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iOS 11 brings new and exciting features to the iPhone. This article presents a collection of iOS 11 tips for the iPhone.
iOS 11 was a major release for the iPad, however, it only offers modest changes for the iPhone. This is actually a good thing. Complicated releases with too many changes are often unstable and buggy. Remember how bad iOS 8 was? Apple is hoping to avoid this, and with iOS 11 they did.
You Should Upgrade to iOS 11
I used to upgrade to the new, major version of iOS the day it was released. After iOS 8, I decided it is best to wait until there are at least a few patches. This precaution was probably unnecessary with iOS 11. It appears to be the most stable initial iOS release since iOS 6.
Beyond stability, Apple fixed a lot of annoying defects in iOS 11. Ever since iOS 9 and the fourth generation Apple TV, AirPlay has been unreliable for me. They finally fixed it with iOS 11. The bulk of the fix was on the Apple TV side. If you use AirPlay, you’ll want to upgrade both your iOS device and Apple TV as soon as possible. tvOS 11 is also a surprisingly stable and solid release.
I recommend upgrading your iPhone to iOS 11 as soon as possible. Even if you don’t need any of the new features, it’s definitely better than iOS 10.
Use Control Center
Apple made some unfortunate design decisions with Control Center for iOS 10. They complicated user interaction by splitting Control Center into multiple screens. I often used it to turn on AirPlay and play music, and it always annoyed me that I had to swipe to one extra screen.
iOS 11 brings users a completely overhauled Control Center. It’s easy to use and aesthetically appealing. The controls are simplified, however, users can access additional options using 3D Touch. Even if your iPhone doesn’t support 3D Touch, one can long-press a control to access more options.
If you don’t use Control Center already, I recommend using it now. I am aware that some users still go to the Settings app for many tasks that can be accomplished in Control Center. With iOS 11, there’s no good reason not to use Control Center.
Customize Control Center
iOS 11 gives users the ability to customize Control Center. Apple is not big on customization, at least in iOS. This is for a very good reason — performance. They don’t want users to customize their device into something that is slow and drains the battery.
Most smartphone users don’t really care about customization. Even HTC found that only 10% of users actually care about widgets. Apple knows this all too well, as the Mac has offered advanced customization for over a decade, and users simply don’t care about it. Only tech pundits really care about customization, mainly because they can use it to shame Apple. Anyone who has worked in tech and has seen a product requirements document (PRD) will know that it’s all about priorities. Apple felt that other features trumped customization.
Apple has always added small, incremental steps toward customization in iOS. With iOS 11, users can now customize Control Center, however, there are no third-party controls yet. Tap on Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls to add and rearrange controls. The Apple TV remote is my favorite “new” control. They finally made something great out of that horrible old Remote App. next page →