iPhone (iOS) · Personalization
Customize Control Center on iPhone
Control Center gives you one-swipe access to frequently used toggles and shortcuts — Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, brightness, Flashlight, and more — and can be fully customized with the specific controls you personally rely on.
How to open Control Center
- Open Settings → Control Center.
- Tap the green '+' next to any control to add it, or the red '−' to remove one.
- Drag the grip icon on the right to reorder your included controls.
What you should know
- Controls can be added, removed, and reordered from Settings, including third-party app controls that support it.
- Long-pressing (or 3D Touch/Haptic Touch on) many controls reveals an expanded set of related options.
- Access from the Lock Screen and Access Within Apps can each be toggled on or off separately for security.
- Control Center can span multiple pages, letting you swipe sideways between different groups of controls.
Turning off 'Access on Lock Screen' improves security if you lend your phone out or worry about physical access, but also means you'll need to unlock the device for quick toggles like Flashlight.
Why it matters
Control Center is the fastest path to the settings you touch constantly throughout the day, and a customized layout can shave real time off tasks like turning on the flashlight, starting a screen recording, or toggling Airplane Mode before a flight. Because it's reachable from almost anywhere in iOS with a single swipe, what you choose to include here effectively becomes your personal shortcut bar for the whole operating system. Getting the Lock Screen access setting right also matters for security, since some controls could otherwise be triggered by anyone holding a locked phone.
Best practices
- Add controls for features you use daily (like Screen Recording, Low Power Mode, or Notes) rather than leaving only the small default set.
- Order your most-used controls near the top-left, since that's typically the fastest area to reach with one hand.
- Turn off Lock Screen access for sensitive controls if you frequently hand your phone to others, like children, without unlocking it first.
- Long-press seemingly simple controls like Wi-Fi or the Camera icon to discover expanded options you might not know exist, like quick network switching.
Common problems and fixes
- A control you added from Control Center settings doesn't actually appear when swiping down
- Confirm you're swiping from the correct corner for your device (top-right on Face ID models, up from the bottom on Touch ID models), since Control Center's gesture location differs by model.
- Control Center won't open from the Lock Screen anymore
- Check Settings → Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode) → 'Control Center' under Allow Access When Locked, since this can be disabled separately from the main Control Center settings.
- Too many controls make Control Center feel cluttered across multiple pages
- Remove rarely used controls from Settings → Control Center so your most important toggles fit on the first page.
- A third-party app's control doesn't show up in the customization list
- Confirm the app has been opened at least once and supports Control Center integration, since not all apps offer a control to add.
Tips and tricks
- Press and hold the brightness or volume sliders in Control Center to reveal additional toggles like Dark Mode, Night Shift, or True Tone in one expanded panel.
- Swipe left within Control Center to reach a second page if you've added more controls than fit on the first screen.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add third-party app controls to Control Center?
Yes, apps that support Control Center integration appear in the 'More Controls' list in Settings → Control Center and can be added just like Apple's built-in controls.
Why does Control Center open from a different gesture on my iPhone than on a friend's?
Face ID iPhones open Control Center with a swipe down from the top-right corner, while older Touch ID iPhones use a swipe up from the bottom edge instead.
Is it safe to leave all controls accessible from the Lock Screen?
Most controls are low-risk, but a few (like enabling a hotspot or accessing Wallet) could be considered sensitive — disable Lock Screen access entirely if you're concerned about someone using your phone while it's locked.
Related settings
- Display & BrightnessDisplay & Brightness settings control screen brightness, True Tone, Dark Mode, text size, and Night Shift for warmer colors in the evening.
- Bluetooth DevicesBluetooth settings let you pair AirPods, headphones, speakers, keyboards, and other accessories, and manage previously connected devices.
- Wi-Fi ConnectionWi-Fi settings let you join nearby networks, share passwords instantly between Apple devices, and manage previously joined networks.
More Personalization guides for iPhone (iOS)
- Home Screen & App LibraryHome Screen settings control how new apps are added and how your app pages are arranged, while App Library automatically sorts every installed app into categorized folders you can browse or search without needing a tidy Home Screen at all.
- WallpaperWallpaper settings let you personalize your Lock Screen and Home Screen with photos, curated presets, or Photo Shuffle rotations, plus Lock Screen extras like widgets, filters, and a customizable time display.
- Lock Screen & StandByStandBy turns your iPhone into a glanceable bedside display of clocks, widgets, and Live Activities whenever it's charging and turned sideways, while Lock Screen settings control what you see without unlocking the device at all.
- Home Screen WidgetsWidgets show live, glanceable information from an app directly on the Home Screen or Today View, in small, medium, large, or Smart Stack sizes.
- Display ZoomDisplay Zoom scales the entire interface larger (Zoomed) or shows more content at once (Standard), changing the effective size of icons, text, and controls together.
- Action ButtonOn iPhone 15 Pro and later, the Action Button replaces the mute switch and can be assigned to trigger Silent Mode, Camera, Flashlight, a Shortcut, Accessibility features, and more with a press-and-hold.