HUD Smart Card: How AI Activities Look on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island
1.6.4 adds a dedicated HUD activity type designed for AI recognition content, with clearer title, key facts, and untruncated summaries.
The generic activity template works well for fixed, structured fields. But AI recognition tends to produce semi-structured content — sometimes a time, sometimes a place, sometimes just a paragraph of summary. 1.6.4 introduces a new activity type for exactly this case: the HUD activity.
What Is a HUD Activity
The HUD activity is a new type added in 1.6.4. It is designed for two kinds of content:
- Live Activities generated by AI Recognition
- Lightweight information centered on "summary + key facts"
The layout idea isn't "form fields filled in" — it's "layered emphasis on the most important pieces."
How It Differs From the Generic Activity
| Aspect | Generic Activity | HUD Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Fixed structured data | Semi-structured / AI content |
| Title style | Title + subtitle side by side | Title-led, key facts as a section |
| Summary | Shorter, may be truncated | Long summary kept untruncated |
| Dynamic Island expanded | Compact and balanced | Title-first, scannable |
If AI content felt cramped in the generic template before, HUD activities are a much better fit.
Three Layout Sections
On the Lock Screen card, a HUD activity is divided into three regions:
1. Title Section
- Full title visible at a glance
- Used to identify what the activity is about
2. Key Facts Section
- Times, places, order numbers, codes
- Powered by the Smart Card typed facts schema
- Fields stay stable — they don't drift between AI runs
3. Summary Section
- Long summaries are kept intact (a deliberate change in 1.6.4)
- Great for context, notes, or extra details
On the Dynamic Island
The expanded Dynamic Island view follows the same principles:
- Title takes the lead visually
- Key facts sit in the secondary area
- The overall feel is more "card-like" and faster to scan
Compact mode stays lightweight, so long summaries don't disrupt at-a-glance browsing.
Three Scenarios That Fit HUD Activities
1. Delivery Order Recognition
AI extracts the merchant and ETA — title shows the merchant, key facts show the ETA, and the summary preserves the full order notes.
2. Trip Screenshot Recognition
Trip info is usually long. HUD puts the train/flight number in the title, time and location in key facts, and the full route in the summary.
3. Group-Chat Pickup Info
Pickup messages often include floor, window hours, and notes. HUD makes the pickup code the most prominent key fact, while the summary keeps the surrounding context.
How to Use It
- From AI Recognition Quick Create in 1.6.4: Results default to the HUD activity type
- From Shortcuts: The new "AI Recognize Text / AI Recognize Image" shortcuts let you choose the card style as a parameter
- From the editor: You can manually switch any activity to the HUD type
FAQ
Is the HUD activity a Pro feature?
The HUD activity type itself is available, but the paired AI Recognition creation flow is a LiveUp Pro feature.
Won't long summaries clutter the Lock Screen?
The summary section is visually separated from key facts, and key facts are surfaced first, so they don't crowd the primary information.
Will my existing activities migrate to HUD automatically?
No automatic migration. You can switch any activity to the HUD type from the editor and save once you like the result.
Wrap-Up
HUD activities give AI-generated content a dedicated stage. If you're going to use 1.6.4's AI Recognition, the HUD activity is its natural display partner.
- Email: support@getliveup.com
- X: @ldbmcs