Open Radar

 
Area:
Control Center

Summary:
In iOS 11 it is more tedious to connect AirPods (or change the A/V output in general) than it was in iOS 10. If you're using an app that has an AirPlay button, it's easy to just use that, but often third party apps do not have this option—the only choice is to use Control Center.

(On a strongly related side note: in both iOS 10 and iOS 11, the decision to give AirPlay Mirroring a larger and easier to access button continues to be puzzling to me. My fairly tech-savvy wife thought this was the only way to AirPlay video from an app that doesn't have an in-app button for it.)

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal Control Center.
2. Look for the option to change the audio output or use AirPlay.

Expected Results:
A button should be visible at the top level of Control Center to change the audio output or use AirPlay. At the very least, it should be possible to enable such a button in the Settings app, for those that want quicker access.

Observed Results:
The audio output button is hidden inside the playback controls. This adds an extra step to change the setting, and it's not the most obvious place to look. Generally I want to choose the output *before* I start playing something. The appearance of the Control Center widget suggests it's for controlling the playback of whatever app you're already listening to.

Version:
iOS 11 (15A5304i)