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You are here: Home / iPhone / Why Are My Control Center Items Not Working On My iPhone or iPad

Why Are My Control Center Items Not Working On My iPhone or iPad

By SK 47 comments Last updated July 1, 2019

I like to do things quickly on my iPhone, like play music, turn on low power mode, and access other settings in just one touch. And my iPhone’s control center is the easiest way to access all these things with just one swipe. So when I can’t customize my control center’s items, it’s a problem!

However, recently, many of our readers find that after updating, some of the control center items do not work as intended. The most common issue is that these controls seem to be frozen, and tapping on them doesn’t do a darn thing!

How to Customize iPhone Control Center Using iOS 11

If you are finding unresponsive control center items on your iPhone, iPod, or iPad, here are a few tips to you with the issue.

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  • Can’t Find Flashlight or Night Shift Shortcuts in iOS?

Check that Apple supports flashlight for your model iPhone or iPad

flashlight control center on iPad Pro
Find flashlight in Control Center on your iPad Pro (supported models only)

Flashlight is available on iPhones, iPad Pros, and iPod touch (5th generation and later.)

Most older model iPads do not support the flashlight app in iOS. So you won’t find it in Control Center. That’s because many iPad models do not have an onboard LED flash which the flashlight uses.

Currently, you find flashlight on some iPad Pro models, including the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation), iPad Pro (11-inch and 10.5-inch), and iPad Pro (9.7-inch).

Perform a Restart or a Forced Restart of Your iPhone or iPad

The first and most obvious thing to do after iOS install is to do a forced restart on your iPhone or iPad. Restarting fixes a surprising amount of problems–especially ones you notice after an update.

So let’s restart!

  • On an iPad with no Home Button and iPhones X or later: press and hold the Side/Top/Power button and either volume button until the slider appears
  • On an iPad or iPhone with a Home Button and iPod Touch: press and hold the Side/Top/Power button until the slider appears
  • Drag the slider to turn the device off and after the device turns off, press and hold that Side/Top/Power button again until you see the Apple Logo
  • With iOS 11 and above, restart using Settings > General > Shut Down

If a regular restart doesn’t help your problems, try a forced restart

  • On an iPad with no Home Button and iPhones 8 or later: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and immediately release the Volume Down button. Then press and hold the Side/Top/Power button until the device restarts how to force restart an iPad with no home button
  • On an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold both the Side and Volume Down buttons for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo Forced Restart Not Working on iPhone 8 or iPhone X?
  • On an iPhone 6s and earlier, iPad with a Home Button, or iPod touch: Press and hold both the Home and the Top (or Side) buttons for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logoiCloud keeps asking for password (iOS and OS X); fix

If the forced restart didn’t help with your specific control, the next step is to try deleting the particular control out of your settings and re-adding it back.

How Do I Customize My Control Center?

  1. Tap on the Settings app
  2. Choose Control Center
  3. Tap on Customize Controls Control Center items not working in iOS 11, How-To Fix
  4. Scroll down to More Controls
  5. Tap on the + sign to add an item to Control Center
  6. Tap on the – sign to remove an item from Control Center How to Customize Control Center in iOS 11

Long Press for More Options

When using control center in the latest iOS, some things like WiFi, Bluetooth, Personal Hotspot, AirDrop, AirPlay, Night Shift, and others are in submenus within Control Center.

To access your flashlight intensity and these other submenus, long press (or press and hold) on a Control Center card to see these additional options.

change flashlight intensity on iPad
It’s easy to change your flashlight’s intensity with a deep press in Control Center on the flashlight icon

On iPhone 6s and later, press deeply to see more controls. For an iPhone 6 or earlier, iPad, or iPod touch, press and hold to see more controls.

What Do You Do When An Item In Control Center Doesn’t Work?

If one or more of the buttons in Control Center doesn’t work when you tap it, delete and reinstall those items.

