Subject: Request to maintain the "Status Bar Breadcrumb" visibility while Dynamic Island is active
Hi,
I am developing an app using ActivityKit and Dynamic Island. I've noticed a significant UX regression regarding the system status bar behavior.
Current Behavior: When a Live Activity is active in the Dynamic Island (specifically in the compactLeading and compactTrailing presentation), the system automatically hides the "Back to [Previous App]" breadcrumb button (the small arrow and app name) in the top-left corner of the status bar.
This breadcrumb only reappears when the Live Activity switches to the minimal presentation or is dismissed.
The Issue: This behavior makes multitasking cumbersome for users. For example, if a user navigates from Safari to my app and then locks the screen or goes to Home, they expect the "Back to Safari" button to remain accessible. However, because my app's Live Activity is running in the Dynamic Island, the OS removes this navigation shortcut, forcing users to use the app switcher instead.
Why this should be changed:
Screen Real Estate: On larger devices (e.g., iPhone 15/16 Pro Max), there is significant whitespace in the top-left corner between the time and the Dynamic Island's leading edge. The breadcrumb could easily fit there without overlapping the Live Activity content.
Inconsistent UX: Users are confused why the navigation button disappears solely because a background activity is running.
Request: Please consider updating the status bar layout logic to allow the "Back to App" breadcrumb to remain visible if there is no physical overlap with the compactLeading view of the Dynamic Island.
Thank you.