How to Navigate Control Center Pages in iOS 18

iOS 18 introduces a complete overhaul of the Control Center, replacing the traditional single-screen grid with a multi-page system organized by functional categories. This guide explains how this new paging architecture works, how to navigate between widget screens, and how to customize the layout to fit your daily workflow.

The New Paging Architecture

Rather than crowding all toggles into one view, iOS 18 organizes controls into distinct, full-screen groups. By default, the system includes dedicated pages for:

  • Favorites: The primary screen containing your most frequently used controls and custom widgets.
  • Now Playing: A dedicated media controller displaying album art, playback scrubbers, and AirPlay output destinations.
  • Home: Quick access to HomeKit accessories, active cameras, and automated scenes.
  • Connectivity: Expanded toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Cellular Data, Personal Hotspot, AirDrop, and VPN.

How to Page Through Control Screens

Navigating between screens is fluid and can be accomplished in two primary ways:

  1. Vertical Swiping: Once Control Center is opened (by swiping down from the top-right corner of the display), you can swipe vertically—up or down—to glide smoothly between the different functional pages.
  2. The Navigation Rail: A small vertical indicator strip appears along the right-hand edge of the screen displaying small icons for each page (such as a heart for Favorites, a musical note for Media, a house for Home, and an antenna for Connectivity). You can tap any of these icons directly to jump immediately to that specific page without scrolling through the others.

Additionally, a single, continuous swipe down from the top-right edge allows you to scrub directly into deeper pages without releasing your finger.

Customizing and Adding Pages

Apple allows you to customize the order, contents, and quantity of these screens:

  • Enter Edit Mode: Tap the + (plus) icon in the top-left corner or long-press an empty area of the screen.
  • Add Widgets: Tap Add a Control at the bottom to open the Controls Gallery, which includes first-party and supported third-party toggles.
  • Create New Pages: Dragging a control past the bottom of an existing page automatically creates a new, blank page.
  • Resize Controls: Grab the accent handle on the bottom-right corner of supported widgets to expand them into larger cards or shrink them into standard icons.