Luke's Apple Tips & Wishlist

Luke Zilioli × starbellysw 2∞&=>

⏳ Wish

Third-party Control Center items should be resizable

Allow third-party apps to create resizable Control Center widgets that can expand and change their interface, matching the capabilities Apple reserves for its own connectivity, music, and home platters.

Currently, Apple's built-in Control Center modules can dynamically resize and transform their interfaces:

  • Connectivity platter expands to show detailed Wi-Fi/Bluetooth options
  • Music platter extends to display full playback controls and artwork
  • Home platter grows to reveal scene controls and device status

Third-party developers are restricted to static, single-size widgets that cannot expand or adapt their interface. This creates an unfair competitive advantage for Apple's own services and limits the potential for innovative Control Center experiences.

What third-party apps should be able to do:

  • Expand to show more detailed controls when pressed and held
  • Change their icon and layout when in expanded state
  • Provide rich, interactive interfaces similar to Apple's own platters
  • Adapt their content based on available space and user interaction

This artificial restriction forces users toward Apple's built-in solutions and stifles innovation in the Control Center ecosystem, representing clear anti-competitive behavior in API design.