iOS 17 Rumored to Feature 'Major' Changes to iPhone's Control Center

[Apple_Robert]

This article has no more useful information than a Gurman article. Saying the Control center might change is no better than saying Apple is going to release a phone in September. The leaker should have kept quiet or offered something useful.

 

[coolfactor]

Wouldnt mind a complete iOS design overhaul. Jony Ives iOS is about to become 10 years old, 10 years!

No. We don't need change for change's sake. it took 10 years, but the current UI is slick and minimal. I do miss the fun-ness of the skeuomorphic design, though. Maybe they can bring back a touch of that without doing a complete redesign, like the page-turning effect that they re-added to the Books app?

 

[sw1tcher]

iOS 17 will feature "major" changes to Control Center on the iPhone, according to a MacRumors forum member who leaked accurate details about the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro before the device was announced last year.

Hopefully the "major changes" to Control Center isn't analogous to Microsoft removing the Start button on Windows 8

 

[CarAnalogy]

Let's hear what people would like to see in control center!

I'm not sure what changes I'd like to see.

Maybe more clock and widget customization. I'd like more options when placing widgets. Sometimes they cover part of a picture that if placed differently I could avoid.

The iPhone is designed in a way that makes it difficult to have anyone’s face on the lock screen. We need the option to move or remove the time.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Just give us the ability to put icons anywhere we want on the homescreen without forcing them to all align to the most difficult part of the phone to reach.

 

[Avenged110]

Give us a scenario where you need to completely disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth permanently from Control Centre. It's possible in Settings > Wi-Fi.

1. Open Control Center.
2. Press-and-Hold on Wi-Fi icon.
3. Press-and-Hold on the second Wi-Fi icon.
4. Tap "Wi-Fi Settings".
5. Disable Wi-Fi.

Or do the same by access the Settings app directly.
Or simply toggle Airplane Mode to immediately disable all wireless connections.

What is your concern about how it currently works?

I use my phone with Wi-Fi disabled by 'default' since I can restrict network access per-application. Why? Because I want to. If I turn Wi-Fi on to briefly complete a task like watching a video or AirPlay something, I'm going to turn it back off when I'm finished.

I shouldn't have to open Settings, create a convoluted shortcut, or go though a 5-step process just to toggle it – that was the entire purpose of Control Center in the first place. I can't imagine any scenario where I would ever want to disconnect from Wi-Fi, but still have the feature enabled by contrast – making the current toggles absolutely worthless to me.

There's no reason returning these buttons to 'normal' functionality can't be controlled by a preference so people can use what suits their use case(s).

 

[usagora]

Until the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles actually toggle Wi-Fi and Bluetooth again, I can't say as I really care since that is one of the most ridiculous changes to have ever been made to Control Center.

What do you mean? When I tap on the Wi-Fi icon in Control Center in iOS 16, it turns Wi-Fi off or on. Same for the Bluetooth icon.

 

[CarAnalogy]

This article has no more useful information than a German article. Saying the Control center might change is no better than saying Apple is going to release a phone in September. The leaker should have kept quiet or offered something useful.

What…does that have to do with German article? Are Germans notoriously vague about iPhone rumors? Hadn’t heard that one before.

 

[CarAnalogy]

What do you mean? When I tap on the Wi-Fi icon in Control Center in iOS 16, it turns Wi-Fi off or on. Same for the Bluetooth icon.

Doesn’t actually turn it off. It just disconnects it and doesn’t connect to new unknown wifi. You’ll notice if you turn it off while out, it often is connected to your home wifi automatically when you get back. To turn it all the way off you have to go to settings.

 

[matsan]

Absolutely false. If you desperately need to turn these features off which absolutely should be on 100% of the time, you know where to find them. The rest of the iPhone market that doesn't even know what those buttons do are protected from accidentally turning them off permanently.

I think you are wrong. Have you tried getting your AirPods to connect to your iPhone through the Control Center? First press and hold the Bluetooth icon then press and hold another Bluetooth icon button again to slow a list of devices - but in the list showing devices you need to be careful not to lift your finger in the list because you then disconnect the device! So, slide your finger out of the list and then scroll to find the AirPods. Great fun!

