7 Best Way to Customize the Control Center on Your Iphone

By Last Updated: January 9, 2024
Customize Control Center

Apple’s iOS has a Control Center that conveniently lets you access various controls and utilities. It’s a powerful tool that can help make your iPhone experience better and more efficient. This article explains how to navigate and customize the Control Center on your iOS device, mainly focusing on iOS 16, iOS 11, and later versions.

1

Customize Control Center in iOS 16

  1. Go to the Settings application, scroll to find, and select Control Center.

select control center

  1. Enable Access Within Apps to allow quick access to the Control Center even when using other applications.
  2. To remove an item from the Control Center, locate the red minus (-) icon adjacent to the item’s name and tap Remove.
  3. To reorder the items, long-press the three lines next to any item and drag it to the desired position.
  4. To add more controls, scroll down to ‘More Controls’, and tap the green plus (+) icon next to the control you wish to add.

access within app

2

Customize Control Center: iOS 11 and Later

The steps to customize the Control Center for iOS 11 and later versions are slightly different. Follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to Settings>Control Center>Customize Controls.
  2. To remove a control, tap the red icon next to it and then tap Remove.
  3. To reorder controls, tap and hold the three-line icon to the right of the control. Could you go ahead and drag it to the desired location?
  4. tap the green icon next to the control to add new controls. Drag these new controls to your preferred position.
  5. Once you’ve made the changes, leave the screen. Your changes will be saved automatically.

3

Commonly Used Features

  • Airplane Mode: This feature disables Wi-Fi and cellular radios on the device. It is indicated by an orange icon when activated.
  • Wi-Fi: This control toggles your device’s connection to Wi-Fi networks.
  • Bluetooth: This control lets you switch on or off the Bluetooth radio.
  • Screen Rotation Lock: This feature prevents the screen from rotating when you turn your device.
  • Do Not Disturb: This control silences notifications for calls or messages when activated.
  • Brightness: This slider adjusts the brightness of your iPhone screen.
  • Night Shift (Dark Mode in iOS 16): This control changes the color warmth of the device screen to reduce sleep-disrupting blue light.
  • Flashlight: This feature turns the camera flash on and off, functioning as a torch.
  • Clock: This shortcut takes you to the built-in iOS Clock app.
  • Calculator: This opens the built-in Calculator app.
  • Camera: This launches the iOS Camera app.

4

Additional Control Center Features

Beyond the standard features, the Control Center provides access to several other handy tools that aren’t activated by default. Here are some you may find helpful:

  • Accessibility Shortcut: It takes you to the Accessibility app.
  • Alarm: This opens the alarm screen in the Clock app.
  • Apple TV Remote: This shortcut to the Remote app controls your Apple TV from your phone.
  • Do Not Disturb While Driving: This toggles on the Do Not Disturb mode.
  • Guided Access: This locks your iPhone to allow it to use only a single app or a small set of features.
  • Hearing: This is a shortcut to Accessibility options for hearing-impaired users.
  • Home: This controls your HomeKit-compatible smart home devices.
  • Low Power Mode: This can help you extend your battery life by reducing power consumption.
  • Magnifier: This turns the camera into a digital magnifying glass.
  • Music Recognition (in iOS 16): This helps identify songs playing nearby.
  • Notes: This launches the Notes app.
  • Quick Note (in iOS 16): This lets you jot down small notes over any app or screen.
  • Scan QR Code (Code Scanner in iOS 16): You can use your camera to scan QR codes.
  • Screen Recording: This records everything that happens on the screen.
  • Sound Recognition (in iOS 16): This is an accessibility feature that can be set to recognize specific sounds and notify you.
  • Stopwatch: This is a shortcut to the stopwatch feature of the Clock app.
  • Text Size: This lets you change the default text size on the screen.
  • Timer: This opens the Timer feature in the Clock app.
  • Voice Memos: This activates the Voice Memos app that records sound files.
  • Wallet: This launches the Wallet app, where your credit cards for Apple Pay are stored.

5

3D Touch in Control Center

Several items in the Control Center offer additional features, accessible by hard-pressing the screen if your iPhone supports 3D Touch.

  • Networking Panel: This contains multiple controls like Airplane Mode, Cellular Data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirDrop, and Personal Hotspot.
  • Music Panel: This includes music controls such as volume, play buttons, and AirPlay settings.
  • Screen Brightness Panel: This gives finer control over the brightness slider and lets you toggle on Night Shift and True Tone.
  • Volume: This enlarges the slider bar for more precise volume control.
  • Flashlight: This allows setting the brightness of the flashlight.
  • Calculator: This lets you copy the last result totaled in the app.
  • Camera: This provides shortcuts for various camera functions.
  • Home: This displays your common Home scenes.

6

Hide Control Center

To hide the Control Center, swipe down from the top of the screen (or up from the bottom on iPhone X and newer models). If your iPhone model has a Home button, pressing it will hide the Control Center.

7

Accessing Control Center Within Apps

To allow or disallow access to the Control Center from within apps, navigate to Settings>Control Center. Even when it’s disabled, you can still access the Control Center from the Home screen.

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