iOS 17 could see Control Center get long-overdue redesign

News
By Tom Pritchard
published

The Control Center could be getting an overhaul this year

iOS 17
(Image credit: Rafapress/Shutterstock)

iOS 17 is expected to debut at WWDC 2023 on June 5, and with it will come changes and upgrades for iPhones and iPads alike. We’ve already heard rumors about some of those features, and the latest suggests that the Control Center is going to get a significant overhaul.

This leak comes from an anonymous source on the MacRumors forum, who claims the Control Center will be completely redesigned in the upcoming OS upgrade. Unfortunately they don’t offer any additional details about what the redesign might involve.

But, if true, this would be the first time Apple has redesigned the control center since iOS 11 — which launched just under six years ago. That rearranged existing options, which launched in iOS 7, and added more shortcuts to the quick-access menu.

Apple has been adding more customization options to iOS over the past few years, and it could be that the Control Center is next on the list. Android phones offer various degrees of customization in their own quick launch menus, after all, and such a move could give iPhone users better control over the settings they can access.

An iPhone on a table displaying the Control Center with Airplane mode switched on

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

It’s unclear whether this rumor will pan out, though the users in question did predict the launch of the Dynamic Island weeks before the iPhone 14 Pro launch. The same account has recently revealed details about the rumored solid-state buttons supposedly coming to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Other rumors related to IOS 17 include the possibility of getting third party app stores, though it may well be a much smaller update that some people might hope — with focus on improving stability rather than making sweeping UI changes. After all, there were plenty of those in iOS 16. However rumors say there may still be several new features, and the redesigned Control Center could be among them.

It’s rumored that iOS 17 may also drop support for the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which launched back in 2017. However a counter-rumor has refuted this, and claims any device running iOS 16 will be able to upgrade. In any case we won’t find out for sure until Apple makes the software official in two months time.

We’ll bring you more news and rumors on iOS 17 as and when we hear it.

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Tom Pritchard
Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • Ben10100
    Listen, I'd like to believe that; I really would, but I just don't. How often has a redesigned control center been discussed? Frankly, if it does happen, I am going to be surprised. I recall last year's rumors heavily pointing to a changed control center, but that never happened. I want to see what proof the speculators have and the stats sheet showing how likely all of these rumored features are. Why are we always seeing and saying the same thing but never getting it? Maybe that's a signal to tone it down and wait until more accurate and trustworthy sources are actually claiming it before we jump out of a chair and claim something is going to happen, You're welcome.
    Reply