The flashlight has long been a feature of phones, using the camera LED flash to help you navigate dark places. There’s a flashlight feature built into Android, but it takes a couple of swipes to get to it. Luckily, there are plenty of snappy ways to enable the flashlight faster on your Android phone – from shaking your phone to voice activation – and we’ve gathered them for you here.
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Via Quick Settings
On the majority of phone models these days, you can access the flashlight via Quick Settings. This is perhaps the easiest method if you don’t want to install a third-party app.
- Swipe down from the top to bring up the Quick Settings and press on the “Flashlight” tile to turn it on. Tap it again to turn it off.
- If you can’t see the tile in your list, make sure that you swipe to the right to view more of the available tiles.
- If you realize it’s missing from your Quick Settings, press on the tiny pencil-shaped icon in the lower right corner.
- Scroll down until you find the “Flashlight” one.
- Hold and drag this tile and bring it upwards. This will ensure that the tile will be visible in the first panel of Quick Settings.
Good to Know: You can customize how Quick Settings look on Android phones with these apps.
Ask the Google Assistant
Don’t forget about the Google Assistant when it comes to turning on your flashlight; you’ll be able to do so without touching your phone’s display.
- Get close to your phone (if you aren’t already) and say something like “OK, Google, turn on the flashlight,” or “OK, Google, flashlight on.” You can do so even if your device is locked.
Fun Fact: Harry Potter fans will be delighted to know that you can currently turn on your Android flashlight by uttering a spell. Say “OK, Google, Lumos!” to bring forth the light. To turn it off, say “OK google, Nox.”
- Conversely, say, “OK Google, turn off the flashlight,” or “OK, Google, flashlight off,” to turn it off. Or you can quickly toggle off the Flashlight option, which appears on the screen.
This is an excellent option if you already have too many apps on your phone and don’t have enough space for another one.
FYI: If you’re aiming to cut down on the hours spent on your phone, controlling your screen time on Android will help you achieve your goal. Here’s how to get started.
Use Gestures
Most modern Android phones have support for gestures, which let you enable and activate various features using special button presses or motions.
The exact gestures vary between different device manufacturers, and in this example, we will use a OnePlus phone.
- Open the Settings app on your Android phone.
- Scroll down until you find “Buttons & Gestures” and tap on it.
- Select “Quick Gestures.”
- Scroll all the way to the bottom and tap on one of the “Draw [Letter]” options. In our case, we opted for “Draw O.”
- Select the “Turn on/off flashlight” option.
- Exit Settings. Now you can draw an “O” with your finger on the phone’s display to activate the flashlight.
On Motorola phones, the gesture to instantly turn your flashlight on is shaking your phone in a chopping motion (this helps prevent accidentally switching it on.)
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Using Third Party Apps
There are many third-party apps out there that offer various methods when it comes to turning on the flashlight. In this section, we’ll detail some of the most interesting.
1. TapTap
Google has introduced an option that allows you to tap the back of your phone to activate a function with one of the Android 11 Developer Previews. It’s currently available for select Pixel phones and other non-Google devices.
If it’s not on your phone or you have an older device, you can use this app called TapTap. Note that you’ll need a supported Pixel (it worked on our Pixel 4a) or a rooted Android for it to work.
- Download the app and install it on your device.
- You’ll need to enable various permissions, such as unknown sources, to install this and set it up. Once you open the app, there’s a handy tutorial to walk you through the permissions you need to give.
- Launch the app and register your double-tap by firmly tapping on the back of the phone with your finger.
- Once you receive the message “Great!” tap on the screen to continue.
- You’ll now be taken to the app interface. Tap “Double Tap Actions” or “Triple Tap Actions” (depending on how you want to turn on your flashlight).
- You’ll notice a few actions listed already, including “Google Assistant” and “Screenshot.” You’ll need to add the “Flashlight” one manually. Tap on “Add Action.”
- Select “Flashlight” from the list on the next screen.
- A list of apps will appear, and you’ll need to enable those in which you want the new gesture to activate the flashlight. Unfortunately, you will have to manually help with this for each app on your phone (although some are set to “Allow” by default).
- Now, go back to the “Double Tap Actions” screen, and drag the “Flashlight” card to the top by touching the two parallel bars to always work over the other default actions.
Good to Know: These essential apps for Android phones may come in handy.
