- Disney is now rolling out support for Live Activities on iPhone.
- The improved feature should make it easier to get food at Disney World or Disneyland.
- Like other rollouts, Live Activities support extends to the dynamic island.
Disney parks around the world are known for food, and your iPhone is about to get a lot more useful if you get the goods at Disney World in Florida or Disneyland in California. Disney is now adding support for one of the iPhone’s best features to its mobile ordering system for Disneyland and the My Disney Experience” for Disney World iOS apps.
Through Live Activities on the front of your iPhone, you will be able to monitor your mobile order at selected locations and, without even unlocking your smartphone, you will be able to have your order prepared and then find the pickup location. And whether you fancy a pretzel, a full meal or an ice cream bar, the extra seconds can count.
Given that Live Activities works on the lock screen or at the top of the iPhone’s screen, if you have Dynamic Island, you’ll also be able to monitor the mobile order pickup without having to open the app, as you can just glance at the top.
The best part, though, is that Apple doesn’t limit Live Activities to the latest and greatest iPhone; it is supported on any iPhone that can run iOS 16.1 or later. To get the experience at the top of your screen, you need an iPhone 14 Pro or 14 Pro Max or any iPhone 15 or iPhone 16, as these have Dynamic Island.
As part of watchOS 11, the Live activities from your iPhone are automatically transferred to your wrist. This means you can simply look down to select “I’m here, prepare my order” or see which window your food is ready for collection from.
This new functionality doesn’t necessarily require a new update to the Disneyland or My Disney Experience apps, but it’s best practice to make sure you’re running the latest version, especially if you’re visiting the parks. Both apps offer extensive functionality that can help you get even more out of your visit.
The recent addition of Live Activities support should allow you to spend less time on your iPhone in the parks and enjoy the experience more; it’s also a way to display some of the most essential details right on the front of your phone.
For example, if there’s a snack you’re really hoping to score, or maybe it’s the latest limited-edition popcorn bucket, you can lock in the order when you first arrive at the park, then from the Live Activity, select “I is here’ so the cast can start preparing your order, which can save you a lot of hassle and make the whole experience a little easier.
In addition to ordering food, both apps – Disneyland and My Disney Experience – make it easy to view your scheduled reservations, reserve a ‘Lightning Lane’ to quickly access a ride, see different wait times for attractions and, perhaps most importantly, see a map of the parks.
Everything remains standard here, and now Disney is rolling out support for mobile ordering via Live Activities. So the next time you’re in the parks, don’t necessarily rush to unlock and just see if a Live Activity is on your lock screen.
It will be neat to see what other ways Disney can look to support this iOS feature as well.
