The standout feature of the iPhone 14 Pro series is Dynamic Island. The infamous iPhone notch is now a useful feature thanks to Apple’s updated interpretation of it. Sadly, it is only available on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, while the iPhone 15 series is said to bring it to all models. Although there are a number of jailbreak tweaks that enable Dynamic Island on iPhones with notches, not everyone can afford to jailbreak their smartphones. However, Matteo Zappia, an iOS developer, has created a new software that gives you access to Dynamic Island features without jailbreaking your iPhones. This application, called “DynamicCow,” can add the Dynamic Island pill to any iPhone that already has a notch.
2023: Access Dynamic Island Features on Any iPhone
To install the DynamicCow app and bring Dynamic Island features to your notched iPhone, you must install AltStore on your non-jailbroken iPhone. We begin by describing the operation of the app before moving on to the detailed installation instructions.
How Does the App Work, DynamicCow?
On devices running iOS 15 through iOS 16.1.2 and macOS 13.0.1, the DynamicCow app takes use of the ‘MacDirtyCow’ problem (CVE-2022-46689), which enables anyone to change any files that a sandboxed programme can read. Fortunately, because you are writing to RAM’s cached data, these changes are only transient.
Even while it seems thrilling, the procedure is more complicated than just downloading an app from the App Store. For the purpose of sideloading the DynamicCow app, you must connect your iPhone to a Mac or Windows PC and download AltStore. But if you want to use the wonderful Dynamic Island features and animations on an iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, or iPhone 14 series phone, it’s worth the work. Additionally, because Apple fixed the MacDirtyCow bug in iOS 16.2, Dynamic Island is only available for iPhones running iOS 16.0 to iOS 16.1.2.
The programme is now in an experimental stage, but its creator has vowed to make additional improvements in the future. Therefore, we advise you to attempt it at your own risk. Be prepared to see a big red bar that covers the notch on an iPhone 11 and obscures the clock, icons, and battery level. The DynamicCow app’s creator has not yet discovered a solution to this problem.
Conditions for Installing DynamicCow
Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals, here are the requirements to download the DynamicCow app and access Dynamic Island on your iPhone:
- An iPhone running iOS 16.0 – iOS 16.1.2 is required to get started. If you want to use Dynamic Island features on your phone, don’t download the most recent iOS 16.2 version.
- To install AltStore on your iPhone, you will want a Mac or Windows computer. Yes, you may sideload AltStore on your iPhone by installing iTunes on your Windows computer.
- Finally, a lightning cable is required to connect your iPhone to your Mac or Windows computer.
Installing AltStore on an iPhone
Let’s start by looking at how to download and set up the AltStore app on your iPhone, which is required for the Dynamic Island app to function. This is how it works:
Note: Although we’ve shown you how to do it on a Mac, you can check out the Windows instructions at this link.
1. Click on this link to download AltServer on your Mac.
2. After AltServer has been downloaded, open the Mac’s Mail application.
3. In the Mail application, select “Mail -> Preferences” from the top-level Menu bar. Enable the “AltPlugin.Mailbundle” option by selecting the “Manage Plugins” option under the “General” page. Select “Apply and Restart Mail” from the menu.
4. After that, join your iPhone to your Mac or MacBook.
5. When the “Trust This Computer” pop-up opens on your iPhone, simultaneously unlock it and select “Trust”.
6. Next, open “Finder” on your Mac and choose your iPhone from the left sidebar. In the right pane, turn on the “Show this iPhone when on Wi-Fi” option.
7. Next, click the AltServer icon in the Menu bar at the top of your Mac’s screen. Next, select the linked iPhone by clicking “Install AltStore” (which is used to install the Dynamic Island app).
8. After entering your Apple ID and password, a notification stating that “AltStore has been successfully installed onto your device” will appear.
9. Return to your iPhone now and select “Settings -> General -> VPN & Device Management” before tapping “Trust [Your email ID]”.
10. Next, locate Developer Mode by going to “Settings -> Privacy & Security” and scrolling down. On your iPhone, turn on the developer mode here.
Install the DynamicCow app sideways on your iPhone.
Your iPhone has now been successfully updated with AltStore. Having said that, the DynamicCow app should now be sideloaded onto your iPhone in order to enable Dynamic Island functionality. Here is how to go about it:
1. Log in using your Apple ID in AltStore on your iPhone.
2. Next, use your iPhone to go to the DynamicCow website on GitHub. The most recent “.ipa” file for DynamicCow can then be downloaded by scrolling down to the “Releases” section.
3. Next, launch AltStore, then select the “My Apps” option. To install the app, click the “+” symbol and select DynamicCow.ipa.
4. Depending on the model and screen size of your iPhone, open the DynamicCow app after installation and select either the iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Max layout. Tap the Enable button after that. You should choose the iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island if you currently own a non-Pro iPhone.
5. And presto! Your iPhone with a notch now includes Dynamic Island functionality and a user interface similar to the new iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max.
Before you remove the DynamicCow app or AltStore from your iPhone, don’t forget to turn off the Dynamic Island. If not, you’ll need to upgrade your iPhone completely or reinstall the app in order to get rid of it.
Turn any iPhone into an iPhone 14 Pro with Dynamic Island
It’s time to test out the feature now that you know how to acquire Dynamic Island-like functionality on any iPhone. To see a list of the apps that Dynamic Island supports, visit our article. As an alternative, you can download some fun apps to utilise with Dynamic Island and begin experimenting with the new functionality. Although the native notch hides the clock and cellular connection indications and the Dynamic Island UI you get with the DynamicCow app is not as aesthetically beautiful as it is on the iPhone 14 Pro series, it’s still worthwhile to try out the new feature without shelling out $1,000.