2. Torchie
Another interesting app that lets you easily turn on the flashlight is Torchie – Volume Button Torch. If you install it, you can turn on the light using the phone’s volume buttons. Just note that the app is not compatible with newer Android versions. We tried using it on Android 13 and 11 and failed, but on Android 7, it worked just fine.
- For the app to work in the background, you will need to grant “Accessibility Service” permission. Do so once you press the toggle next to “Torchie functionality” to enable the feature.
- You can even enable the Flashlight from your lock screen, but you must manually enable it. Go to “Settings” by pressing the three dots in the upper corner to reveal the option.
- Tick the “Lock Screen” option from there.
- Now, you can turn on your Android flashlight by pressing your phone’s volume button (in the middle).
- Torchie lets you opt for a secondary light source besides Flash/LED, unlike any apps on this list. Tapping on “Torch source” will also reveal the “Screen light” option.
3. Shake Flashlight
If your phone doesn’t have the built-in gesture support mentioned earlier, you can get a third-party app that does the job. You’ll need to install an app called Shake Flashlight.
- Open the app and press the three dots in the upper right corner.
- Select “Shake to switch” and tap “OK” on the pop-up, alerting you that some phones don’t support shaking when the screen is off due to battery savings.
- Also, make sure the “Ignore shaking when the screen is off” feature is disabled to be able to turn on the flashlight even if your phone’s screen is not on.
- Verify under your “Battery” settings that the app is under no restrictions due to your phone’s battery optimization features. Then you should be good to go!
- If you feel you have to shake your phone too hard, you can change the sensitivity in the app’s settings. Tap on the three vertical dots in the top-right corner and tap on “Shake Sensitivity.”
- The app will warn you that if you set the sensitivity too high, the Flashlight could turn on accidentally.
Tip: Need more widgets? Check out this comprehensive list of Android widgets that will improve your phone.
4. Flashlight Widget
Last, you can use a widget app like Flashlight Widget to get some light.
- Once the app is installed, you must long-press on a space on the home screen.
- Tap on the “Widgets” option at the bottom.
- Swipe down in the list of widgets until you find the “Flashlight” one, and tap on it.
- Long-press on the widget and drag it to a space on your display.
- The app doesn’t have a Settings page. When you see the widget, you’ll only know if the app is installed. No app icon will appear.
- Now all you have to do to turn on the flashlight is press the red button.
Tip: Google Play Services draining your battery on Android? Here’s how to fix that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the flashlight drain battery faster?
It may seem obvious, but the internet wants to know! As you might have anticipated, the answer is a resounding “yes.” A flashlight will heat your phone up and use your battery quickly, so you should use it sparingly. For this reason, many phones disable the flashlight as part of their “Battery saving” features when you’re on low battery.
Can the flashlight burn out?
Technically, yes, it can, but if it does in the lifetime of your phone, then it’s probably a manufacturing defect. The LED on a flashlight should last around 50,000 hours, which equates to about five years of being left on non-stop – 10 years if you leave it on 12 hours a day. You should be fine.
Does the flashlight emit radiation?
Well, yes, sort of, but that doesn’t mean you should worry that your eyes will melt out of your skull if someone shines it in your face. Like most light sources, flashlights emit low-level non-ionizing radiation that isn’t harmful to humans. If you’re worried about flashlight radiation, you should worry about radiation from all light sources, and that’s no fun way to live!
Can you adjust the flashlight's brightness levels?
Yes, it’s possible on some phones, thanks to built-in features. For instance, you can do so on Samsung Galaxy phones from Quick Settings. Pull down the panel so that you see the Flashlight tile. Then instead of tapping the actual icon, tap the text beneath it that says “Flashlight.” This will take you to a secret menu where you can adjust the flashlight’s brightness when you turn it on. Press “Done,” and you’re good to go. For those with an Android 13 device that supports more than one light level, you can try installing the FlashDim app and controlling your flashlight brightness from within the app.
How bright is an Android phone flashlight?
Most modern Android smartphones have fairly bright flashlights capable of producing enough light for most scenarios. Common flashlight LEDs in smartphones range from around 40 to 50 lumens. Yet it’s important to note that not all devices will have the same flashlight brightness. Some budget or older devices may have less powerful flashlights than newer high-end smartphones.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.
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