Control Center on iOS 10: The Ultimate Guide

Control Center on iOS 10 swipes up from the bottom of the screen on your iPhone or iPad, and lets you quickly access everything from common settings and app functions to audio controls and your HomeKit accessories. That makes all your most common controls instantly available from anywhere, at any time. There's even support for 3D Touch on iPhone 6s and later, so you can not only toggle, but fine tune many of your settings and accessories as well.

This guide covers Control Center for iOS 10. Looking for help with Control Center on iOS 11? Here's our ultimate guide to Control Center on iOS 11.

How to quickly access settings and apps with Control Center in iOS 10

With Control Center in iOS 10, you can access some of the most important controls on your iPhone or iPad, from anywhere, with just a swipe and a tap. That includes airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, do not disturb, orientation lock, brightness, AirPlay screen sharing, AirDrop file sharing, flashlight, timer, calculator, and camera. With 3D Touch, you can even set how bright you want the flashlight and how long you want the timer.

How to use Now Playing with Control Center in iOS 10

Control Center's audio game has leveled up. Now Playing now has its own panel, complete with artwork, information, scrubber, skippers, play and pause, volume, and output source. There's no 3D Touch like there is for the other panels, but there's still a ton of functionality for songs, audio books, and podcasts at your fingertips.

How to use Home with Control Center in iOS 10

Control Center can also access your Home app and connected accessories. If you're thinking that means easy swipe and tap control over all your HomeKit accessories, then you're thinking right! And if you have 3D Touch, you can do more than just toggle accessories on or off: You can access options like light intensity and color.

Any Control Center questions?

If you have any trouble using Control Center, or any additional questions, drop them in the comments below!

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.