Delete an Item From Control Center

  1. Tap on Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls
  2. Find the unresponsive control in the top “INCLUDE” section
  3. Once you locate your control, tap on the red circle with the minus sign at the beginning of the control
  4. Tap on Remove to delete the controlControl Center items unresponsive in iOS 11, How-To Fix
  5. This process removes the control out of your control center
  6. Restart your iPhone and iPad

Add an Item To Control Center

  1. Go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls
  2. Add back the problematic control that you deleted in the prior step by pressing the green Plus (+) sign Drag & Drop in your iPad & iPhone with iOS 11, How-To
  3. Swipe open Control Center
  4. Test and see if the item now works

Not Seeing Control Center When Swiping in Apps?

If you don’t see Control Center when swiping while in an app OR if you only see Control Center when swiping up on your Home Screen, you probably don’t have the Access Within Apps setting enabled.

Go to Settings > Control Center > and toggle ON Access Within Apps. How to Customize iPhone Control Center Using iOS 11

How Do You Access Control Center on Your Lock Screen?

You can enable or disable Control Center from showing on your Lock Screen by going to Settings > Face ID/Touch ID & Passcode and scroll to the section Allow Access When Locked. 

Summary

Most of the times, the control center works without any hiccups. There are, however, times when they act slow or seem frozen.

We found that most issues with the control center were resolved via deleting and re-adding them back. This approach also worked for the various widgets that folks had problems with during previous iOS versions.

We hope this quick tip helped you with your problem. And if you’re facing other challenges with Control Center, please let us know.

sudz - apple
SK

Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the original editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.

In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.

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Reader Interactions

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Show 47 Comments

  1. BRYAN INFANTE WAGAN says

    September 7, 2022 at 10:33 PM

    Any other solutions for an iPhone 12 whose control center is npot working but whose buttons all function properly? I’ve tried the DFU restore without success. My recommended this post and a computer application. So, I was able to fix the problem with the Acethinker iOS System Recovery program.Yet, I’m going to try the strategies you suggested if my phone act up again. I appreciate you sharing this information.

    Reply
  2. Linda Jenkins says

    August 25, 2022 at 3:02 PM

    I pressed this button on accident then it took off control center. Now, I can’t get it on, any suggestions?

    Reply
  3. Bev Hyson says

    June 23, 2022 at 9:58 AM

    No sound on new IPad

    Reply
  4. John says

    January 12, 2022 at 10:25 AM

    Iphone 8 with ios 15.2. The control center apps, do not respond to touch in the control center. Some, like Flashlight, can be accessed and operated via icons on the home screens. But the Apple Remote TV app on the home screen just pops up a message saying it’s been moved to the control center, in which it doesn’t respond!
    I tried all the tips, nothing changed. Ideas?

    Reply
  5. KIM PADILLA says

    December 6, 2021 at 7:11 AM

    forgot to say this is on my ipad

    Reply
  6. KIM PADILLA says

    December 6, 2021 at 7:10 AM

    the lock button and flashlight does not appear on control panel

    Reply
  7. Rod Phillpotts says

    March 25, 2021 at 12:49 AM

    Control centre simply will not display despite several hard restarts and making sure that I actually have the correct settings enabled
    This phone has only just been purchased looks like it’s going to have to go back

    Reply
  8. Kathy says

    October 12, 2020 at 8:06 AM

    Tried all the fixes for control center and still won’t open

    Reply
  9. Janet says

    July 29, 2020 at 12:35 PM

    I am unable to get AirPlay to work from my iPad to my TV using the Apple TV – it was working just a few days ago. Am frustrated as cannot find the problem, and have tried EVERYTHING

    Reply
  10. P Johns says

    May 14, 2020 at 3:09 AM

    I follow the advice for reset of swipe up button and it hasn’t really solved the problem it very occasionally will let me swipe up to access the torch and calculator. about 1 -30mtimes will allow access.
    what do i try now?

    I have reset
    I have removed and added the icons

    regards P johns

    Reply
  11. allen blumer says

    April 6, 2020 at 2:26 PM

    I have tried everything an still cannot access the control center on my ipad

    Reply
  12. Yeah like I’m giving out my name says

    December 23, 2019 at 5:03 AM

    So I’m trying to make a video today but when I try to screen record on my iPad on IOS 12.4.4 I go to my control Centre is not working is there anyway I can fix that?

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Jones says

      December 25, 2019 at 7:05 AM

      It’s likely that the screen recording setting was toggled off from your Control Center customization.

