iOS 18 Control Center: 18 apps that add useful actions to your iPhone

Apple’s iOS 18 software update rolled out earlier this month, and it brought significant changes to the iOS Control Center, which provides convenient access to commonly used functions with a simple swipe down on the Home Screen. Now, in addition to the existing controls like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Flashlight, and so on, Apple allows third-party app developers to create controls for their own apps. 

Below, we’ve compiled a list of iOS 18-ready apps that users can try in order to take advantage of the redesigned Control Center.

Bulletin

Bulletin, the AI-powered news reader app that summarizes articles, notably has a total of nine Control Center widgets (the most we’ve seen so far). These include new options to quickly perform app actions, such as going straight to the “For You” tab without opening the app. Additionally, options to go to different news categories, including “Business,” “Entertainment,” “Fashion,” “Sports,” and “Technology.” There’s also an option to pull up the app’s “Smart Summary” feature, which uses AI to recap the top articles of the day.

CARROT Weather

CARROT Weather, the app that delivers snarky weather forecasts, is also taking advantage of the iOS update with two Control Center widgets. Now, users can add shortcuts to quickly open the Weather and Maps tabs.

Crouton

Recipe organizer and meal planner app Crouton launched a helpful Control Center widget for users looking to import new recipes with one tap. 

Cheatsheet Notes

Cheatsheet is a widget that lets users write down important reminders such as hotel room numbers, license plate numbers, and lock combinations to quickly access from their iPhone home screen. The app now has a Control Center widget where people can swipe down to access one of their most important notes. There’s also a new option to add a new “Cheat” or note.

FitBee

FitBee is a new nutrition-tracking app that lets you log a meal by taking a photo of it, and AI can estimate the meal’s calories and macros, according to the app’s developers. FitBee recently released two features that take advantage of the new Control Center, including the ability to scan barcodes and snap photos of food items, letting users log even faster.

Focused Work

Focused Work, a time management app that helps users focus, has new control widgets that allow people to start a focus session and access the “Scratch Pad,” or notes section for writing down thoughts that can be revisited after the session. 

LookUp

LookUp is a dictionary app that teaches users one word a day. It introduced several actions to the Control Center, such as the ability to search for a word, scan a word with the phone camera to see its definition, or set up the app’s “Reading Mode,” which turns on a Live Activity to quickly look up a word from the Lock Screen.

Mango Baby

The Mango Baby app, designed for newborn care, offers parents five useful widgets that can be added to their Control Center. The app now allows users to log diaper changes, and it provides the option to set up different timers such as a sleep timer, pumping timer, bath timer, and tummy time timer to help parents keep track of their baby’s daily routine.

MediSOS

The most notable feature that MediSOS offers is its emergency siren that activates when users press the SOS button in the app, notifying people around them that they’re in need of medical attention. Now, people can start the medical emergency alarm from the Control Center thanks to the iOS 18 update. 

Dark Noise

Dark Noise, the app that plays ambient sounds, added multiple options to the Control Center, so users can choose a type of noise, start playing rain sounds, and set a timer all without opening the app. 

Pedometer++

Pedometer++ lets people track their step count, walking distance, active calories, and heart rate. The app’s new widgets let users instantly start a walk, run, and hike. They can also open the app with one tap. 

Saturn

Saturn is a recently launched app dubbed the “Mastadon for Everyone” and works with the decentralized social network to show popular content. Now, users can access a series of actions for their iPhone Control Center, such as the ability to open tabs like “Communities,” “Highlights,” “Latest News,” “Popular Pages,” “Suggested Accounts,” and “Trending Tags.” Users can also create a new post or open the search function.

Sofa 

Sofa allows users to create lists of different things, from apps to download to things to watch, read, play, and listen to. There are four new control widgets to choose from: “The Pile,” which has everything saved in one place; “Pinned items,” which takes users to their favorite items; “Logbook,” for things they’ve already completed; and “List,” which quickly pulls up a go-to list.  

Spark

Spark is an AI email assistant designed to help people handle and sort emails while connecting multiple accounts into one inbox. The app offers four widgets that can be added to the Control Center, allowing users to easily access the app for composing emails, conducting searches, accessing attachments, or checking the calendar.

Tripsy

Tripsy is a travel planner app that lets people plan a list of activities for their next trip, receive real-time flight updates, and even track expenses. Its new control actions allow people to quickly access their trip itinerary or create their upcoming travel plan.  

TV Remote

TV Remote is a fully customizable remote app for LG, Samsung, Roku, and Sony televisions. One of the most helpful new actions for the Control Center is “Remote Command,” letting users quickly access the remote whenever they want without having to launch the app. 

Waterllama

Waterllama, the app that tracks daily water intake to ensure people stay hydrated, has a new Control Center widget that lets users quickly add a custom amount of water or other beverages to the daily total. Notably, the widgets aren’t static, so when people tap on them, they include animations. Users can also customize the animation from six different options: splash, big splash, drizzle, droplets, circles, and a pixelated splash. 

Zenitizer 

Zenitizer allows users to create meditation timers, listen to relaxing sounds, track daily goals, and set reminders. Now, people can add the app’s widget to their Control Center to set a meditation timer with one tap.