The phone won’t stop growing. Both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra have a 6.9-inch screen that is perfect for viewing content, but these large devices can fit in your pocket or be difficult to use with one hand. there is. I found it difficult to access certain features as the phone screen size increases.
For me, one of the most annoying habits about upgrading from a 5.4-inch iPhone 12 Mini to a 6.1-inch iPhone 16 is how difficult it is to access the Control Center. This is an iOS feature that allows you to change the screen brightness, toggle between plane modes, use a flashlight, and lock screen rotation among countless other features.
If your iPhone still has a Home button, you can simply swipe from the bottom of the screen to open the Control Center. However, on a new iPhone with a notch or dynamic island, you will need to swipe from the top right corner.
In theory, it should be simple. In reality, you may need some elaborate finger exercises, especially on a screen where you are pressing 7 inches.
If you move your finger too far to the left, you will get a notification center instead of the control center. If you’re using a phone with one hand, it’s almost impossible to reach for that corner by reaching out your thumb (yes, I miss Discontin’s iPhone Mini now).
Luckily I learned a few tricks that allow for easier access to the Control Center.
Use reachability
The easiest way to reach the top of your iPhone screen with one hand is to use the Reachability feature. You can pull down the entire top half of the screen.
All you need to do to enable reachability is to swipe down at the bottom edge of the screen. This allows the top right corner of the screen to reach your thumb, allowing you to open the Control Center without adjusting the grip on your phone.
Once you have set reachability, you can use the feature by swiping at the bottom edge of the screen.
If reachability is not available on your iPhone, here is how to turn on the feature: Go to Settings → Accessibility → Touch. Next, switch reachability.
The fact that this feature exists probably says something about the phone screen getting too big in the hands of certain human beings. Reachability is a useful feature, but it’s not necessarily the most intuitive. If your goal is to open the Control Center more easily, there are a few other options.
Activate the back tap
Did you know that the back of your iPhone is technically a button? Back tap is one of the device’s most convenient hidden features, allowing you to access a wide range of features without touching the screen. It also works when using an iPhone in the case. You can also easily open the Control Center while using the device with one hand.
You can access the Control Center using either a double tap or a triple tap.
To enable back tapping, go to Settings → Accessibility → Touch → Back tap to open Control Center. From there, select either a double tap or a triple tap and select (Control Center).
Once you have set up the tap, you can simply tap two or three times on the back of your phone and bring out the Control Center with one finger. You may need to practice it at the right speed so that your phone registers the tap correctly. But once you’ve mastered the tap, you don’t even have to think about reaching the top right corner of the screen again.
Create a shortcut bookmark
You can also create custom shortcut bookmarks to access the iPhone’s Control Center. Bookmarks are basically apps that can be moved anywhere on the home screen (especially if you have iOS 18, you’ll have more freedom to relocate apps).
You can create custom shortcut bookmarks and add them to the home screen.
To create a bookmark in the Control Center, open the Shortcuts app and press the plus (+) sign in the top right corner. Next, in the Search Action Finder, type Control Center and select the (Show Control Center) option. In the next drop-down menu, select Add to Home Screen. You will see the option to customize the icon, or simply select Add to skip it.
You can move this bookmark like any app.
Now there is another way to open the control center without stretching your thumb. One drawback to this method is that you can access the shortcuts only if they are on the home screen of your iPhone or on the app page where you have bookmarked. While watching a Netflix show, browsing Safari, or doing something with another app, you will need to close the app to access this bookmark.
There is still one way to open the Control Center. This method works no matter which app you are using.
Use the action button
With the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 series, you can customize the action buttons to perform almost every function you can imagine. It can be used to perform shortcuts, such as opening the Control Center.
To set the action button to trigger the Control Center, follow the same steps to create a shortcut bookmark. Next, create one change. Go to the Control Center shortcut and change the action from “show” to “toggle.”
Change the Control Center shortcut from “show” to “toggle” and then set it as an action button function.
Next, go to the Settings → Action button and swipe to select the shortcut option. The menu displays a list of available shortcuts. Please select Control Center. Now you can quickly press the Action button to open and close the Control Center at any time.
By default, the action button is a silent/ring switch, and changing to this shortcut can make you miss its functionality. However, the Control Center is a much more versatile option for action buttons. And you still have easy access to the silent/ring switch by going – where else? – Control Center.
For iPhone tips, learn about iOS settings that can drain the battery and check out the hidden features of iOS 18.2.
