How To Personalize Lock Screen Controls on Your iPhone

Getting a Handle on Lock Screen Controls in iOS 18

Honestly, if you’ve just jumped onto iOS 18, you’ll notice Apple has finally started giving us a bit more say in what shows up on the lock screen — about time, right? For the longest time, you were pretty much stuck with whatever controls Apple decided to put there, and trying to customize felt like a chore. But now, it’s possible to tweak things to an extent, or at least clear out some clutter. I’ll admit, I was kinda surprised how much you can mess with once you figure out where everything is. The UI, however, isn’t always upfront about what’s customizable, which led me down a few dead ends before finally getting the hang of it. Anyway, here’s what I learned — be aware, some steps are a little trial-and-error, especially when controls stubbornly don’t want to cooperate.

How to Remove Controls from the Lock Screen

If you’re like me and want a cleaner look, removing some of those unwanted controls is step one. To do this, press and hold anywhere on the lock screen until a menu appears, then tap Edit. This puts you into the lock screen editing mode. From there, you’ll see your existing controls—things like music, flashlight, or whatever else is there. Tap on the specific control you want to get rid of, and you should see an option to delete or remove it. Sometimes, the removal isn’t obvious—there’s no clear delete button, and it took me a couple of tries to find the right gesture. Once you tap away or hit delete, that control is gone and your lock screen looks a bit less cluttered.

Extra tip: if nothing responds or controls refuse to be removed, do a quick restart — a side + volume up combination worked for me, or just hold the power button and slide to power off. After rebooting, try again. Apple’s interface can be a little sluggish or bugged after updates, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work right away.

Adding New Controls — Widgets, Flashlights, and More

Removing controls is just half the puzzle. If you want to add something new—say a widget, more quick toggles, or a music control—you’ll want to look for that Add button, often a plus sign (+) or sometimes just an icon that says “Add.” The tricky part? Sometimes it’s hidden under a menu—like an ellipsis (…) or tucked away in a palette of options. So, don’t be surprised if it takes a little digging. Once you find the add option, tap it, and a list of available controls should pop up. From there, just tap what you want to see right on your lock screen. Apple’s design is meant to be simple, but sometimes it feels like the add button is hiding — I almost missed it my first few tries.

Helpful hint: if you’re into accessibility features like AssistiveTouch or quick shortcuts, those can sometimes speed up adding or removing controls, especially if the UI acts buggy or slow.

Replacing Controls — The Two-Step Dance of Remove then Add

Sometimes, it’s not enough to just remove something; you want to swap it for something better, more useful. The way to do that is to first remove the current control—again, by editing mode—and then add a new one in its place. Yeah, it’s a bit of a hassle—kind of like managing app icons on your home screen—but once you get the hang of it, it’s straightforward. Just remember, changes often don’t stick after a reboot unless you make sure to save everything properly. I found that exiting the menu without saving can sometimes leave your control setup half-done. Also, if controls disappear after restarting your device, double-check that you’ve hit “save” or confirmed your choices before leaving the menu. Certain modes, like Vehicle Mode or when your phone’s in Do Not Disturb, might hide or disable some toggles altogether, so keep that in mind.

Extra Tips & Troubleshooting — Because Nothing’s Ever Perfect

Make sure your iPhone’s running the latest iOS version. Apple pushes out updates that often fix bugs like these.
Check Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Allow Access When Locked—sometimes controls are disabled here, especially if the toggle isn’t turned on.
If controls aren’t showing up or won’t delete, try resetting all settings (Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings) — yeah, it’s a bit drastic, but it clears out glitches that aren’t obvious.
And of course, some changes only apply after a restart. That’s just Apple being “consistent.”

Wrapping It Up — The Lowdown on Lock Screen Customization

Bottom line? You do have some control now, at least on a limited level, thanks to iOS 18. It’s not as deep as Android-level freedom, but you can tweak what’s visible on your lock screen, remove what’s unnecessary, and add a few widgets or toggles. The process involves some tapping around, a bit of patience, and probably a reboot or two, but most stuff is doable. Honestly, this took me longer than I’d like to admit, because some controls are kinda hidden or buggy at first, especially after updates. Just keep trying, save your changes, and don’t be afraid to reboot if things look weird or aren’t sticking.

Hope this helps — it took me way too long to figure it out, and I know how annoying it can be. Double-check your settings, ensure you’ve saved everything properly, and if something isn’t right, a reboot usually sorts it out. Good luck customizing that lock screen. Honestly, it’s kinda nice having a bit more say in how it looks — even if Apple makes it a little tricky sometimes.