For the past few years, Apple has been slowly degrading Game Center support in iOS. First, it stopped being a standalone app. In iOS 10, it became a single settings item and you were allowed too sign out of Game Center. But that didn’t actually disable the functionality. You’d still see the banner when you opened supported apps. In iOS 11, there’s a way to actually disable the entire Game Center feature for good.

How to Disable Game Center in iOS 11

Game Center is Apple’s system for syncing game progress data, achievements, and online multiplayer. If you’re not interested in using these features, here’s how to disable it in iOS 11.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and find Game Center from the list.

Step 2: Tap on the toggle next to Game Center.

Step 3: Wait for a while as the functionality is disable. You’ll now see that all the features related to Game Center disappear from this section.

What This Means for Gameplay

Now, when you launch a game that supports Game Center, you won’t get the annoying banners either asking you to sign into Game Center or welcoming you. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like game leaderboards or playing multiplayer games, this is a great way to get some peace of mind.

When you disable Game Center, it won’t delete all your game process and achievements. But from now on, any new progress will be saved locally on the device. To back up your game progress, you’ll actually need to back up your iOS device using iTunes or iCloud.

Sadly, there’s no way to disable the feature on a per game basis. So if you come across a game you really way to play with your friends, you’ll need to come back here and enable the feature once again.

Did you use Game Center often? What are your favorite multiplayer games? Share with us in the comments below.