How to Use the Charging Companion and Live Activity on iPhone

TL;DR

Choose a character in Charging Animations; while you charge, a Live Activity shows progress on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island and ends when you unplug. The companion levels up from cleaning and streaks. Three characters are free; the rest need Premium.

The problem

Charging is dead time. You plug in, glance at a percentage and walk away, and checking progress means waking the screen and unlocking.

What it does

  • Charging Animations: a gallery of animated characters that react to your battery.
  • Live Activity and Dynamic Island: while you charge, progress shows on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. It ends when you unplug.
  • A companion that grows: the character you pick levels up as you clean, so charging and cleanup share one pet.

Characters

Free: Volt, Pulse, Orbit. Premium: Boo, Mochi, Bolt-E, Zoom, Sprig, Aurora.

How to use it

  1. Open More tools → Charging and pick a character.
  2. Plug in your iPhone.
  3. Check the Lock Screen or Dynamic Island for progress.
  4. Clean to earn XP and level it up. See streak and daily goal.

If it doesn’t appear

Live Activities must be allowed for the app in iOS settings. If they’re turned off, the app can’t show charging progress.

Optional by design

You can ignore this feature completely; photo and video cleanup work the same.

FAQ

Which characters are free? Volt, Pulse and Orbit. Boo, Mochi, Bolt-E, Zoom, Sprig and Aurora need Premium.

What if I don’t see a Live Activity? Live Activities have to be enabled for the app in iOS settings.

How does my companion level up? By cleaning. XP comes from the space you free and the items you delete, and a daily goal gives a bonus.

The app Swipe Clean Photos →