You dropped your keys under the car seat, the hallway light is out, or you are walking to the front door in the dark. Every phone already has a torch built in — the same LED next to the camera — and on every modern phone it is one or two taps away. The only reason it feels hard to find is that each phone hides it in a slightly different place.
The rest of this guide covers every way to switch the light on for each phone, how to change its brightness, the hands-free shortcuts, and what to check when it refuses to turn on.
Turn on the flashlight on iPhone
Apple lists four ways to turn the flashlight on, and Control Center is the one you will use most.
- Open Control Center: on an iPhone with Face ID, swipe down from the top-right corner; on an iPhone with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom edge.
- Tap the Flashlight button. The LED on the back lights up straight away.
- Tap the button again to turn it off.
If the Flashlight button is missing from Control Center, add it: open Settings > Control Center, then tap Flashlight in the list of available controls. You can also touch and hold the screen while Control Center is open to edit the controls.
From the Lock Screen: you do not need to unlock the phone. Wake the iPhone, then press and hold the Flashlight button in the bottom-left corner. A quick tap is not enough — the press-and-hold is deliberate, so the light does not switch on by accident in your pocket. Press and hold it again to turn it off. If the button is not there, it was swapped for another control: touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, and put the flashlight back. Our guide to changing the lock screen clock style on iPhone and Android walks through the same Lock Screen customization screen.
With Siri: say "Hey Siri, turn on my flashlight" or "Hey Siri, turn off my flashlight." It works from the Lock Screen too, as long as Siri is allowed there.
With the Action button: on iPhone 15 Pro and later, open Settings > Action Button, swipe to the Flashlight icon, and then press and hold the Action button whenever you need the light.
Apple documents all of these routes on its Turn the flashlight on or off on your iPhone or iPad Pro page.
Turn on the flashlight on a Google Pixel
On a Pixel, the flashlight lives in Quick Settings, the same panel that holds Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- Swipe down from the top of the screen once for the small panel, or twice for the full Quick Settings grid.
- Tap the Flashlight tile. Tap it again to turn it off.
- If the tile is missing, tap the pencil icon in Quick Settings and drag Flashlight into the active tiles.
From the Lock Screen: on Pixel phones running Android 14 and later, you can put a flashlight shortcut on the Lock Screen. Open Settings > Display > Lock screen > Shortcuts and choose Flashlight for the left or right shortcut, then press and hold the shortcut on the Lock Screen to switch the light on.
With Quick Tap: Pixel 4a (5G) and later can toggle the flashlight by double-tapping the back of the phone. Open Settings > System > Gestures > Quick Tap to start actions, turn on Use Quick Tap, and choose Toggle flashlight. If it fires by accident in your pocket, turn on Require stronger taps on the same screen — a thick case can also stop it working, so test it with your case on.
With your voice: say "Hey Google, turn on the flashlight." It needs the Google Assistant to be set up, and on some phones it works best with the screen already on.
Google documents Quick Tap on its Use gestures on your Pixel phone help page.
Turn on the flashlight on a Samsung Galaxy
Samsung calls it Flashlight in the Quick panel on newer phones and Torch on some older ones — it is the same switch.
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the Quick panel. On One UI 7 and later, swipe down from the top-right corner.
- Tap the Flashlight tile. Tap it again to turn it off.
- If you do not see it, swipe left across the panel for more tiles, or tap the pencil icon to edit the panel and drag Flashlight back in.
Change the brightness: Samsung is the one brand that gives the flashlight a proper brightness control. Tap the word Flashlight under the icon (or touch and hold the icon), turn the switch on, then drag the slider — most Galaxy phones offer five brightness levels. The setting sticks, so the next time you tap the tile it comes on at the level you picked.
From the Lock Screen: Galaxy phones let you set the flashlight as a Lock Screen shortcut. Open Settings > Lock screen and AOD > Shortcuts, pick Flashlight for the left or right shortcut, then long-press and swipe on the shortcut to switch the light on or off.
