This morning, United Airlines announced a new rollout to its mobile app, adding Live Activities for iPhones with Dynamic Island. Passengers with the iPhone 14 Pro and/or 14 Pro Max can now access real-time flight information from their lock screen.

Updating the United App

Continuing its dedication to becoming the best airline in the United States, United has become the first airline to update its mobile app to work with Apple's new Live Activities feature available on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. Through the update, customers can access real-time information on their lock screen and the Dynamic Island if the phone is unlocked.

United says its passengers check their mobile boarding passes and flight status over 800,000 times daily. Taking advantage of the new capabilities rolled out last September with the iPhone 14 Pro lineup, United has now made boarding passes, gate and seat numbers, and a countdown clock to departure time, available without having to unlock a phone.

The following information is available with just a quick glance at a screen:

• Lock screen or dynamic island (when unlocked and expanded) - Flight number, on-time status, inbound aircraft status, estimated departure and arrival times, and more.
• Lock screen - open boarding pass directly from Live Activity
• Dynamic Island - departure and arrival gates, pre and in-flight countdowns, baggage carousel information

"We're seeing soaring demand for travel this summer, and Live Activities puts all the flight information you need right at your fingertips, whether your iPhone is locked or you're doing something else like checking email, listening to music or texting friends. This new feature is another way United is leveraging technology to improve our customers' travel journey. It's going to save passengers a lot of time, and we think they're going to love it, especially during a busy travel season." - Linda Jojo, Chief Customer Officer, United Airlines

The update has started to roll out and will be widely available by the end of the month. To experience United's new features, passengers must have their phones running iOS 16.1 or later, and the United App must be up-to-date.

First retrofitted aircraft

A few years ago, United announced the United Next program, which included massive orders for new aircraft and upgrades to its aircraft interiors for both new aircraft and retrofitting old ones. Last week, the carrier unveiled its first retrofitted aircraft, a 25-year-old Airbus A319.

As shown in the tweet above, the retrofitted A319 features larger overhead bins with room to store one carry-on per passenger onboard, IFE screens and power at every seat, Bluetooth connectivity for IFE, and new United First seats. As the carrier has taken delivery of several Boeing 737 MAXs, many have come fitted with the new interiors, but the A319 was the first aircraft of about 100 to be retrofitted.