Apple quietly added a feature everyone wanted to iOS 11, catching up to Android in a big way (AAPL)

During Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on Monday, I was looking for one relatively small update in iOS 11 that would make a big difference: the ability to turn low-power mode on or off from the Control Center.

I wasn't the only one who wanted this feature, as many others tweeted their desire for a faster, easier way to access the iPhone's low-power mode.

But lo, it wasn't announced during the WWDC keynote, and it looked as if we'd have to keep going through the somewhat convoluted process of tapping or 3D Touch-ing into the Settings menu to turn the battery-saving feature on or off.

Yet from the darkness of the concluded event rose tweets that would allay our sorrow, like this tweet from the app developer Ryan Jones, complete with siren emojis and all-caps elation:

Jones spotted the feature we all wanted in iOS 11, and it was good.

Understandably, not everyone has seen Jones' tweet or those of others who also found the unannounced feature, and many dismissed Apple for seemingly not addressing it. But Jones and I are here to tell you that yes, it is coming.

And on top of the ability to add a low-power-mode toggle to the iOS Control Center, we will finally be able to customize the features in Control Center, like turning off the cellular connection or adding a shortcut to the Notes app. No longer will we be limited to the shortcuts to which Apple thinks we should have access.

For several years, Android users have had this level of control. They can swipe down on their phones to reveal a customizable shortcuts menu, which allows them to quickly and easily access features they use regularly. Now iPhone users are finally getting some level of control, too.

As small as these Control Center features may seem compared with the bigger announcements at WWDC, it's a major shift from Apple's usual controlling ways, and it's a sign that Apple may finally be giving more power to its users to customize their iPhones and iPads in the way they want them to work.

It'll be unclear what other shortcuts we could add to the Control Center in iOS 11 until its final version is rolled out in the fall. Another I hope to see is an option to turn the mobile hotspot on or off.

Apple quietly added a feature everyone wanted to iOS 11, catching up to Android in a big way (AAPL)

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