A developer has just brought the Dynamic Island – currently exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max – to any iPhone running iOS 16 through iOS 16.1.2. While the Pro iPhones have a physically different shape to the screen for this island, the software portion is still able to be run in the location of the notch on previous iPhones and show directions, battery charging, and currently playing media in the updated style.

DynamicCow brings Dynamic Island to any iPhone

While it would be great if this app were easily downloadable from the App Store… that is most definitely not the case. A version of this modification for jailbroken iPhones (called Dynamic Peninsula) has existed for a while now, but this modification doesn’t require a jailbreak. Still, in order to get it working, you have to install software on your computer, use that software to get a third-party utility onto your phone, and then use that utility to install DynamicCow – the app that enables the dynamic island – on your phone. You also can’t be on the most recent version of iOS 16 – it only supports iOS 16 through iOS 16.1.2. Finally, you have to put your Apple ID and Password into third-party software to get it installed, and that’s reason enough not to do this. But the Dynamic Island was a nice addition to the iPhone 14 Pro, so I can understand why people may be interested in trying it.

9to5Mac’s Take

I installed DynamicCow to see how well it worked… and it does technically do as it describes – bringing the exact dynamic island from the iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 14 Pro Max to the older iPhones… but that’s (one of) the problems. If the iPhone didn’t already have a massive notch, this could be a cool addition, but half the content in the dynamic island is covered by the existing notch, and it cuts out more space from the top of your screen. Oh, and also, there’s a big red bar at the top of your device if you have an iPhone 11. The developer hopes to fix it, but in its current state, I just can’t find any practical use for it day-to-day and can’t recommend trying it.

Despite these issues, I continue to be impressed by developers who use hardware in ways in which it was never intended. While the average consumer may not have a use for it, perhaps some developer without an iPhone 14 Pro Max could find it handy to test out features they implement related to the Dynamic Island feature. Or else online writers could use it to easily get screenshots with the Dynamic Island in place since the notch cutout always appeared as just more of the screen in screenshots. I’m sure someone will have a fun use for it, even if, for the most part, it is just a party trick.

How to get Dynamic Island on any iPhone

Follow these instructions at your own risk. While I was able to install the app successfully, when installed on the iPhone 11, it creates a large red bar across the top of the device that blocks the time, battery percentage, and other icons. You also MUST disable the Dynamic Island BEFORE uninstalling DynamicCow and AltStore, or you’ll be stuck with a Dynamic Island on your device until you reinstall the app to disable it or update your device. (Ask me how I know.)

1. Install Alt Server on your Mac. This is used to get AltStore on your iPhone, which lets you install IPA files.

2. Click on the AltServer icon in your top bar, install the Mail Plugin, then enable the plugin within Mail’s preferences.

3. Connect your iPhone to your Mac.

4. Within AltServer, choose to install AltStore and select your iPhone.

5. On your iPhone, open the newly installed AltStore app and sign in with your Apple ID.

6. Go to the GitHub page for DynamicCow on your iPhone and scroll down to releases. Download the most recent release.

7. Open AltStore, click the plus icon on the My Apps page and choose the DynamicCow.ipa file to install Dynamic Cow.

8. Open DynamicCow and select which iPhone 14 Pro model you want the Dynamic Island from, then choose enable.

9. With that enabled, you’ll have the Dynamic Island running on an earlier iPhone – well, the half of it you can see that’s not covered by the notch.

This content was originally published here.