iOS 18 has turned out to have lots of fun small upgrades that Apple neglected to mention on-stage at WWDC. And one newly-discovered extra (via 9to5Mac) is a permanent power button, located in the redesigned Control Center.
As this screenshot from the iOS 18 beta shows, an off switch now dwells in the top right corner of Control Center, easily accessible when you swipe down from that corner of the phone to access the controls.
If you want to turn off your iPhone right now, you will have to do so by pressing and holding the side button and one volume button, with only the iPhone SE and other older models still using the simple press-and-hold of the side button to access the off switch. With this iOS 18 change, you'll always have quick access to the power off command,
This is similar to certain Android skins like Google's own take on Android 14, or Samsung's One UI 6 for its Galaxy phones. Other Android phones, such as those made by OnePlus, also require a power and volume button combination, or will activate their digital assistant first when you press and hold the side button, but will switch to the power menu if you keep holding it down.
But isn't there a better way?
It's good to see Apple simplify the iPhone off switch, but the simplest method would still probably be just to bind the power off command to a side button press-and-hold again. But that command belongs to Siri at the moment, and it just got an Apple Intelligence-powered upgrade, so it's unlikely that Apple will change its mind any time soon. Let's all cross our fingers and hope it eventually becomes an option.
iOS 18 will also add features like a reworked Photos app, slow charging notifications and new customization options for your phone's home and lock screens when it arrives on compatible iPhones. It's availble to download right now if you're a registered Apple developer, but a public beta should be arriving within a few weeks, with the final version assumed to be appearing this September alongside the iPhone 16's launch.
