- The default Flashlight and Camera buttons can be changed
- There are more than 60 controls to choose from
- Each of them can also be triggered by the Action button
Last year, Apple made a big change to the iOS Lock Screen. You can now swap out the default flashlight and camera shortcuts for something of your own choosing. Huzzah!
I mean, I’ll probably still use those shortcuts for the flashlight and camera, because they’re so ingrained in muscle memory and I use them a lot. But it’s nice to have the choice, right?
Changing Lock Screen controls
To start, unlock your iPhone and long-press on a blank area of the Lock Screen to enter the quick switcher interface. Hit Customize, then select the Lock Screen option. Here, you will find minus (-) buttons on the existing controls, which by default are Flashlight and Camera. Tap the minus button to remove one or both of them.
Next – you guessed it– press the plus button to browse all the available controls. You’ll find mini versions of most – but not all – of the Control Center options; over 60 in all. Tap any one of them to slot it in place on the Lock Screen, then press Done to commit the change and exit customization mode.
Remember that no matter what you choose, Lock Screen buttons are triggered with a long-press. Standard taps do nothing, to lessen the chance of accidental activations!
More uses for the Action button
If you have a compatible device (iPhone 15 Pro and newer) you can also set the Action button on the side of your device to trigger one of these controls, effectively giving you three slots for quick access.
To customize the Action button, open the Settings app and scroll down to the Action Button option. Here, you can swipe between different available actions to choose one. Choose Controls and then Choose a Control to browse the same options available on the Lock Screen.