For all the Apple Intelligence buzz coming out of WWDC 2024, there was also an undeniable point that only an iPhone with an A17 Pro chip or higher would support it. It’s a true case of the haves and the have-nots. In regards to the sheer utility, however, there is one promised iOS 18 change coming to every iPhone that supports the platform update: a Control Center change.
Control Center isn’t sexed up or even tied to any special, deeply embedded artificial intelligence or machine learning capabilities of the iPhone. It is a tool to control, among other things, critical services and to do so with a simple swipe down on the upper right corner of the iPhone screen.
It’s a panel so dull it’s mostly devoid of color. Even the name Control Panel sounds like home infrastructure, not a great mobile feature. Of course, anyone who uses Control Center (basically everyone with an iPhone), knows its importance. It’s quick access to connectivity, media playback, lighting, audio, focus modes, mute features, camera, Shazam and, perhaps most importantly, flashlight.
For quite a few versions of iOS, it has had a fit and depth. Long presses on most commands bring up more detailed settings. You can also add it to the Control Center – if you know where to look.
iOS 18’s Control Center will be redesigned and much more customizable. It will also feel much more like a destination.
A true home of service
Apple gave us a taste during the nearly two-hour WWDC 2024 keynote, and even then, I could see how many changes were coming to the core iOS feature. Later, I took a closer look and saw the iOS 18 version of Control Center in action.
There are subtle design changes throughout the Control Center and the icons within it, but they seem small enough to go almost unnoticed.
Perhaps the biggest difference is that you can move Control Center icons around within Control Center pages. In the demo I saw, they held down on the open Control Center panel, and after a moment, frames appeared around each item, with minus signs to remove them, and an extra semicircle in the lower right corner that you could use. to resize the search control. I think they can be changed up to their full Control Center pages.
It’s also easy to drag and drop controls to a page or even to another page of the Control Center. Unlike iOS 18’s New Page, there will still be a grid and icons will be shuffled to fill the empty spaces.
New gestures and Control Center friends
To access those pages, you can either scroll through them or use a new continuous swipe to browse them all. Not sure how useful it will be, but it looks like fun.
I especially like that Apple is finally making it simple to find and add new controls. When I want to add Screen Recording in iOS 17, I open my iPhone’s Settings, dig into Control Center, and then select Screen Recording (or any other control to add).
In iOS 18, you’ll be able to add new controls within Control Center, and you can find them the same way you move them around by pressing and holding the Control Center screen until a small “Add a control” message appears at the bottom of the screen. This introduces you to an extensive gallery of controls, but also adds a Search box, which will be an even easier way to find controls.
The iOS 18 Control Center will also finally offer the ability to add third-party controls. Of course, app developers have to build these, but imagine the possibilities. Your favorite app is just a swipe away, landing next to the flashlight.
Apple is also expanding some of these options outside of Control Center. I saw how you can toggle and remove utility icons like the camera and flashlight from the lock screen (maybe you want the QR code reader instead). You can even remove them all for a completely clean look.
Of all this, and there are many changes to Control Center, the biggest news may be that this is coming to all phones that support iOS 18. There’s no need for Apple Intelligence or a separate, more powerful phone. This means that all iPhones going back to the iPhone 12 get the Control Center change.
It’s a little balm to soothe the pain of possibly not getting in on that sweet Apple Intelligence action, right?