Use iPhone Control Center Buttons on Apple Watch - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Use iPhone Control Center Buttons on Apple Watch

by

In watchOS 26, Apple made the Control Center more customizable than ever. You can rearrange it and add third-party app controls, and if you don't like your changes, you can revert to the original design. Here's how it works.

Apple Watch Custom Control Center watchOS 26
With watchOS 26, the Apple Watch Control Center got a major upgrade. It still offers instant access to default functions like turning on the flashlight, toggling Low Power Mode, or pinging your iPhone when it's lost, but now it does much more.

From Your iPhone

Previously, Apple limited customization to rearranging icons or adding shortcuts from Apple's built-in apps. In watchOS 26 though, thanks to the Control Widget API, iPhone developers can create custom controls to be added to the Control Center. This is the case even if the iOS app offering the control lacks a corresponding watchOS app.

When you tap on one of these controls, the action is performed on your paired iPhone. These custom controls can also be assigned to the Action button on Apple Watch Ultra models and to the Smart Stack widget. Support is currently sparse, but hopefully we'll see more developers make use of it in the future.

Customize Control Center on Apple Watch

To rearrange, add and remove Control Center buttons, press the side button, scroll to the bottom, then tap Edit. There's a new section of "Suggested" controls at the top of the screen, which can help you avoid having to scroll through long lists, and a new "From Your iPhone" section at the bottom of the editing menu. Note that third-party app developers have to have created a control using the Control Widget API for it to show here.

If you don't like your changes, you can easily revert Control Center to the original layout with default controls: open the Settings app, tap Control Center, then tap Reset Control Center layout.

You can also revert Control Center via your iPhone – go to the Watch app, tap My Watch, tap Control Center, then tap Reset Control Center.

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...
Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....