iOS 18 adds Live Activities to Stopwatch

In the first iOS 17 update, the iPhone's Clock app received a new feature that allows you to set multiple timers and track them on the Lock Screen.

The iOS 18 software update has brought us an equally exciting feature for stopwatches.

iOS 18 Clock stopwatch feature

In the first beta of iOS 17.4, Apple gave a glimpse of what the Live Activities feature would look like for the stopwatch tool in Watch. This Live Activities feature does not appear in the official iOS 17.4 and iOS 17.5 versions.

While it could still appear in some future iOS 17 update, chances are it will work on iOS 18, which is currently available in beta.

iOS 18 adds Live Activities to Stopwatch Picture 1 iOS 18 adds Live Activities to Stopwatch Picture 1

Step 1: On iOS 18, simply open Watch, tap "Stopwatch" in the tab bar, and tap "Start" on the digital or analog watch face to start timing.

Step 2: Alternatively, you can also ask Siri to start the stopwatch, activate it from search, or tap and hold the Clock icon on the Home screen or App Library and launch it from actions fast.

You can see the stopwatch's Live Activities feature from the Lock Screen or Notification Center as time passes. It also shows up on Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, and iPhone 15 and 15 Plus.

Similar to the Watch app, you can pause the stopwatch and record laps. Once paused, you can stop and exit the timer and the Live Activities feature.

iOS 18 adds Live Activities to Stopwatch Picture 2 iOS 18 adds Live Activities to Stopwatch Picture 2

This feature works on the Lock Screen, Notification Center and is also available on the expanded Dynamic Island (press and hold Dynamic Island to see the controls). If you want to see the analog interface, you can swipe to it in the Watch app, but it won't show up as such in the Live Activities feature.

While Watch timers have been compatible with Live Activities since Live Activities were introduced in iOS 16.1, there's no way to view the timer outside of the Watch app.

Adding support for the Live Activities feature helps minimize the possibility of accidentally activating and forgetting the timer is running. It also allows you to use other apps without having to return to the Watch every time you want to interact with the stopwatch.