iOS 11 Master Class: Controlling The Control Center, Part 2 - Custom Controls

iOS 11 Master Class is a series where I dive deep into a feature of Apple's latest operating system for mobile devices.

In the the iOS 11 Master Class: Control Center - Part 1, I focused on the default controls that you always have when you swipe up from the bottom in iOS. In this part, I'll walk you through everything else, taking a close look at the controls you can add to the Control Center.

Take a Quick Selfie

Sure, you can still swipe right on the Lock Screen to access the Camera app. But the Camera control is more than just an even easier way to trigger it. Hard press the icon and you have instant access to the selfie, video, slo-mo shot, or portrait options. I love it because I'm constantly scrolling the wrong way in the Camera app, trying to find the quick setting I need. Selecting one of these will drop you into the camera app with the option selected (awful selfie-taking is still all on you, though).

Crunch the Numbers

The new Calculator with its rounded buttons is a nice visual refresh in iOS 11 and is something I use on a daily basis. One of my favorite tricks is the ability to copy the last result right from the Control Center icon. Press and pop the Calculator icon and you can copy the digits from the last calculation you performed in the app. (Now, can we please, please, please get a Calculator control for watchOS?)

Make the Flashlight Flashier

This is great for everyone who has wanted to use the flashlight, then immediately regretted it as it burned the retinas of everyone around them (and usually themselves because, inevitably, there's a reflective surface that bounces the laser-like beam into the back of your skull). Tapping the Flashlight icon activates the feature as normal, but popping the tool open allows you to choose four levels of brightness. Brilliant (or not-so-brilliant...your choice)!

Set a Timer

This was the feature that had me thinking "why didn't they do this sooner?" Now, instead of having to open the Clock app to set a timer (though pressing the icon will do just that), you can pop open the Control Center's Timer tool and quickly select a timer, from 1 minute all the way to 2 hours. The gradations in the tool aren't uniform, so you'll have to play a bit to figure out what to click to get the quick timer you're looking for, but it's considerably better than the iOS 10 implementation.

Manipulate Time

OK, maybe that’s a bit grand for the Stopwatch and Alarm icons. They’re both new to the Control Center and both behave like the Timer icon used to - pressing them opens the Clock app. It’s a wasted opportunity, because being able to trigger the Stopwatch with a hard press or quick-setting your frequently-selected alarms seems like easy 3D-Touch complications for these controls. Maybe in 11.1?

Enhance!

If you’re constantly squinting at text on your screen (or in real life), the Text Size and Magnifier controls are going to be your new best friend. Text Size gives you access to a slider to enlarge or shrink the size of the standard font across the board in iOS 11. The Magnifier is a shortcut that will take you to the accessibility feature that’s been hanging around in iOS for some time (but is under-utilized by my friends who refuse to get reading glasses). Press it, point it at a menu, and move the slider to zoom in. You’re welcome.

Make a Checklist

The Notes control can open the Notes app with a tap. Similar to the Camera control, you can hard press it to get direct access to different types of notes (like photos, checklists, or sketches).

Low Power Mode

This is one control that everyone should have in their Control Center. Besides the obvious, it's an effective diagnostic tool that allows you to quickly disable iOS functions that could be quickly draining power or causing lag. Add it to the list and don't be afraid to toggle it!

Screen Recording

Just like the control says, press the Screen Recording icon to start taking video of your screen. A hard press gives you access to the microphone recording controls as well. What's nice is that the icon will change to a countdown timer, giving you three seconds before it begins.

Everything Else

The remaining controls in the Control Center are all fairly self-explanatory, so let's round them up, shall we?

Unlike the Screen Mirroring control that I covered in Part 1, you're not doing anything with content with the Apple TV control. Instead this gives you access to a full-fledged Siri remote control, with voice control, for your selected Apple TV. The Do Not Disturb While Driving control toggles this new feature for iOS 11 (which you can also enable in the settings to automatically activate when you start driving).

The Guided Access control will activate the feature with a tap - if you use it often, then it's a welcome addition to the Control Center. Likewise, if there's an Accessibility feature that you frequently use, select it in Settings and you can quickly access it when you press the Accessibility control icon.

Voice Memo lets you, you guessed it, create voice memos with a click. The Wallet control will show the amount of your last transaction with a hard press as well as your preferred payment method, but otherwise triggers Pay with Touch ID...which you can already trigger with a double-press on the Home button.

That's the new iOS 11 Control Center. Did I miss something? Not cover a use or feature that you'd like to see more of? Let me know. If you missed it, be sure to go back and check out Part 1.