How to Use the New IPhone Control Center in IOS 18
Control Center has been completely redesigned in iOS 18 . You can now move virtually all controls, add more controls than ever before, and have access to multiple pages of controls. My only complaint is that launching Control Center from the top right corner of the iPhone display is still too difficult. Other than that, now is the time to start setting up Control Center, and here’s how to do it.
Download the iOS 18 beta
At the time of writing, iOS 18 is not generally available. The good news is that there is a free developer beta that you can sign up for now. Follow the instructions here to install the iOS 18 beta on your iPhone , but be careful: you risk instability and bugs by doing so. I suggest using an additional phone before the official launch if you can.
How to Add Controls to Control Center in iOS 18
In iOS 17, you had to go through the Control Center page in your iPhone’s Settings app to add or remove controls. Things have changed a lot with the release of iOS 18, and you can now make a lot of settings right in Control Center. To get started, open Control Center by swiping down from the top right corner of the screen and tapping the + button in the top left corner. Alternatively, long-press on any empty space in Control Center, then tap the Add Control button next to the base of your iPhone.
Now you will see a lot of options and a search bar at the top. Browse through these labels and add whatever you like. My favorite controls are the automation routines from the Shortcuts app and the Vehicle Motion Cues feature .
Removing controls from Control Center
To clean up Control Center in iOS 18, open it and hold an empty space until borders appear around the controls. Now click the “-“ button next to any control and it will disappear. It is so simple.
Explore other Control Center pages
The iOS 18 Control Center now has three full pages, but don’t worry: all the most useful controls are on the first page. Explore these pages by swiping up while Control Center is open.
The second page shows the music playback controls. Instead of swiping vertically, you can also open it by holding the media control widget on the first page of Control Center. You’ll need this page to control other speakers connected to your iPhone, such as HomePod.
Swipe up again in Control Center to view your connection options. Alternatively, you can see the same options on the first page of Control Center. Just hold the connection widget and you will get the same features. This allows you to quickly switch Airplane Mode, AirDrop, Wi-Fi, Cellular Data, Bluetooth, Hotspot Settings, and VPN.
Reposition controls to make them easier to access.
iOS 18 allows you to rearrange all the controls in Control Center. This means that previously immovable controls such as connection options, media playback, and rotation lock can now be moved. The best part is that you don’t have to place all the controls next to each other . I like to leave large gaps between controls to make them easier to access.
To do this, open Control Center in iOS 18 and long-press on any empty space on the screen. Once the borders appear on the controls, start dragging any button or widget to any location. I’ve moved the connection and media options to the bottom of the screen where I can access them much more easily.
Your iPhone has a new shutdown button
The days of the elaborate ritual of switching off are over. iOS 18 Control Center has a Power button in the top right corner . You can press this button and slide the on-screen power switch to turn off your iPhone.
Easy to access Control Center
Most of the changes to my Control Center are to make it more ergonomic. There’s no point in keeping reaching for the top right corner of the screen to launch Control Center when a better option is available. Back Tap is just such an option . This allows me to tap the back of my iPhone to launch Control Center. You can customize this by going to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back . I set up a triple tap to launch Control Center to avoid accidental activations, but you can also use the double tap option.