iOS 11 Preview: Control Center Gets Customizable With 3D Touch

by

Apple on Monday introduced iOS 11, the next major version of its mobile operating system for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The software update, available this fall, includes a completely redesigned Control Center that fits on one page and is much more customizable thanks to 3D Touch.

Control Center iOS 11 one

Control Center's default appearance (left) and with additional controls (right)

When you deep press on the Music pane, for example, a larger pane with volume, playback, and other controls pops open. Likewise, when you deep press on the pane with Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Cellular Data toggles, a larger pane pops open with AirDrop and Personal Hotspot toggles.

ios 11 control center two

More granular controls appear by deep pressing with 3D Touch

On iOS 11, users can add and organize additional controls and toggles to appear in Control Center through the Settings app. However, the following controls are default and cannot be hidden: the system toggles pane, music, orientation lock, brightness, volume, Do Not Disturb, and AirPlay Mirroring.

Control Center iOS 11 settings

In Settings, users can add and organize additional controls to appear in Control Center

The following controls can be added and organized in Settings:

• Accessibility Shortcuts
• Alarm
• Apple TV Remote
• Calculator
• Camera
• Do Not Disturb While Driving
• Flashlight
• Guided Access
• Home
• Low Power Mode
• Magnifier
• Notes
• Screen Recording
• Stopwatch
• Text Size
• Timer
• Voice Memos
• Wallet

Control Center still lacks a truly customizable drag-and-drop layout, but the return to a single-page design and some customizability are welcomed improvements. The ability to add additional controls such as Low Power Mode and Accessibility Shortcuts will also be appreciated by many users.

control center ios 11 three
The first iOS 11 beta was released to registered Apple developers on Monday. A public beta will be available in late June through the Apple Beta Software Program. The software update should be officially released in September.

Tag: Control Center
Related Forum: iOS 11

Top Rated Comments

teddybearstand Avatar
teddybearstand
56 months ago
Control center looks like a mess and using the volume and brightness scrollers are quite terrible. The customization is welcome, but I hope this design changes before the GM.
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Relentless Power Avatar
Relentless Power
56 months ago
Maybe I am a minority, but 3D Touch is one of my favorite features on the iPhone. I use it for absolutely everything, and it's a huge convenience and shortcut. I think this will play nicely with the control center.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BigDO Avatar
BigDO
56 months ago
What a mess. iOS losing the polish and going towards Android like chaos.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iapplelove Avatar
iapplelove
56 months ago
It's going to take a little bit of getting use to the new cluttered control center layout.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mcfrazieriv Avatar
mcfrazieriv
56 months ago
The complexity of these screens gets worse and worse with every release. What in the heck is going on internally?
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mkeeley Avatar
mkeeley
56 months ago
Not exactly stylish is it?
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Top Stories

affinity designer contour tool

Serif Updates Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher With New Tools and Functions

Thursday February 4, 2021 1:58 am PST by
Serif today announced across-the-board updates for its popular suite of Affinity creative apps, including Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and the Apple award-winning Affinity Publisher for Mac, all of which were among the first professional creative suites to be optimized for Apple's new M1 chip. "After another year which saw record numbers of people switching to Affinity, it's exciting to...
Read Full Article • 86 comments
studio buds family

Beats Studio Buds Debuting Today With Active Noise Cancellation, Stemless Design, and More for $150

Monday June 14, 2021 8:00 am PDT by
We've seen a lot of teasers about the Beats Studio Buds over the past month since they first showed up in Apple's beta software updates, and today they're finally official. The Beats Studio Buds are available to order today in red, white, and black ahead of a June 24 ship date, and they're priced at $149.99. The Studio Buds are the first Beats-branded earbuds to truly compete with AirPods...
Read Full Article • 198 comments
General Apps Messages

