Apple has shown to be an expert in design, and the company’s yearly releases of high-end iPhone models have cemented its position as the industry’s trendsetter. Consider what happened when the company removed the headphone jack: nearly every significant Android manufacturer rushed to do the same.

Sometimes, though, the roles are reversed, and Android phones end up being the ones to set the standard for iPhone features. For their front-facing cameras, manufacturers like Samsung have abandoned the notch in favour of circular hole-punch cutouts. With the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max only adopting a pill-shaped cutout known as the Dynamic Island this month, Apple may be fashionably late to the trend, but boy, does it still manage to make a big impression. We’re checking out dynamicSpot, an app that attempts to replicate the Dynamic Island experience on Android, to see how well Android developers have been able to replicate the software side of Apple’s implementation.

The rectangular pill-shaped cutout in the display that houses the selfie camera and Face ID hardware on the iPhone 14 Pro feels like it should be called Dynamic Island because it floats there like an island in a sea of pixels. The pill-shaped cutout appears to physically enlarge when you tap a notification because of the animated response and size change (helping accommodate indicators for notification icons, ongoing background tasks, and incoming alerts). The OLED displays used in iPhones (as well as a large number of Android devices, both mid-range and flagship models) are a visual treat for these effects because they can achieve much deeper blacks than LCD displays.

Apple has shown to be an expert in design, and the company’s yearly releases of high-end iPhone models have cemented its position as the industry’s trendsetter. Consider what happened when the business removed the headphone jack: practically every significant Android vendor rushed to do the same. Sometimes, though, the roles are reversed, and Android phones end up being the ones to set the standard for iPhone features. For its front-facing cameras, manufacturers like Samsung have abandoned the notch in favour of circular hole-punch cutouts. With the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max only adopting a pill-shaped cutout known as the Dynamic Island this month, Apple may be fashionably late to the trend, but boy, does it still manage to make a big impression. We’re looking out dynamicSpot, an app that attempts to replicate the Dynamic Island experience on Android, to see how effectively Android developers have been able to replicate the software side of Apple’s approach.

The rectangular pill-shaped notch in the display that houses the selfie camera and Face ID technology on the iPhone 14 Pro feels like it could be called Dynamic Island because it floats there like an island in a sea of pixels. The pill-shaped cutout appears to physically enlarge when you press a notification because of the animated response and size change (helping accommodate indicators for notification icons, ongoing background tasks, and incoming alerts). The OLED displays used in iPhones (as well as a large number of Android devices, both mid-range and flagship models) are a visual treat for these effects since they can achieve far deeper blacks than LCD displays.

Theme designers demonstrated last week how a Dynamic Island might appear on a Xiaomi phone. While promising, that was a solution that only applied to a single manufacturer’s products, and as of our last check, the theme was still awaiting approval. However, XDA Developers discovered a brand-new app called dynamicSpot that is currently in early access. We took a look at it and believe it to be the ideal solution for Android users who long for the Dynamic Island visual experience, particularly those who own devices with center-aligned hole-punch cameras like the Google Pixel 6 or Samsung Galaxy S22 series. The app was created by Jawomo, a developer best known for their notification light app for OnePlus phones and the Bixby button remapper app.

When the small app is installed, a black pill-shaped bar with notification icons surrounds the camera cutout on your screen. A long tap on the pill expands the island, while a short tap connects you to the notification app. If those interactions appear to be in reverse to you, a small IAP allows you to reverse them. Swipe to dismiss, just like you would with any other Android notification, and if the pill vanishes before you can access the alert, open your go-to notification shade.

You must give dynamicSpot permission to read your notifications and draw over other apps before you can use it. We also advise disabling power-saving restrictions to prevent the process from being terminated silently. The app’s developer points out that it doesn’t directly connect to the internet, which sounds good for privacy, but without other permissions like Bluetooth and GPS, it can’t show alerts when Bluetooth devices connect, a feature seen on the iPhone 14 Pro.