How to Turn On the Flashlight for Every Type of Smartphone

pexels-photo-241821

These days, you don’t need a bulky flashlight or a magic spell (“Lumos,” anyone?) to find the wallet you dropped underneath the deep, dark depths of your car’s passenger seat. Today, your smartphone has the capability to be that flashlight… provided you don’t lose your cell phone itself down a dark rabbit hole.

In this article, I’ll explain how to turn on the flashlight on every popular cell phone operating system, so you can start finding spare change, forgotten pens, and other lost goodies right away.

 

How to Turn On the Flashlight on an iPhone

The iPhone was the first smartphone to pioneer the built-in flashlight feature, which is still present on every updated iOS operating system. Here’s how you can use the flashlight feature on your iPhone.

1. Swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone to bring up the Command Center.

2. Tap the “flashlight” button on the bottom left to turn on the flashlight.

3. Turn flashlight on.

4. Point the flashlight on the back of your iPhone towards whatever you need to see.

5. Enjoy the bright light.

6. To turn off flashlight, swipe up from the bottom again.

7. Tap the “flashlight” button again to turn off flashlight.

8. Bask in the darkness.

 

Screen Shot 2017-09-18 at 12.54.23 AM

 

How to Turn On the Flashlight on an Android

If you’ve got a newer Android (2015 or newer), you’ll have a built-in flashlight function and can follow these steps to turn on the flashlight on your phone. If not, you may have to install one of the apps I’ll cover in the next section.

1. Open your notification panel (you can find this from your Quick Access Panel).

2. Find the flashlight option.

3. Tap the flashlight button to turn on the flashlight.

4. Let there be light!

5. Tap the flashlight button again to turn off flashlight.

6. Darkness falls.

IMG_7607 copy

 

5 Apps to Use If Your Phone Doesn’t Have a Built-In Flashlight

These days, all iOS and most Android phones come standard with flashlight capabilities built-in. However, if you’re running an older operating system, or simply want some fun options to turn the flashlight on, you may want to explore using a flashlight app. Here are the five best free flashlight apps to try out.

 

#1: Color Flashlight

  • Operating System: Android

Color Flashlight is a great app for Android phones, particularly those without a built-in flashlight. You can use this app to turn your screen into flashlights of different colors, shapes, sizes, and patterns. The app is free, though it does contain advertising.

 

#2: Flashlight by iHandy

  • Operating System: iOS

This simple and bright iOS flashlight app helps turn your iPhone into a super bright flashlight. It has a number of nifty bonus features, including an always-on compass, which will help you find your way if you’re lost in the dark, and a strobe mode that you can use on ten different frequencies.

 

#3: Flashlight by SimGears

  • Operating System: Android

The Flashlight app by SimGears has four widgets you can place on your Android home and lock screen for easy access. Flashlight also has a built-in functionality that recognizes when you’ve put your phone into your pocket or purse, so it can automatically turn off the flash and save battery.

 

#4: Torch

  • Operating System: Android

Torch is a great app for Android users. It comes with a home screen widget that you can install for easy access, and takes up less than 1 MB of space, so you won’t slow down your phone or use up your storage with a large, clunky app.

 

#5: TeslaLED Flashlight

  • Operating System: Android

TeslaLED Flashlight has a number of nifty features, including a simple interface, a themed home screen widget for turn flashlight on mode, and strobing and Morse code options within the app itself. You can program tons of different Morse code options into the app, so TeslaLED Flashlight is a fun option if you’re looking to send out secret messages or play around with greater app functionality.

The Bottom Line to Turn Your Flashlight On and Off

Why carry a large, bulky flashlight when you have all the capability you need to see in the dark right in your pocket? It’s as simple as swiping up on your Android or iPhone to turn on the flashlight on your phone. Just remember to turn off flashlight mode after you’ve finished, or you’ll end up with a dead phone… and no way to see in the dark.