Follow a turn on the Lock Screen¶

When you send a prompt from the iPhone or iPad app, the turn shows in a Live Activity. It is on the Lock Screen, and in the Dynamic Island on an iPhone that has one. There is one Live Activity in total, for all the turns you sent from this device. You can put the phone down and see when the agent asks you something or ends, without opening the app.

Only a turn you send from this device shows. A turn sent from the Mac window, the web page or a workflow does not, because you did not ask for it here.

Before you start¶

• The iPhone or iPad app, paired with your control plane. See Connect a window or phone.
• Live Activities allowed for Agents in the system's Settings app. If the system does not allow them, the app starts none.

Steps¶

1. Open a session in the app.
2. Type a prompt and send it.

The Live Activity starts at once. It also starts when you start a new session from this device, as soon as your host tells the app about the new session. 3. Lock the phone, or go to another app. The turn shows on the Lock Screen. 4. Tap the Live Activity to open its session. A question waits there as its card.

There is one Live Activity in total, not one for each session. A prompt to another session joins the Live Activity that shows. A prompt you send while the turn still runs does not start a new turn, and the time goes on from the first prompt.

When more than one turn runs, the Live Activity shows the session that most needs you: one that asks a question or an approval, else the one you sent a prompt to last. Below it, a line counts the others, such as +1 needs you · +2 working.

Read it¶

The Lock Screen shows these, from left to right:

• A mark for the phase: a dashed ring while it works, an orange hand when it needs you, a tick when it is done, a grey stop when it is paused, and a red triangle for an unexpected stop.
• The title of the session. A session with no title yet is New session.
• The phase, then the runtime and the folder, such as Working · Claude · api.
• A grey line, of at most two lines, that says more.
• The others, when more than one turn runs, such as +2 working.
• The time on the right, from the oldest turn that still runs. The system counts it, also when the app does not run. When the last turn ends, the time stops.

The phase is one of these:

The words are the ones the sidebar uses. See Statuses and groups.

The Dynamic Island shows the mark and the time. When more than one turn runs, a number next to the mark says how many. Touch and hold it to see the phase, the title, the grey line and the others.

When it ends¶

• A turn ends while others run. It leaves the Live Activity, which goes on for the others. The notification for the end tells you.
• The last turn ends. The Live Activity shows how it ended, and stays on the Lock Screen for 15 minutes. It does not stay the system's four hours, because the notification for the end says the same.
• You archive or delete a session. It leaves the Live Activity at once. If it was the last one, the Live Activity goes at once.
• You turn Live Activities off. The Live Activity goes at once.

Turn it off or on¶

1. In the sidebar, tap Settings… at the foot of the list.
2. Under Notifications, turn Live Activities off.

Live Activities are on at first, because you sent the prompt from this device and so you are likely to want to follow it. The switch is for this device only.

If it doesn't work¶

• No Live Activity starts. Check that Live Activities is on in the app's Settings…, and that the system's Settings app allows Live Activities for Agents.
• The line says Open Agents to see where it is. The app has not heard about the turn for 10 minutes, so it does not show a step that may be old. Open the app, and the line comes back.
• The line says Open Agents to answer it, Open Agents to decide, or Open Agents to see what it needs. The update came by push from your control plane while the app did not run. A push carries no words, so the line cannot say the question, and the title says how many sessions, such as 2 sessions. Open the app to read it.
• The Live Activity does not change while the app is shut. Your control plane sends updates by push only when it has an APNs key. A control plane on your Mac has none. See How a Live Activity keeps up.

See also¶

• How a Live Activity keeps up
• See what needs you from your Home screen
• Answer a question or a permission request
• How the phone and iPad reach your agents