Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. Guides

How to use iOS 13’s smart Wi-Fi and Bluetooth controls from Control Center

Christian de Looper
By

The iPhone has long been one of the best smartphones on the market, but it’s not without its caveats. For one, accessing essential controls like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and more have always been difficult and time-consuming. Thankfully, Apple has made it much easier to make changes in the control center with iOS 13. But how do you use it?

Today, we’ll cover everything you need to master these long-overdue iOS 13 features.

Recommended Videos

How to access Wi-Fi controls from Control Center in iOS 13

  1. Swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone screen, or down from the upper-right corner of an iPhone X or later.
  2. Long press on the section of Control Center with wireless controls like Airplane Mode, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi to open the broader wireless controls.
  3. Long press on the Wi-Fi toggle. Your device will scan for Wi-Fi networks and show any available networks.
  4. To switch to a new network, tap on it and enter the password if prompted. To tweak more advanced settings, tap Wi-Fi Settings… at the bottom of the window.

How to access Bluetooth controls from Control Center in iOS 13

  1. Swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone screen, or down from the upper-right corner of an iPhone X or later.
  2. Long press on the section of Control Center with wireless controls like Airplane Mode, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi to open the broader wireless controls.
  3. Long press on the Bluetooth button. Your device will scan for available Bluetooth devices.
  4. To connect to a new device, tap on it. To tweak more advanced settings, tap Bluetooth Settings… at the bottom of the window.

That’s really all there is to it. Of course, if you’re like me — out of habit — you’ll still head to the Settings app to access these settings for a while, but if you can force yourself to use the new controls, you’ll soon get used to them and find that they’re quite a bit easier to use. Check out our review of iOS 13 for all of the latest and greatest features in the new operating system and dig in to our iOS 13 tips to find even more useful options.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Christian de Looper
Christian de Looper
Contributor
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
How to save text messages on iPhone and Android
iMessage on an iPhone.

We receive a lot of important information via text. Whether it’s a date you need to set or important work-related info, you might find yourself wanting to save a text message. Modern smartphones all offer a way to back up your core data and transfer it to another device. However, transfers sometimes don’t include your text messages unless you save them ahead of time or are transferring across the same mobile operating system.

Here's how to save your text messages in Android and iOS.
How to save your text messages on iPhone
There are multiple ways to backup your iPhone text messages. Here are the easiest.
How to make iPhone text message backups using iExplorer
The most universal method of saving your iPhone text messages is via the iExplorer program.

Read more
I need this iOS concept feature on my iPhone right now
An iOS concept showing a Smart Stack of widgets below the app dock.

It's always fun to imagine and speculate what new smartphone operating systems will bring. With Apple's iOS 18 update launching later this year — and reported to be a big one — there's a lot of anticipation over what Apple's next iPhone update will bring to the table.

We don't know much about what the next iOS update will offer, but there is one feature that I now need it to have. Product designer Gavin Nelson recently shared an iOS concept feature on X (formerly Twitter) and Threads, and it looks incredible.

Read more
The 7 best voice-changing apps for Android and iOS in 2024

Whether you're embarrassed by your voice, want to stay more anonymous, or just want to prank a friend, voice-changing apps for Android and iOS smart phones are the way to go. They can make you sound like anything from a tinny chipmunk to an alien, or even have more fine-tuned controls to make your voice deeper or higher-pitched, depending on your preference.

To get started with any of these apps, we recommend reading this article on your smartphone. When you see an app you're interested in, we've provided links directly to the store page for that item. What's better is that most voice changers are free, though some have limited in-app purchases.
Baviux Voice Changer with Effects
Best voice changer app for Android

Read more