[Useful] How to Fix iPhone Control Center Won't Swipe Down

This article talks about how to fix iPhone Control Center won't swipe down. After reading, you can learn x useful ways to solve iPhone Control Center not working.

Clara by Clara Updated November 30, 2023
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I'm rocking an iPhone 12, my iPhone Control Center won't swipe down no matter how hard I try. Anyone else facing this annoying problem? Any hacks to get it working again?

- Question from Apple Community

Why Won’t My Notification Center Slide Down

The iPhone Control Center provides quick access to certain settings and features, such as volume, brightness, and more. If iPhone 15/14/13/12 Control Center swipe not working when you slide on your iPhone screen, this can cause a lot of inconvenience. Why does it happen?

iphone control center won't swipe down

If you're experiencing issues on your device, there could be several possible reasons, such as software glitches, system settings, software update, or etc. But don’t worry, for different reasons, this article will show you useful fixes to address iPhone Control Center can’t swipe down or up.

How Do I Make Control Center Swipe Down on My iPhone

Next, we'll show you how to fix this issue and get Control Center working again. These methods work for users with different iPhone models and different versions of iOS. Check each one until you succeed!

Way 1. Make Sure Control Center on the Lock Screen

If your iPhone Control Center swipe down not working the lock screen, the first you can do is to check if you have opened the Access on Lock Screen. This feature allows you to swipe Control Center down/up even if your iPhone is locked. Here’s the step:

Step 1. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.

Step 2. Select Control Centre to access the swipe up menu settings > Switch the toggle Access on Lock Screen to on.

iphone control center won't swipe down

Way 2. Disable the Reduce Motion

You can also turn off Reduce Motion to tackle the problem, follow the steps: Go to Settings app followed by Accessibility and then Motion > Turn off the toggle next to Reduce Motion.

Way 3. Reset the Control Center Items

Another useful method to resolve the iPhone stuck on Control Center is to consider resetting the Control Center items to fix their default settings. Some items on the Control Center itself that could be preventing it from swiping up or down. So, follow these steps to check the items:

Step 1. Open the Settings app > Navigate to Control Center > Tap Customize Controls.

Step 2. Under the Include section, find the unresponsive control > Choose to remove it.

iphone control center won't swipe down

Way 4. Enable Control Center Access Within Apps

Sometimes the iPhone Control Center won't swipe down within an application. This is just a result of a wrong setting. iOS devices have an option to turn off the Control Center when an app is open. In this case, you can only open the Control Center from the Home screen but on the specific apps.

If you want to access the Control Center from within an app, you first have to turn on Access Within Apps: Go to Settings on the iPhone > Click on Control Center > Turn on Access within Apps.

iphone control center won't swipe down

Way 5. Check to Disable VoiceOver

You can also fix Control Center not working on iOS 16/17 by disabling the VoiceOver option. Here are steps about how to do that: Navigate to Settings > Tap on Accessibility > And then, turn off the VoiceOver by toggle the icon.

If the above didn't work, you can go ahead and try the other methods below.

Way 6. Force Restart Your iPhone

Force restarting the iPhone is an effective way to fix a software glitch or some temporary bug on your device, including the issue of can’t pull down notification bar on iPhone. It should be noted that there are different ways to force restart different models of iPhones, please choose the right way to do this operation.

For iPhone X/12/13/14/15: Press and hold either Volume button and the Side button at the same time > When the power-off slider appears, release them > Turn off the iPhone by dragging the power-off slider to the right.

iphone control center won't swipe down

For iPhone 6/7/8 or SE: Press and hold the Side button until the power-off slider appears > Switch the slider to the right to close your iPhone.

For iPhone SE, 5, or earlier: Press and hold the top button > When the power-off slider shows up on the screen, move the slider to close the iPhone.

Wait for a few time, you can turn on the iPhone by pressing and holding the Side/Top button.

Way 7. Reset All Settings

If you encountered the Control Center can’t swipe down issue, resetting all settings on the iPhone can help you solve the problem. It doesn’t affect your iPhone data, do it by following the below guide: Go to Settings > Tap General > Click Reset > Select Reset All Settings to complete the process.

iphone control center won't swipe down

Way 8. Restore iPhone with iTunes (Data Loss)

If the previous methods do not solve the problem on your device, now try resetting your iPhone to factory settings. But notice that this way will delete all the data on your iPhone and install the latest iOS. So, you’d better prepare a iPhone backup before proceeding. Following the steps below to fix iPhone swipe down menu issues:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your computer > Open the latest iTunes.

Step 2. Click on the iPhone icon on the interface > Select Restore iPhone.

iphone control center won't swipe down

Preparation: Free to Backup iPhone Data Without Data Loss

Before you take measures to resolve iPhone Control Center not working issues, like it can’t swipe down or up, it is significant to back up your important files on iPhone to avoid losing data. Apple officially provides iCloud backup service, but many users are not satisfied with it. Because its backup speed is slow and the free storage space is limited to 2 GB.

So, why not use FoneTool to backup your data? FoneTool is a powerful iOS data backup and transfer tool. It supports you fully backup iPhone or selectively backup iPhone data, including backup WhatsApp media, iPhone photos, videos, music, contacts, etc.

★FoneTool also combines more features:
Unlimited backup space. You can modify the backup destination, making backup space unlimited.
High backup speed. FoneTool helps you quickly backup iPhone to iPad, to PC, or to external hard drives.
Easy to use. With a user-friendly interface, you can achieve backup with a few simple clicks.

Now, click the download icon below to install FoneTool on your computer. And then, follow the steps to back up iPhone to a computer without data loss.

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Step 1. Open FoneTool > Connect your iPhone to a computer with USB > Tap Trust on the iPhone.

Step 2. Run the FoneTool app on the PC > Tap Phone Backup > Choose Selective Backup (You can also create a full iPhone backup if you need) > Click Get Started.

iphone control center won't swipe down

Step 3. Click the file icon, we choose the Photos icon as a guide > Choose a Backup Storage Path to save the backups > Tap the Start Backup button to begin the process.

iphone control center won't swipe down

Way 9. Remove the Screen Protector

The Screen protector will cause the Apple iPhone swipe down not work. So, the last way we want to share with you is to remove the screen protector from the iPhone. After that, you can check if the swipe down function works well.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are 9 useful ways to fix iPhone Control Center won't swipe down. Try to use these solutions, and hope you can save your iPhone problem successfully! By the way, you can backup up your iPhone with FoneTool easily. No matter what you get for your iPhone failure, you don't have to worry about data loss!

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