In this post, I’ll show you two clean options using Shortcuts:

1. OPTION A: ONE BUTTON THAT OPENS A MENU (RESTART OR SHUT DOWN)

2. OPTION B: TWO SEPARATE BUTTONS (ONE FOR RESTART, ONE FOR SHUT DOWN)

Both options live directly in iOS 18 Control Centre, so you can stop remembering button combinations and just tap what you want.

WHAT YOU’LL GET

• A consistent restart/shut down workflow

• A Control Centre button (Option A) or two dedicated buttons (Option B)

• A setup that’s quick to rebuild on any iPhone running iOS 18

BEFORE YOU START

1. Make sure you’re on iOS 18 minimum.

2. Open the Shortcuts app.

3. Decide which you prefer:

   1. one menu button (Option A)

   2. two instant buttons (Option B)

OPTION A: ONE SHORTCUT WITH A MENU (RESTART / SHUT DOWN)

WHY YOU’D USE THIS

• You want one tidy Control Centre button

• You like the extra “are you sure?” moment of choosing from a menu

• You don’t want two separate controls taking up space

BUILD THE SHORTCUT

1. Open Shortcuts

2. Tap + (new shortcut)

3. Name it: POWER MENU (or similar)

4. Add action: CHOOSE FROM MENU

   • Set the prompt to something like: “Restart or Shut Down ?”

5. Add menu item: SHUTDOWN

   • Under this item, add action: SHUTDOWN

6. Add menu item: RESTART

   • Under this item, again add action: SHUTDOWN

   • Then select the Shut Down parameter (in blue) and change to Restart

   • You can change the order of how both these will appear in the menu by selecting and moving up or down.

7. Tap DONE

ADD OPTION A TO CONTROL CENTRE (iOS 18)

1. Swipe down to open CONTROL CENTRE

2. Press and hold an empty area to enter edit mode

3. Tap Add a Control

4. Add Shortcuts

5. Tap the new Shortcuts control to configure it

6. Select your shortcut: POWER MENU

7. Tap DONE

HOW IT FEELS

Swipe → tap → choose Restart or Shut Down → confirm.

OPTION B: TWO SEPARATE SHORTCUTS (ONE FOR RESTART, ONE FOR SHUT DOWN)

WHY YOU’D USE THIS

• You want the fastest possible action

• You want one tap to mean one thing (no menu)

• You’re happy using two Control Centre controls

BUILD SHORTCUT 1: RESTART

1. Open Shortcuts

2. Tap +

3. Name it: RESTART iPHONE

4. Add action: Shut Down

5. Change the Shut Down parameter (in blue) from Shut Down to Restart.

6. Tap DONE

BUILD SHORTCUT 2: SHUT DOWN

1. Open Shortcuts

2. Tap +

3. Name it: SHUT DOWN iPHONE

4. Add action: SHUT DOWN

5. Tap DONE

ADD OPTION B TO CONTROL CENTRE (iOS 18)

1. Swipe down to open CONTROL CENTRE

2. Press and hold an empty area to enter edit mode

3. Tap Add a Control

4. Add Shortcuts

5. Tap that Shortcuts control → assign it to RESTART iPHONE

6. Tap Add a Control again

7. Add Shortcuts a second time

8. Tap the second Shortcuts control → assign it to SHUT DOWN iPHONE

9. Tap DONE

HOW IT FEELS

Swipe → tap Restart (or Shut Down) → confirm.

WHICH OPTION SHOULD YOU PICK?

1. OPTION A (MENU)

• Best if you want one Control Centre control for both actions

• Best if you like the extra selection step before doing anything

2. OPTION B (TWO BUTTONS)

• Best if you want pure speed

• Best if you restart often and want it immediately available

RECOMMENDED NAMING

Clear names make Control Centre setup painless:

• POWER MENU

• RESTART iPHONE

• SHUT DOWN iPHONE

If you want to go a step further, give them different icons/colours in Shortcuts so they’re visually distinct when you’re editing.

TROUBLESHOOTING

1. IT ASKS ME TO CONFIRM EVERY TIME

   That’s normal. Restart and shut down are sensitive actions, so iOS typically requires confirmation.

2. I ADDED SHORTCUTS BUT IT RUNS THE WRONG SHORTCUT

   Go back into Control Centre edit mode, tap the control, and re-select the correct shortcut.

3. I ONLY SEE ONE SHORTCUTS CONTROL

   In iOS 18 Control Centre, you can add controls multiple times. Make sure you’re tapping ADD A CONTROL again and adding SHORTCUTS a second time for Option B.

4. I TAP AND NOTHING HAPPENS

   Open the shortcut inside the Shortcuts app once and run it manually. If iOS needs permissions/confirmation the first time, doing it there usually makes the Control Centre run more reliable afterwards.

SECURITY NOTE

These shortcuts are local and simple, but treat them like power buttons: place them somewhere sensible in Control Centre so you don’t hit them by accident.

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