iOS 11 Tidbits: Customizable Control Center, One-Handed Keyboard, Type to Siri and More

iOS 11 introduces a huge number of major changes to the operating system, ranging from a redesigned Control Center experience to a host of new features specific to the iPad, but along with all of these major changes, outlined in our iOS 11 announcement post, there are also dozens of smaller changes that have been added to the beta.

Below, we've outlined some of the smaller but still significant tweaks that went unmentioned during Apple's whirlwind keynote announcement.

- Lock Screen - The Lock screen has a new look with a bolder font for the passcode numbers and lighter circles that don't feature a white outline.

- One-handed keyboard - On the iPhone, there's a new option for a one-sided keyboard that can be enabled by pressing down on the globe keyboard button. It moves the keyboard to either the left or right side of the device.

onehandedkeyboard
- Type to Siri - There's an Accessibility feature that enables Type to Siri. With this option toggled on, when Siri is accessed via a Home button press, it brings up a keyboard where you can type something to Siri.

typetosiri
- iPad keyboard changes - On the iPad, symbols and numbers accessible via the shift key are visible on the keys themselves. The alternate symbols and numbers are accessed by pulling down on the key and releasing.

ipadkeyboard
- Customizable Control Center - Apple showed off the new single-page revamped Control Center on stage during the keynote, but what wasn't mentioned is that the Control Center is customizable. Users can select what's displayed in Control Center using the Settings app, and there are a huge range of options including Low Power Mode, Notes, Text Size, Wallet, Screen Recording, and more. There's even a new option to add Apple TV Remote controls to Control Center. Layout can't be changed, though.

customizablecontrolcenter
- Offload Unused Apps - In the Settings app, there's a new option that will automatically uninstall apps that haven't been used in a while. Documents and data for uninstalled apps will remain available in case the app is re-installed.

- Bolder text - Throughout the operating system, there are bolder text labels and starker, bolder looks for many apps like Phone, Contacts, and FaceTime. Many apps have received design changes ranging from subtle to more significant, such as the revamped Calculator app.

ios11redesignedelements
- Unified Siri and search settings - In the Settings app, there's now a single tab for Siri and Search, which is a more logical layout. There are also options for toggling on Siri suggestions for each individual app that's downloaded on a device.

sirisandsearchsettings
- Revamped storage management - The "Storage and iCloud Usage" tab is now just "iPhone Storage" and it features at at-a-glance view of the storage space available on a device along with recommendations for improving storage space like auto deleting old conversations, clearing large Messages attachments, and storing Messages in iCloud, a new feature that syncs Messages across all of your devices.

iphonestorageupdate
- Accounts and passwords - There's a new "Accounts & Passwords" section in Settings that provides access to all iCloud and Mail accounts along with app and website passwords stored in Keychain, accessible only after authenticating with Touch ID. Passwords are also available in the Safari section of the Settings app.

- Safari Settings - Additional privacy options are available for Safari in the Settings app. There's an option to "Try to Prevent Cross-Site Tracking," a new iOS 11 feature, and there are options for Camera and Microphone Access.

- Emergency SOS - There's an Emergency SOS option in the Settings app that allows users to turn on an "Auto Call" feature that will immediately dial 911 when the Sleep/Wake button is pressed five times.

emergencysosautocall
- Drag and drop - Drag and Drop was announced as an iPad feature, but in apps like Files, drag and drop is available for moving files around on the iPhone. Drag and Drop is a feature that's limited to use within apps on the iPhone and it isn't system-wide like on the iPad.

- Camera QR code scanning - The Camera app automatically detects QR codes and will respond appropriately, doing things like opening up Safari to a specific website.

- Password Autofill - Password autofilling options are now available for third-party apps.

- AirPods settings - AirPods can now be customized with separate double tap gestures for the left and right AirPod. One can be set to access Siri, for example, while another can be set to play the next track. In iOS 10, double tap settings are applied to both AirPods.

airpodsoptions
- Auto-pausing for uploads - Photo syncing and other such updates are automatically paused in iOS 11 when battery life is low.

icloudupdatesbattery
- Automatic setup - When setting up a new iOS device, there's now an option to hold it near an existing device to automatically copy over settings, preferences, and iCloud Keychain.

- Screen recording - There's a Control Center option that will automatically capture a screen recording of what you're doing on an iPhone or iPad.

- Smart Invert - In the Accessibility section of the Settings app, under Accessibility > Display Accommodations > Invert Colors, there's a new option for "Smart Invert." Smart Invert reverses the colors of the display except for images, media, and some apps. It's quite similar to the Dark Mode that users have been hoping for, but it doesn't extend to all UI elements.

- GIFs In the Photos app, GIFs saved in the Camera roll now animate when opened. In the main album view, they are still, but will work properly when tapped.

There are many, many more undocumented tweaks and changes in iOS 11, and additional features will be added and updated throughout the beta testing process. For now, iOS 11 is limited to developers, but Apple plans to make a version available for public beta testers in late June.

Devices compatible with iOS 11 include the iPhone 5s, SE, 6 Plus, 6, 6s Plus, 6s, 7 Plus, and 7, along with the new fifth-generation iPad, the iPad Air, the iPad Air 2, all iPad Pro models, and the iPad mini 2 and later. iOS 11 essentially works with all devices that include an A7 or newer chip.

Related Forum: iOS 11

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
apple oct 2024 mac tease

Apple Expected to Announce These Two to Three Products 'This Week'

Sunday October 12, 2025 7:05 am PDT by
Apple plans to announce new products "this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple's "Mac Your Calendars" teaser last October In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the products set to be updated this week include the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and "likely" the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, with all three likely to receive a spec bump with Apple's next-generation M5 chip. Gurman...
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
joz macbook tease

Apple Teases Upcoming M5 MacBook Pro Launch: 'Something Powerful is Coming'

Tuesday October 14, 2025 11:59 am PDT by
Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased the launch of an upcoming product, saying "something powerful is coming" on social media. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A short animation accompanying Joswiak's teaser reveals a brief glimpse of a MacBook Pro along with the words "coming soon." The shape of the MacBook Pro is a V, which is the Roman numeral...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...
macbook pro blue

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro Imminent: What to Expect

Tuesday October 14, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac. M5 Chip The MacBook Pro will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip. The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. ...
MacBook Pro M5 Screen

New MacBook Pro Does Not Include a Charger in the Box in Europe

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:59 am PDT by
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store. In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out....
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...

Top Rated Comments

supremedesigner Avatar
109 months ago
- Type to Siri - There's an Accessibility feature that enables Type to Siri. With this option toggled on, when Siri is accessed via a Home button press, it brings up a keyboard where you can type something to Siri.
It is about time! #Deaf #Accessibility
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gaximus Avatar
109 months ago
LOOK AT THE NEW VOLUME INDICATER. Yes it deserves all caps

Attachment Image
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
braddick Avatar
109 months ago
What does the calculator look like ?
Still using every single digit, 1 through 9 (including 0!).
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
penajmz Avatar
109 months ago
AirPods customization VERY welcomed
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DanielDD Avatar
109 months ago
More here. https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/871857521979527169/video/1
The dragfest is real. Seriously, that's some good coding right there
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michaelgtrusa Avatar
109 months ago
The dragfest is real. Seriously, that's some good coding right there
Indeed. Apple is back.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)