How to Customize Your Apple Watch's Control Center

Quick Links

The Control Center on your Apple Watch is a quick way to check its battery, activate modes like SIlent and Airplane mode, and perform other actions. Here's how to customize it so the features you use most are only a quick swipe away.

How to Open the Control Center

From your watch face, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the Control Center. You can then swipe or use the Digital Crown to scroll.

If you're on another screen, touch and hold on the bottom of the screen, and then swipe up. You can't open the Control Center from the Home Screen (the one with all your apps).

To close the Control Center, swipe down from the top of your screen. You can also press the Digital Crown. (That's the wheel on the side of your watch.)

Everything the Control Center Does

The Control Center has a lot of features crammed into it. Here are the main options in the Control Center, going from left to right:

Wireless icon: Disconnect from WiFi networks.
Bed icon: Put your Watch in sleep tracking mode.
Masks icon: Turn on Theater mode.
Droplet icon: Turn on water lock.
Audio icon: Choose an output audio source.
Ringing phone icon: Ping your iPhone so you can find it.
Percentage number: The amount of battery you have remaining.
Bell icon: Turn on Silent mode.
Flashlight icon: Use your Watch as a flashlight.
Airplane icon: Put your Watch in Airplane mode.
Hand-raised icon: Put your Watch in Schooltime mode.
Walkie talkie icon: Make yourself available on Walkie Talkie mode.
Moon icon: Turn on Do Not Disturb mode.
Lock icon: Lock your Apple Watch. (Note, you'll only see this if wrist detection is turned off.)
Cellular icon: Turn cellular connection on or off.
Small phone icon: This displays in the top-left corner when your iPhone is connected to your watch (and goes red when it isn't).
Purple arrow icon: This displays in the top-right corner when an app can use location data.

That's a lot of different icons!

How to Add or Remove Icons

Some features are hidden by default. To add them to your Control Center, open the Control Center, scroll down to the bottom, and tap "Edit." Under "More," you'll see any hidden features. Tap the green "Plus" button to add the icons, then tap "Done."

On the other hand, you can tidy up your Control Center by removing any features you don't use. Open the Control Center, scroll down to the bottom, and tap "Edit." Tap the red "Dash" (minus sign) icon next to any features you want hidden.

Note: You won't always see every icon. For example, you won't see the Cellular icon unless you have an Apple Watch with Cellular and GPS. Similarly, you need the Walkie Talkie app installed to see its icon.

How to Reposition Control Center Icons

You can also move these icons around so that your favorite features are quicker to access. Open the Control Center, scroll down and tap "Edit," tap and hold on any icon, then drag it to the place you want it to be. Tap "Done" when you're happy with things.