With the Side key: if you want the light without touching the screen at all, open Settings > Advanced features > Side button, turn on Double press, choose Open app, and pick Flashlight. Two presses of the Side key then turn the light on. On older One UI versions the flashlight may not appear in the app list — in that case a Bixby Routine can do the same job.
Samsung documents the Quick Settings route on its How do I use my Samsung Galaxy device as a torch? page.
iPhone vs Pixel vs Samsung at a glance
| Phone | Fastest way | Brightness control | Hands-free shortcut |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone | Control Center, tap Flashlight | Press and hold the button, drag the slider | Siri, or the Action button on iPhone 15 Pro and later |
| Google Pixel | Quick Settings, tap Flashlight | Long-press the tile on newer models | Quick Tap (double-tap the back), or "Hey Google" |
| Samsung Galaxy | Quick panel, tap Flashlight | Tap the tile label, five-level slider | Double-press the Side key, or Bixby |
Flashlight, camera flash and notification flash are not the same
All three use the same small LED on the back of the phone, but each one has its own control, and mixing them up is the most common confusion:
- Flashlight: the LED kept on as a steady light, for seeing in the dark. This is what this guide covers.
- Camera flash: a brief burst of the same LED when you take a photo. It is controlled inside the Camera app and has nothing to do with the flashlight switch.
- LED flash for alerts: the LED blinking when a call or message arrives while the phone is locked. That is a separate accessibility setting — our guide to making your phone flash when ringing covers it.
If the flashlight will not turn on
Work through these in order before assuming the LED is broken:
- The Camera app is open. Close the Camera app and any app that uses the camera or flash, then try the toggle again. This is the most common cause on every phone.
- The tile or button is missing. On iPhone, add it in Settings > Control Center. On Android, tap the pencil icon in Quick Settings and drag Flashlight back into the panel.
- The Lock Screen button was replaced. On iPhone, touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, and swap the flashlight back in. On Pixel and Samsung, check Settings > Lock screen > Shortcuts.
- The phone is hot. The LED is driven hard, and the phone protects itself: if it overheats, it dims the flashlight or switches it off. Let the phone cool down and try again.
- Power saving is on. Some battery-saver modes limit the flashlight. Turn the saver off, or plug the phone in and try again.
- Restart the phone. A stuck camera process can hold the LED hostage even after the app is closed. A restart clears it.
- Run a diagnostic. On Samsung, the Samsung Members app has a hardware test for the flashlight under Support > Diagnostics. If the test fails, the LED itself needs service; if it passes, the problem is software.
FAQ
Does the flashlight drain the battery?
Yes, noticeably if you leave it on. It powers the camera LED continuously, so the battery drops faster than it would with the screen on alone, and the phone can warm up. Use it in short bursts and switch it off when you are done — a few minutes in a dark hallway costs very little.
Can I use the flashlight while recording a video?
No. The flashlight and the camera share the same LED, so the flashlight cannot stay on while the Camera app is recording. The Camera app has its own flash setting for photos and a video light option on some phones, but that is controlled from inside the camera, not from the flashlight toggle.
Why does my flashlight turn off by itself?
Usually one of three things: the Camera app opened and claimed the LED, the phone got hot and throttled the light to protect itself, or a battery-saver mode kicked in. If it happens the moment the screen locks on some Samsung phones, that is the phone's own behaviour — wake the screen and tap the tile again.
Can I set a timer for the flashlight?
No, neither iPhone nor Samsung has a built-in flashlight timer. You have to turn it off yourself, or use a third-party flashlight app that offers an auto-off timer. Be careful with third-party torch apps — the built-in toggle needs no extra app and asks for no permissions.
Does every iPad have a flashlight?
No. Only iPad Pro models with a rear LED flash have one, and the same Control Center steps apply. An iPad without a rear flash has no flashlight to turn on, and the button simply does not appear.
Why is there no flashlight button on my iPhone Lock Screen?
Two usual reasons: the button was swapped for another control when the Lock Screen was customized, or Control Center access is turned off under Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Allow Access When Locked. Touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, and put the flashlight back — or use Control Center instead.