Everyone is getting excited for the launch of the iPhone 15 range. Expected to be unveiled around September this year, the next generation looks set to be the best iPhone yet. Rumours suggest we could see a titanium frame, a 3nm processor, and a whole host of other hardware changes to boost the spec sheet of the handset.
But there's another upgrade coming, too. Expected to be seen at WWDC 2023, iOS 17 looks set to bring a bigger range of updates than first thought. Now, leaked information suggests that one of those upgrades could be the Control Centre.
The news comes from a source who correctly predicted the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro models, and has also shared information about the capacitive buttons on the new range. That should give it a degree of credibility, though it has yet to be confirmed elsewhere.
So, what could be changing? If I had my way, these three things.
1. Changeable access position
Customisation is likely to be the order of the day here, and one thing that many have looked for is a change in the action taken to open Control Centre. While I don't have any especially strong views on that, it would be nice to have the option.
In my book, any opportunity to customise a device and make it easier for you to use is a winner. I'd also expect to see it integrate nicely with the action button which is rumoured to feature on the iPhone 15 Pro models.
2. Removing unused widgets
Again, another common request, and one that I can wholeheartedly get on board with. The Control Centre in iOS 16 packs a surprising amount of options into the space it has. That's pretty good, but being able to remove widgets that you won't use could declutter it and enable users to fit more of what they need on the screen.
For example, I can hand on heart say I will never have a use for screen mirroring, yet that occupies a space right in the middle of the Control Centre. I can't turn it off, or replace it with something I'd use more often – it's just there.
3. More colour
I may well be alone in this, but I'd love to see a more attractive design for the page itself. iPhones come with some really top-tier displays, yet the Control Centre is resigned to using a boring grey colour palette, with blurred accents from your wallpaper.
It could just do so much more, visually speaking. It doesn't need to go full-on Mardi Gras, but a splash of saturated colour as a base and some more used in accents and to signify selections would make much better use of the technology on offer.
If it were customisable, it could also give users another chance to make their own mark on the handset, to personalise it to taste.
