checking on every live update as the votes are counted.
While it’s likely to be a turbulent time regardless of your approach, tracking the results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election will at least be a little easier for iPhone users. Apple News is offering real-time election updates on your Home and Lock Screens via its Live Activities feature, allowing users to stay informed without actively camping news websites. Whether this is a blessing or a curse really depends on your point of view.
Apple News’ Live Activities feature for the 2024 U.S. election will prominently place a widget on your Lock Screen, showing the real-time electoral count as it’s updated so you can keep up with the race without even unlocking your phone. It will also offer such updates on your Home Screen, with Apple Insider reporting that they’ll be shown on a Dynamic Island. Apple Insider further reports that the Lock Screen widget will be interactive, taking you straight to the latest election coverage.
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Here’s how to get Apple News’ Live Activities presidential election updates.
- iPhone 14 Pro or later running at least iOS 16.1
- or iPad running at least iPadOS 17
Step 1:
Open the Apple News app.
Credit: Kimberly Gedon / Mashable screenshot: Apple
Step 2:
You should see a prominent notification saying, “Follow the election live.” Tap the big red “Follow Live” button at the bottom of your phone screen.
If the prompt doesn’t appear, you can also activate U.S. election Live Activities by tapping on “Following” in the bottom right corner of the Apple News app, scrolling down to “Special Coverage,” and tapping “Election 2024.”
Credit: Kimberly Gedon / Mashable screenshot: Apple
Step 3:
You’ll then be taken to a page with a banner that says “Follow the 2024 election live.” Tap it, and you should be good to go.
You can’t tap said banner quite yet, though. Apple News’ Live Activities will only commence from Election Day, Nov. 5, with Apple Insider reporting that it will start late in the day.
This feature is also only available on devices that support Apple News’ Live Activities. Specifically, you’ll be able to U.S. election updates via Live Activities if you have either an iPhone 14 Pro or later running at least iOS 16.1, or an iPad that has iPadOS 17 at minimum. You’ll only be able to get the Dynamic Island on your phone though, as we’re still waiting for this feature to come to iPads. Finally, it’s worth noting that Apple News itself is not available in all regions; for a full list of availability per country or region, go here.
Additional reporting by Kimberly Gedon.