        Go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls
        Scroll to the list of More Controls
        Tap the green plus sign next to screen recording to add it back to your Control Center options

      Hopefully, that did it!

      Reply
  13. Alex Duncan says

    June 29, 2019 at 6:43 PM

    I can’t get flashlight to work on 6th generation IPad. Under the Control Centre there is no flashlight icon when I swipe up. Other icons are there.
    How do I get flashlight to work. Am using IOS 12.3.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Jones says

      June 30, 2019 at 8:28 AM

      Hi Alex,

      You probably need to add it to your Control Center.

      Go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls and tap the green plus sign next to Flashlight.

      It should then work!

      Reply
      • Alex Duncan says

        June 30, 2019 at 12:04 PM

        I can’t get the flashlight to work on 6th generation IPad.

        Under the Control Centre, there is no flashlight icon when I swipe up. Other icons are there.
        How do I get the flashlight to work? Am using IOS 12.3.

        Elizabeth. tried that but there is no icon for Flashlight in the Custom Controls.

        Reply
        • Elizabeth Jones says

          July 1, 2019 at 12:07 PM

          Hi Alex,

          Can you provide me the model information for your iPad?

          Go to Settings > General > About and send me both the model name and model number–tap the model number to get additional information (there are two bits of information under this)

          Many iPads do not have a flashlight app in iOS or in the iOS Control Center. The flashlight is available on some iPad Pro models, including the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation+), iPad Pro (11 and 10.5-inch), and iPad Pro (9.7-inch).

          So your iPad may not support flashlight if it’s not one of those models.

          Reply
  14. Beverly Christensen says

    February 21, 2019 at 3:45 PM

    I can’t get the box with 4 controls to expand to show all 6.

    Reply
    • SK says

      February 21, 2019 at 6:39 PM

      Hi Beverly,

      Try a deep press on that tile to expand the menu options.

      Reply
  15. Victor Engel says

    October 10, 2018 at 2:08 PM

    Removing and adding does not work for Music, since it doesn’t appear in settings. If it did, I’d remove it and NOT add it back. Anyway, pressing the play button does nothing, which is fine, since I don’t usually use my phone to listen to music. I wish I could just remove it from the control screen, though. It takes up space thus making other things marginally harder to find.

    Reply
  16. Lynette Pisani says

    October 7, 2018 at 5:41 PM

    After updating my iPad some app icon a disappeared. One is in the quick access but not on the pages of my screen. I have to go back to quick access every time I want to use it instead of being able to click on it. When I went to the App Store, it will open from resobuthow can I get the icon back on the desktop page?

    Reply
  17. Tomas says

    September 4, 2018 at 4:40 AM

    Hello
    Does anyone have a problem with the GPS on iphone 7?
    My phone does not find a GPS signal

    Reply
  18. Bronwyn says

    July 21, 2018 at 3:06 PM

    How can I redownload Facebook app over 150mb?

    Reply
  19. audrey says

    June 19, 2018 at 2:50 PM

    ‘Customize control center’ doesn’t exist in the control center settings on my iphone. Is it because it’s an Iphone 5?

    Reply
  20. George Russell says

    May 14, 2018 at 3:22 PM

    Bought iphone 8 today and its been nothing but trouble syncing. Now I have discovered the Control Centre does work when swiping up, it doesnt even appear, i have tried all the fixes suggested on here but to no avail

    Reply
    • SK says

      May 15, 2018 at 12:34 PM

      Hi George,

      Sorry to hear about your issues with Control Centre (CC) on your iPhone 8. Sometimes, you need to swipe up twice, once to reveal the handle for CC and then again (a second time) to reveal Control Center. To make changes to its settings, go to Settings > Control Center.

      If you have an app open and you don’t see CC, turn on the Access within Apps feature in CC’s Settings. This allows you to open Control Center not only from Home Screen but also from any app you use.

      If the problem persists, let us know

      Reply
  21. Rupesh says

    May 9, 2018 at 8:07 AM

    i hav iphone 8 with latest ios version.my control center appears while i swipe up but i am facing a problem,i cant re-enter more in the options if i hold in any of the options i hav added.i restarted but it didnt work.again i go through coustomize options in control center options and deleted n again added the options.it didnt work.
    how can i solve it?

