Why You Should Disable the iPhone Control Center When Locked
But having the Control Center functional on the lock screen is not a good idea.
Let's see why and then see how you should disable access to the Control Center from the lock screen of your iPhone or iPad.
Implications of accessing the Control Center via the lock screen
Accessing the Control Center via the lock screen is super helpful. Who doesn't like to use, for example, Do Not Disturb or Stopwatch without having to unlock the screen first? But this convenience also poses many problems.
For starters, you still run the risk of inadvertently popping up the Control Center and triggering an unwanted action – having your music glowing in public can be a little embarrassing.
But if that is not a problem, it will surely be the case. The control center also houses the most important controls that keep the Find My iPhone / iPad function functional – cellular data and Bluetooth.
Imagine this: a thief steals your iPhone. To get Find My up and running, just turn off cellular data to turn off location tracking. Unlimited access to the Control Center makes this a real concern.
Even if changes to cellular data are limited, all that the thief needs to do is activate airplane mode instead. Therefore, disabling access to the Control Center from the lock screen can help avoid this.
Yes, this will likely not prevent the thief from physically removing the SIM card from your device. However, iOS 13 and iPadOS also have offline search technology that uses Bluetooth tags to track devices. This means that you can still track your phone even without cellular data.
So obviously not having access to the Control Center will deter thieves, as it is quite difficult to deactivate Bluetooth otherwise. And although the thief can turn off your device, Bluetooth will stay on automatically every time he turns it back on.
That said, disabling access to the control center on the lock screen is not a perfect security measure and will be of no use to you if the only intention is to 39; a thief is to sell your iPhone or iPad for spare parts.
Finally, having the Control Center disabled on the lock screen will be of little importance on iPhones or iPads that use Face ID. The lock screen is usually unlocked the moment you open your device, so you'll always have seamless access to the Control Center without having to visit the home screen.
Disable Control Center in iOS 11 and above
Disabling Control Center on the lock screen of your iPhone or iPad only requires a brief visit to the Settings panel, and the following steps will show you how.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, then tap Touch ID & Passcode or Face ID & Passcode. You must then enter your lock screen access code to continue.
2nd step: Scroll down to the Allow access when locked section, then turn off the switch next to Control Center.
Point: Be sure to review the other options listed in the Allow access when locked section. Disable anything you don't want others to access without your permission.
That should do the trick. Your iPhone or iPad will not allow access to the Control Center once the screen is locked. You can still access it after unlocking your device. On devices with Face ID, it shouldn't matter – just look at your iPhone or iPad to unlock it and you can access the Control Center without delay.
Note: On iOS 10 and earlier, the steps to disable access to the Control Center from the lock screen are slightly different – open the Settings app, tap on the option labeled Control Center, then turn off the switch next to Access on the lock screen.
Reinforced security
As you have seen, disabling access to the Control Center via the lock screen prevents others from interfering with your iPhone or iPad and makes any potential thief think about it. Yes – it can get tedious when you access the Control Center yourself, especially if you rely on Touch ID or a password to unlock your device.
But if you carry your iPhone or iPad everywhere, the extra boost in security is worth it. Don't consider it a safe way to prevent your device from being stolen.
Next step: Disabling Control Center on the lock screen will not remove the camera icon. If you're fed up with others taking photos without your permission, here's how to turn them off.