 

[usagora]

The control center needs to return back to the original location from a swipe up from the bottom, these two different zones to swipe down from the top is a headache.

LOL, how is it a headache? It's not like you have to remember 10 different swipe positions. It's literally just two. Not that complicated!

 

[tipoo]

Just gib me a Snow Leopard release that squashes all the bugs and visual hitches and makes it as performant and efficient as possible. if there's time for features only AFTER that, ok.

 

[usagora]

Doesn’t actually turn it off. It just disconnects it and doesn’t connect to new unknown wifi. You’ll notice if you turn it off while out, it often is connected to your home wifi automatically when you get back. To turn it all the way off you have to go to settings.

Interesting. Honestly I never turn off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth unless I'm trouble-shooting something, so it doesn't bother me in the least to take 5 seconds to use Spotlight to pull up the Wi-Fi settings (just search for "wi" and it's there), but it seems like a master "off/on" button for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth would be a perfect addition to the long-press menu on both those Control Center icons.

 

[AgeOfSpiracles]

I use my phone with Wi-Fi disabled by 'default' since I can restrict network access per-application. Why? Because I want to. If I turn Wi-Fi on to briefly complete a task like watching a video or AirPlay something, I'm going to turn it back off when I'm finished.

I shouldn't have to open Settings, create a convoluted shortcut, or go though a 5-step process just to toggle it – that was the entire purpose of Control Center in the first place. I can't imagine any scenario where I would ever want to disconnect from Wi-Fi, but still have the feature enabled by contrast – making the current toggles absolutely worthless to me.

There's no reason returning these buttons to 'normal' functionality can't be controlled by a preference so people can use what suits their use case(s).

Your use case is very edge, and IMO paranoid to the point of absurd (not quite Richard Stallman absurd, but on that side of the spectrum), but it's certainly your prerogative. But I'm not surprised that your specific requirements are not being catered too, because I think they are viewed as an edge case and actively make the device more cumbersome to use for little to no tangible benefit....

That said, I agree it would be pretty trivial to have a preference to enable your desired behavior in the settings. Either Apple has simply not gotten enough requests to add it, or they've consciously decided that it implementing it is not worth the technical debt that such a feature might incur going forward.

 

[Devnul0]

Keep in mind that Airplane Mode does not turn off bluetooth or wifi. I just put my iPhone into Airplane Mode and both bluetooth and wifi icons remained lit, and both continued to function. Screen showed WiFi signal and the airplane icon, too. For many years, Airplane Mode was synonymous with radios being off. Now Apple has made it synonymous with turning off the cell radio to be safe on a plane. I don't begrudge Apple doing it to support the common user trying to use Apple Watch or any of the Continuity features with Airplane mode on, but it's a pain to have to turn them off in settings when really needing them off.

Agreed with @matsan about not lifting your finger! Ridiculous UI failure there, having new UI come up under the already-pressed finger, then react to lifting the finger like a tap and (usually) disconnect.

Also agreed with @k1121j about the state of Now Playing. It's gotten awkward to determine if you're looking at what your iPhone is doing vs. what a HomePod or Apple TV is doing, I constantly get lost looking for options like repeat or shuffle as they're now in the similar-looking-but-different Up Next view, and once enough of those "bubbles" (?) are on screen, like the AirPlay controls to select a device, I don't know where to tap to dismiss that. Normally I'd expect to tap what I'd already selected to dismiss it, but Apple has decided that in some (?) cases, tapping what's selected deselects it! So if you're Airplaying to "Office Stereo" and tap on "Office Stereo" it will disconnect and go back to playing locally. This is also the case in control center on iOS for Screen Sharing - I think you *have* to do that to turn sharing off? I find that an unintuitive and certainly an “undiscoverable” UI. I end up trying to squeak a finger tap into a corner of the screen that doesn't have the popup over it. Sigh.

