iOS 18 will be unveiled in full at the WWDC keynote this Monday. According to one of the rumors of late, the iPhone update will introduce a redesigned Control Center.
One of the key features of the new Control Center is the placement of controls on separate pages rather than the single page view that currently exists. Here’s what that means for you.
Control Center is more powerful than ever
Mark writes for Gurman Bloomberg:
Control Center…will get an updated interface that allows you to rearrange the shortcut keys within the Control Center view itself and place them on multiple pages. It will also feature a new music widget and an updated interface for controlling smart home appliances.
Throughout iOS 10, Apple has introduced a version of the Control Center that spans several pages. You can scroll between three different sets of controls. Unfortunately, these controls were not customizable at all.
What Apple has planned for iOS 18 will, in a small way, bring back the long-forgotten design. Basically, it will be something new that is more powerful than ever.
Creating your own multi-page Control Center in iOS 18
Currently, there are some customization options in Control Center in iOS 17. You can open Settings ⇾ Control Center and change which specific controls are displayed in Control Center. But certain controls can’t be adjusted – items like Now Reading, Focus, and contact controls are all static. They cannot be moved or deleted.
In iOS 18, reports like Gourmet suggest that more customization power is coming to users.
Consider what Apple has done with the iOS widget system over the past few years. Widgets can be placed and arranged on the Home screen and Lock screen to provide the controls you’re most interested in.
Looks like something similar is coming to Control Center.
In iOS 18, you’ll be able to rearrange, add, and remove controls directly from the Control Center interface, just as you access ‘jiggle mode’ on your iPhone’s Home screen. You don’t need to go into Settings first.
A key component of this new found freedom will be the ability to create multiple admin pages. Unlike the static options in iOS 10’s design, with iOS 18 you should be able to create fully customizable pages to suit your needs – just like Home screen pages using apps and widgets.
This extra screen real estate should pair nicely with the announced changes to the Now Playing and Home controls, which can take up more space than before. Apple could also stop hiding additional layers of control behind the long press. This includes not only the Now Reading and Home controls, but also Focus, volume controls, and more.
Will third-party apps be able to access Control Center?
It might be a bit radical, but it would be amazing to see Apple open up Control Center to third-party developers, so apps can offer their own custom controls there.
Building on the foundation built by widgets, it makes a lot of sense to provide third-party controls. This is very much in line with what the company has been doing with widgets in recent years.
Collection
I’m really excited about the possibilities of Control Center in iOS 18.
Apple may be promoting this new capable, redesigned Control Center as part of a broader push toward more customization options for iPhone users. You’ll be able to customize your Home screens in more ways than ever in iOS 18, so why not Control Center?
What are you most excited about in the new Control Center? Do you think Apple will open this up to third party apps? Let us know in the comments.
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