Hands On With the Revamped iOS 11 Control Center
One of the biggest changes in iOS 11 lies in the Control Center. Apple has made numerous refinements to this hub of information and toggle switches. Cupertino has also made it possible, for the first time, to customize the iOS 11 Control Center. Let’s walk through how it works and what you can do with it.
The iOS Control Center: the top two Platters
The top two items in the new iOS 11 Control Center are what Apple is calling platters. The top left, when you first view it, has options for Airplane mode, Cellular Data, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. There’s more hidden beneath that hood, though. If you 3-D Touch that platter, it opens up into a larger panel of options. Once you do that, you also have the Airdrop control along with Personal Hotspot.
Next, to the right, is Music. This allows you to start playback, as well as skip tracks forward and reverse. The magic, though, is when you 3-D Touch the platter. Once you do that, you get more options. You can adjust volume, drag the playback slider, or turn on Airplay to another device.
Buttons and Sliders to Control Important Functions
Below that, you have additional control options. Everything you saw in previous versions of iOS is there, along with some others. Screen Mirroring has its own platter, which you can 3-D Touch in order to get a list of devices you can Airplay to. Screen brightness and volume have their own respective sliders. There are also buttons for the flashlight, timer, calculator and camera. These buttons, if you 3-D Touch, offer various options.
An exciting new addition is the Home button in the iOS 11 Control Center. Yes, you can quickly control your HomeKit devices straight from the Control Center. If you simply tap the icon, it opens the Home app. However, if you 3-D Touch the icon instead, you get a platter of your favorite HomeKit accessories for quick access and adjustments.
Add to and Take Away From the iOS Control Center
While some items are static and cannot be removed, you can pull some of the buttons out of the iOS 11 Control Center. You can also add more to it. For example, you don’t have to have the flashlight, timer, calculator, or camera available there. They’re removable, and plenty of other options are ready to take their place.
One of the most exciting additions to the iOS 11 Control Center is Screen Recording, which we will cover in a future article. There are also options for Accessibility Shortcuts, your Apple TV remote, Do Not Disturb While Driving, and more.
Great Changes to the Control Center
These changes to the iOS 11 Control Center are terrific, but I wish we could move platters, buttons, and sliders around to our liking. With that said, the customization that Apple has included is helpful, and I’m looking forward to seeing more.
The first developer beta of iOS 11 is available now, and a public beta will begin in late June. The full release of iOS 11 to the general public is slated for Fall 2017.
