With WWDC just a weekend away, some of the features Apple is expected to announce are beginning to slip into the public. One of which is a revamp to one of the iPhone’s most central features, the Control Center, reports Bloomberg.
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The last major change with the Control Center happened nearly five years ago, when Apple introduced the ability to add, remove, and rearrange toggles with the release of iOS 11. Next week, the company is expected to allow users to further customize these toggles, which include flashlight, screen recording, calculator, auto-rotate, screen mirroring, and more, by rearranging them from within the Control Center page.
Why is this a big deal? Currently, rearranging icons in the Control Center requires users to open the Settings app, tap into several slides within the Control Center section, and then manually add, remove, or reorder what’s on the page. With iOS 18, you should be able to simply tap and hold on an icon from within the Control Center and drag it around, similar to how you’d rearrange apps on the home screen.
The new Control Center will also support multiple pages of shortcuts, says Bloomberg. I’ve never had an issue of having too many icons in the Control Center, but I can see this being useful for those who want to organize them based on functionality; perhaps one page for basic tasks and another specifically for smart home appliances.
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Speaking of which, Apple is also rumored to add a new music widget and updated interface for smart home controls. Currently, the music player is permanently situated in the top-right corner of the Control Center, with very minimal functionality (only play, pause, and skip track). As for the state of smart home toggles, it can be very chaotic when you have a few too many lights and accessories throughout the house; each one basically requires its own separate toggle.
We’ll learn all the official details during Apple’s WWDC keynote, which you can tune in on Monday, 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT.