    Reply
    • SK says

      May 9, 2018 at 11:13 AM

      Hi Rupesh,

      That’s not good! Let’s try and update your iPhone via iTunes and see if that solves the problem. Before you start, make sure you backup your iPhone via iCloud, iTunes, or your backup method of choice.

      Then, connect your device to iTunes (if not already.) Once it recognizes your device, select the Update option and update your iOS from iTunes–updating via iTunes tends to be more stable and results in less problems than OTA (over-the-air).

      If you don’t have a computer, use a family member’s or friend’s computer–as long as it has iTunes (preferably the latest version) installed. You can even visit an Apple Store or Authorized Reseller and use on of their Macs to update your iPhone.

      If using iTunes is not a possibility, try a forced restart instead. For your iPhone 8, press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Then, press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo on your screen.

      If the problem persists, let us know.

      Best of luck–fingers crossed!

      SK

      Reply
  22. J.N says

    March 18, 2018 at 2:47 AM

    Hi costomize controls isn’t poping up and my phone is updated I need help !!!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      March 18, 2018 at 9:42 AM

      Hi Julie,

      Have you tried a forced restart? If not, press and hold both the Home button and Power button at the same time and maintain this hold until the Apple Logo appears on-screen. If using an iPhone X, 8, or 7–check these instructions on how to force restart these models.

      If the problem persists, let us know and we’ll continue troubleshooting.

      Liz

      Reply
  23. Kurt says

    February 20, 2018 at 1:30 PM

    I’m running iOS 11.3 on a iPhone 8+. When I swipe up from the bottom I get notifications. No control center.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      February 20, 2018 at 4:24 PM

      Hi Kurt,

      Sorry to hear about your Control Center not showing up. Have you performed a forced restart? If not, give that a go first.

      If you already did that, try the following:

      Enable Control center on lock Screen by going to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode > Control center on under Access when locked
      Enable Control Center Within App, go to Settings > Control Center
      Turn off Zoom, go to Settings > General > Accessibility
      Reset All Settings by going to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings

      SK

      Reply
  24. Mrs. Allen says

    January 22, 2018 at 6:54 PM

    Thank you so much for the help! I have been aggravated about not being able to access my control center from lock screen. I searched all over and finally found your article.
    Thanks again!

    Reply
  25. MR. Sunsa says

    December 28, 2017 at 7:28 PM

    I’ve done the stated tips but my control center is still unresponsive after press and hold.

    Reply
    • SK says

      December 29, 2017 at 9:14 AM

      Hi Mr. Sunsa,

      First, check your Control Center Settings and make sure Access Within Apps is toggled ON. See if that makes a difference.

      If that’s already on, check if voiceover is ON by going to Settings > General > Accessibility > VoiceOver and turn it off. If you need VoiceOver, open Control Center by tapping on the time displayed at the top of the screen. It’s selected when a small black box appears around the time. Once the time is selected, swipe up from the bottom of the screen using three fingers to open Control Center.

      Next, check if there is a software update. Go to Settings > General > Software Update. If it shows a software update is available, do NOT update via this method (Over-The-Air or OTA.) Instead, connect your device to iTunes and update there–but before you do anything BACKUP your device in iTunes and then update its software.

      Updating via iTunes often solves many little software problems and glitches that happen with more frequency when updating via OTA.

      Now, if no update is available, let’s see if Display Zoom is ON. Sometimes this setting interferes with Control Center. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Display Zoom > and select Standard. There also another Zoom feature located in your accessibility settings–Settings > General > Accessibility > Zoom.

      Hopefully, something here helps your issue with Control Center. Let us know either way.

      SK

      Reply
  26. Tiff says

    December 26, 2017 at 10:33 AM

    The access within aps command is not there. It just doesn’t exist! I only have the customise control option.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      December 28, 2017 at 2:31 PM

      Hi Tiff,

      Are you using an iPad? If so the access within apps option is for the smaller devices only, not iPads.

