iOS 17 brought a major change for the iPhone Clock app in that it let users set multiple timers and keep track of them on the Lock Screen, Notification Center and Dynamic Island.
Apple's iOS 18 brings another exciting app upgrade: an improved stopwatch feature.
Whilst an update to the smartphone's stopwatch may not sound the most thrilling out of what's to come, the subtle change will be appreciated among its many users.
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In an early iOS 17.4 beta, Apple presented the Live Activities for the Clock's stopwatch tool.
Despite the feature never actually making it to the final versions of iOS 17.4 and iOS 17.5, it might still make an appearance in a future iOS 17 update, - even more likely in iOS 18.
On iOS 18, users can access the Stopwatch by opening the Clock app, tapping on the Stopwatch tab, and then hitting Start on either the digital or analog view to begin the counting.
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Another way is asking the software's voice assistant Siri to open up the app for you. Come iOS 18, Apple is currently developing 'Apple Intelligence' which aims to integrate AI fully into its devices, built-in apps and features.
The time app can also be accessed by searching for it in Spotlight or once you find the app on your Home Screen or App Library, hold down the icon and select stopwatch from the quick actions.
Once started, you can monitor the stopwatch's progress via Live Activities on your Lock Screen or in the Notification Center. On devices like the iPhone 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, 15, and 15 Plus, the stopwatch also appears in the Dynamic Island.
Just like in the Clock app, you can pause the stopwatch and record laps.
After pausing, you can stop and exit the stopwatch and close the Live Activity.
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This works from the Lock Screen, Notification Center, and expanded Dynamic Island (long-press the Dynamic Island to see the controls).
While the analog interface can be viewed by swiping within the Clock app, you'll find that it won’t appear in the Live Activity display.
Since Live Activities were introduced in iOS 16.1, the timer feature in the Clock app has supported them, but there was no such functionality for the stopwatch.
Now, the addition of live overlay for the stopwatch in iOS 18 is a sure way to make sure you don't forget about it and leave it on accidentally.
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More so, it also allows you to interact with the stopwatch while using other apps, without needing to return to the Clock app each time.