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

I think you are wrong. Have you tried getting your AirPods to connect to your iPhone through the Control Center? First press and hold the Bluetooth icon then press and hold another Bluetooth icon button again to slow a list of devices - but in the list showing devices you need to be careful not to lift your finger in the list because you then disconnect the device! So, slide your finger out of the list and then scroll to find the AirPods. Great fun!

If you're having to manually connect airpods via control center, you're not using them as apple designed. They're designed to automatically connect to or switch to the current device you're using as long as it's signed into your apple id, without any action on your behalf other than putting them in your ears and starting some media.

 

[darngooddesign]

The current Control Center is getting boring. It needs to be more interactive. Something like this?

View attachment 2184999

I hope it isn’t that; looks horrible for contrast-related accessibility.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Interesting. Honestly I never turn off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth unless I'm trouble-shooting something, so it doesn't bother me in the least to take 5 seconds to use Spotlight to pull up the Wi-Fi settings (just search for "wi" and it's there), but it seems like a master "off/on" button for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth would be a perfect addition to the long-press menu on both those Control Center icons.

I think their argument when they made the change is that people would do it and forget to turn it back on and wind up using too much cellular data. And I like most techies have settings on my home screen for quick access. It may be true that the average person wouldn’t understand the difference. I agree we should have the option for a toggle in control center.

 

[CarAnalogy]

I hope it isn’t that; looks horrible for contrast-related accessibility.

I agree but I feel like we’re already losing that battle with all Apple’s platforms. I guess they just expect people to turn on increase contrast (and also maybe button labels), but they’re kind of pushing it.

 

[Kylo83]

Apple doesn’t have the guts to do a complete re design

 

[CarAnalogy]

I use my phone with Wi-Fi disabled by 'default' since I can restrict network access per-application. Why? Because I want to. If I turn Wi-Fi on to briefly complete a task like watching a video or AirPlay something, I'm going to turn it back off when I'm finished.

I shouldn't have to open Settings, create a convoluted shortcut, or go though a 5-step process just to toggle it – that was the entire purpose of Control Center in the first place. I can't imagine any scenario where I would ever want to disconnect from Wi-Fi, but still have the feature enabled by contrast – making the current toggles absolutely worthless to me.

There's no reason returning these buttons to 'normal' functionality can't be controlled by a preference so people can use what suits their use case(s).

This could of course be fixed if Apple would give us the ability to manage network access period rather than cellular data only.

You must be lucky enough to have an unlimited data plan or have it paid for by work or just consider the expense worth it. I agree with you in principle but practically that wouldn’t work for most people.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Apple doesn’t have the guts to do a complete re design

I would say don’t tempt them but Phil Schiller has apparently been promoted out of the way so you might be right. Not sure it really needs a complete redesign though, Control Center is one part of their current design I actually don’t find too offensive.

Would be nice to be able to place controls exactly where I want them instead of having to play a version of the same padding game they make you play on the Home Screen.

 

[zach-coleman]

I wonder how much that be to our benefit, as the current iOS control center isn't bad?

Maybe they will somehow improve reachability, since by default it hangs at the top of the screen.

 

[ediks]

No. We don't need change for change's sake. it took 10 years, but the current UI is slick and minimal. I do miss the fun-ness of the skeuomorphic design, though. Maybe they can bring back a touch of that without doing a complete redesign, like the page-turning effect that they re-added to the Books app?

i wouldnt even mind the MacOS icons on iOS 17

 

[zach-coleman]

Give us a scenario where you need to completely disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth permanently from Control Centre. It's possible in Settings > Wi-Fi.

1. Open Control Center.
2. Press-and-Hold on Wi-Fi icon.
3. Press-and-Hold on the second Wi-Fi icon.
4. Tap "Wi-Fi Settings".
5. Disable Wi-Fi.

Or do the same by accessing the Settings app directly.

Or simply toggle Airplane Mode to immediately disable all wireless connections.


What is your concern about how it currently works?

Prior to the change where it re-enabled the next morning, the amount of times I had a family member ask me why their bluetooth device/wifi/etc isn't working anymore when they had toggled it off and forgot about it was ridiculous. Considering how many features are now tied to Bluetooth/Wifi, I think for the average person it's even more slanted towards how it currently works vs a full toggle.