Android iMessage Competitor Puts Pressure on Apple

Friday July 30, 2021 3:15 am PDT by
Google and the three major U.S. carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, will all support a new communications protocol on Android smartphones starting in 2022, a move that puts pressure on Apple to adopt a new cross-platform messaging standard and may present a challenge to iMessage. Verizon recently announced that it is planning to adopt Messages by Google as its default messaging...
Read Full Article
maroon5memories

Apple Collaborates With Maroon 5 to Add 'Memories' Song to Photos App

Wednesday September 25, 2019 12:02 pm PDT by
Apple has teamed up with Maroon 5 to add the group's new song "Memories" to the Memories feature in the Photos app, allowing it to be used for photo slide show creations, reports Billboard. "Memories" will be available as a soundtrack option for a limited time and it is available to iPhone and iPad users running the latest iOS 13 and iPadOS software. Memories in the Photos app are created ...
Read Full Article • 31 comments
qualcomm snapdragon x60 5g

iPhone 13 Lineup Expected to Use Qualcomm's Snapdragon X60 Modem With Several 5G Improvements

Wednesday February 24, 2021 8:10 am PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 13 lineup will use Qualcomm's Snapdragon X60 5G modem, with Samsung to handle manufacturing of the chip, according to DigiTimes. Built on a 5nm process, the X60 packs higher power efficiency into a smaller footprint compared to the 7nm-based Snapdragon X55 modem used in iPhone 12 models, which could contribute to longer battery life. With the X60 modem, iPhone...
Read Full Article • 80 comments
iPhone 13 Wi Fi 6E feature update

Wi-Fi 6E Explained: What It Could Mean for iPhone 13 and Beyond

Monday August 2, 2021 8:00 am PDT by
The iPhone 13 is widely expected to come with Wi-Fi 6E capabilities, and while it may seem rather nuanced to the average consumer, with only improved speeds and being "up to date" in the realm of Wi-Fi technology, it's actually a fairly significant improvement, laying the groundwork for much of what we know the future holds. To truly understand Wi-Fi 6E, MacRumors sat down for an exclusive...
Read Full Article • 92 comments
iphone 12 colors 2021

iPhone 12 Colors: Deciding on The Right Color

Thursday November 5, 2020 8:35 am PST by
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro arrived in October 2020 in a range of color options, with entirely new hues available on both devices, as well as some popular classics. The 12 and 12 Pro have different color choices, so if you have your heart set on a particular shade, you might not be able to get your preferred model in that color. iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 The iPhone 12 mini and iPhone...
Read Full Article
m1 imac orange

New iMac Tidbits: Headphone Jack on Side, Ethernet Port on Power Adapter, Spatial Audio and WiFi 6 Support, No SD Card Slot

Wednesday April 21, 2021 6:38 am PDT by
Apple yesterday announced a completely redesigned 24-inch iMac with the M1 Apple silicon chip. The new iMac, the first major redesign of the Mac desktop computer since 2012, has several changes compared to the previous generation. In the aftermath of the event, a few new features and tidbits may have slipped under the radar, so we’ve compiled this list of some of the less-talked-about...
Read Full Article • 391 comments
original iphone

Phil Schiller Says iPhone Was 'Earth-Shattering' Ten Years Ago and Remains 'Unmatched' Today

Monday January 9, 2017 7:15 am PST by
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller sat down with tech journalist Steven Levy for a wide-ranging interview about the smartphone's past, present, and future. The report first reflects upon the iPhone's lack of support for third-party apps in its first year. The argument inside Apple was split between whether the iPhone should be a closed...
Read Full Article • 424 comments
os x mountain lion macs 16x9 2

Apple Makes OS X Lion and Mountain Lion Free to Download

Wednesday June 30, 2021 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple recently dropped the $19.99 fee for OS X Lion and Mountain Lion, making the older Mac updates free to download, reports Macworld. Apple has kept OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion available for customers who have machines limited to the older software, but until recently, Apple was charging $19.99 to get download codes for the updates. As of last week, these updates no...
Read Full Article • 128 comments