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Jason Cipriani/CNET
The simple act of enabling Bluetooth, or disabling Wi-Fi on an iOS device has never been truly simple. The process required way too many taps to navigate to a switch buried deep within the Settings app.
With iOS 7 the process to control things such as Wi-Fi, orientation lock, music, brightness, airplane mode, and Do Not Disturb has been streamlined into a convenient panel. Selecting any of the respective buttons for a service at the top of the panel, such as Bluetooth, will toggle the status of said service.
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
In addition to quick access to the controls mentioned above, you’ll also find the ability to access AirDrop settings, AirPlay, a flashlight toggle, as well as a shortcut to the clock, calculator, and camera apps.
The default settings for Control Center allow you to access it by swiping up from the bottom of the screen at any time while using your iOS device. This means you can bring up the control panel so long as your screen is on, regardless of whether the device is locked or if you’re using an app.
As you can probably guess, using a gesture from the bottom of the screen to pull up the panel is going to interfere with some apps, especially games. With that in mind, Apple added the ability to disable access to Control Center when the user is in an app, or from the lock screen.
To alter how and when you can access Control Center, launch the iOS Settings app and select Control Center from the list.
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Currently there are only two options available for you to customize. You can disable access to Control Center on the lock screen, and disable the ability to access it while in an app.
What do you think about Control Center in iOS 7? Is it something you’re likely to use, or should you rather not have it at all?