      Liz

      Reply
  27. Josh says

    December 13, 2017 at 8:47 PM

    Hey there! Just got my 8 Plus. iOS is up to date. I’m having the same issue as mentioned with the article. When pressing and holding a control center item, the secondary function does not appear. I’ve followed each step as well as the steps mentioned in the comments yet still it does not work. 🙁

    Help please! 🙂

    Reply
    • SK says

      December 14, 2017 at 7:59 AM

      Hi Josh,

      Sorry about all the problems with your Control Center on your iPhone 8+. So from what I understand, you’re not seeing the submenus for items like Night Shift or AirDrop. Since your iPhone 8+ is less than a year old, try these two suggestions and if they don’t help, please visit an Apple Store or contact Apple Support.

      1. Update your iOS to the latest iOS 11.2 using iTunes NOT Over-The-Air via Software Update in settings. iTunes is more stable and updates via iTunes have fewer issues than OTA. So if possible, give that a try. It doesn’t even need to be your computer–as long as it has iTunes installed you’re good. You can even visit an Apple Store or Apple Reseller and ask them to update via one of their Macs. They are supposed to allow it.

      2. It’s possible that some a setting is getting in the way. Try resetting all settings. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. Performing this action does not erase any data but it does reset to defaults things like wallpapers, accessibility settings, WiFi passcodes, and similar personalized settings.

      If neither of these options does anything, please contact Apple. Even if you didn’t purchase Apple Care, your iPhone 8+ is covered for 1 year from your date of purchase. So they should help you get it right!

      Let us know your results,

      SK

      Reply
  28. Nicole says

    November 12, 2017 at 11:15 PM

    Hi!

    The items that are supposed to open up when you press and hold are not working. For example, I can’t access night shift or airdrop. I’ve tried restarting and powering down/turning back on. Is there anything else I can try?

    Reply
    • SK says

      November 13, 2017 at 8:09 AM

      Hi Nicole,

      Well that’s not fun! Have you tried a forced restart by pressing and holding both the Home button and the Power button together–maintain this hold until the Apple logo is on-screen. If you have an iPhone 8, X, or 7–please refer to this guide on how to force a restart.

      Now, if that didn’t help let’s remove all the customization from your iDevice. Got to Settings > Control Center > Customize and press the red minus sign (-) next to all of the apps showing up under INCLUDE. Once removed, close the settings app by double pressing home and swiping up on the Settings App Preview (for iPhone X instructions on closing apps–check this article out–it’s more complicated!.)

      After closing the Settings app, power down your iDevice and slide off, then power up normally. Return to Settings > Control Center > Customize and add back in all those settings you want to show up in your Control Center–press the green plus sign (+) to add them to the list of INCLUDE.

      Once the are all added, return to your Home Screen and call forth Control Center. See if the toggles now work.

      Hope that fixes the issues,

      SK

      Reply
  29. Helene says

    November 9, 2017 at 10:32 PM

    My icons won’t enlarge, for example the music icon or lightening where i can choose whether night shift should be on or off. Is there any way to fix this? I’ve tried the above.

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      November 10, 2017 at 3:29 AM

      Hi Helene,

      I’m not sure what you mean by enlarge. When you add a custom toggles to your Control Center, those toggle appear every time you swipe up or down Control Center—to turn them on, tap once—they should highlight. Tap again, they should go dark. They don’t actually change size, they just change color.

      Hope that helps,

      Liz

      Reply
  30. Veronica says

    October 23, 2017 at 8:58 PM

    When I customize my control center none of the buttons show up when I swipe up to get into the control center so it’s not seeing my changes.. I have shut down and restarted to no avail..

    Reply
  31. Koen says

    October 17, 2017 at 11:23 AM

    Hey,

    I can’t open my control center when I am in a app. For example youtube, it just doens’t react when I swipe up.
    So I’ll have to get out of the app to open it!
    Anyone else having thia problem?
    Or is this just part of the new update. Because it is very frustrating

    Hope you can help me!

    Cheers,
    Koen

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      October 17, 2017 at 1:12 PM

      Hi Koen,

      Chances are that the Access with Apps button is disabled. Go to Settings > Control Center and toggle ON Access Within Apps. Then restart your iDevice. That should do it!

      Let us know either way,

      Liz

      Reply
      • Jeremiah says

        September 3, 2018 at 1:12 AM

        Hello. I have a problem my music icon on control center is not working /dissapeared when i click start no music is being played but when i play in apple music app i can still play music

        Pls help

        Reply

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