7 Easy Ways On How To Turn On Flashlight On Android Phone

Are you figuring out how to turn on the flashlight on an Android phone? Here’s a simple and practical method to help you do it quickly.

how to turn on flashlight on android phone

how to turn on flashlight on android phone?

The flashlight can be turned on on an Android phone using many ways:

  • Using the Quick settings panel
  • Voice Commands on Google Assistant
  • Installing a third-party app 
  • Gestures such as shaking and tapping the back of your phone
  • Volume keys.

The flashlight is used more often than you realize. In everyday situations, we use it to look in a dark alley or parking lot.

Moreover, it’s also used in emergencies, such as looking around the bush when you hear something strange or looking at the shadow following you.

All in all, you never know when you need to turn on the flashlight using your smartphone.

Therefore, I have explained the most effective ways to turn on the flashlight at the right moment. 

1. Use Google Assistant

Voice commands are very effective in quiet environments. To turn on the flashlight using a voice command:

Turn on the flashlight

Use Action Blocks

You can also turn on the flashlight by simply clicking a button on the home screen. Google Assistant allows you to do everyday tasks instantly using their Action Blocks feature. To turn on the flashlight using Action Blocks, 

  • Install the Action Blocks application from the Play Store.
  • Use the following pathway: Create the action block<Custom Action<Type Flashlight On 
  • Tap Yes to confirm. Disable Speak Action Loud and Vibrate
  • Click Add to Home Screen and place the widget on your home screen.
 Action Block

2. Quick Settings Panel

Most phones have a flashlight icon in the Quick Menu. To turn on the Flashlight from quick settings:

  • Swipe down twice from the top of your phone to open the quick settings panel and expand it.
  • Find the flashlight icon and click to turn it on.
  • To increase or decrease the brightness of the flashlight, long-press the icon
  • Move the slider to the right to set the brightness to its maximum.
Move the slider

What should I do if I can’t find the flashlight icon in Quick Settings?

Even a careful person can accidentally move things around. If you can’t find the flashlight in the Quick Settings panel, the kid down the road, or you may have moved it to the Unavailable buttons panel. Bring it back to Quick Settings by

  • Swipe downwards twice to open the expanded quick settings menu.
  • Now, swipe toward the right and then click on the plus icon at the end to open the unavailable buttons panel.
  • Slide the icon from above to the available buttons panel.
Swipe downwards twice

3. Turn on the Flashlight with the Volume Buttons

To turn on the flashlight using the Volume buttons:

  • Install a third-party application like Torchie – Volume Button Torch
  • Open the application and give accessibility access.
  • Go to Installed Services and then click on Torchie Quick
Torchie Quick
  • Tap Allow giving access to the app.
  • Return to Torchie App and turn on the Torchie Functionality
  • Finally, press the Volume Up and Down buttons to turn on the flashlight.
Power and Volume up keys

4. Shake Gestures

Shake Gestures are used to turn on flashlights. Many phones like Oneplus and Motorola M4 have built-in shake gesture support. Move your phone in a chopping motion to turn on the flashlight.

However, most phones do not support shake gestures to turn on the flashlight. For such devices: 

  • Install a third-party application like Shake torch.
  • Open the application 
  • Now shake your phone to turn on the flashlight
  • If the flashlight doesn’t turn on, slide the bar from the bottom to the right to increase sensitivity.
 shake your phone

Precaution:

Activating the shake feature can turn on the flashlight even when the phone is in your pocket. 

5. Swipe gestures

Android does not have built-in swipe gesture support for the flashlight. You can use swipe gestures to turn on the flashlight on Android:  

  • Install a third-party app like Full-Screen gestures
  • Open the application, and give “Appear on Top” and “Accessibility Permission”.
  • Follow the pathway Acessibilty<Installed Services< Full-Screen Gestures<Allow.
  • Most Android users swipe right to go back. The bottom swipe is used to return to the home screen. If you’re one of these people, you should turn on the left edge gesture.  
  •  Make sure that the right and bottom edge gestures are turned off
You should set gestures according to your comfort level. For instance, the gestures could be different for a left-handed person or someone who prefers to use the home screen buttons.
 “Appear on Top” and “Accessibility Permission”

OnePlus Devices

The OnePlus smartphone has a special gesture up its sleeve to switch on the flashlight. When the screen is turned off, draw V to turn on the flashlight. To activate this feature:

  • Open Settings from the home screen.
  • Scroll down to Gestures.
  • Tap Toggle Flashlight. 

Motorola Phones

Motorola M4 has a special gesture to power on the flashlight. Just swipe down vertically when the screen is turned off. This gesture will turn on the flashlight.

6. Flashlight Widgets

A widget can be placed on the home screen to instantly turn on the flashlight. Here’s how you can create a flashlight widget:

  • Install a third-party app like Flashlight Widget
  • Open the application, and a prompt will appear
  • Tap Add to create a widget.
  • Place the widget on the home screen and click on it to turn on the flashlight.
Place the widget

7. Double Tap the Back of your phone

Google has offered Android 13 users a quick tap feature. It can be configured to turn on the flashlight by

  • Open Settings < System < Gestures
  • Click Quick Tap, then scroll down to the Toggle Flashlight option 
  • Double-tap the back of your phone to make sure you see the Quick Tap detected notification.

Other Android users can install the app Tap Tap by XDA Developers. It not only turns on the flashlight from the back of the phone but also offers many other gestures. Follow these instructions to use the application:

  • Download the APK by clicking here.
  • Allow Chrome to download unsafe files
  • Open the app and then give permission to download from Unknown Sources
  • After the installation is complete, give the application accessibility and many other permissions
  • Use double-tap or triple-tap to turn on the flashlight 
double-tap or triple-tap

How do I turn on the screen flashlight?

Most android phones do not have built-in support for screen flashlights. To turn on the screen flashlight:

  • Install the app Screen Flashlight from Google Play Store
  • Open the application and tap on the flashlight icon 
  • To change the color of the screen flashlight, tap on the color shades icon in the bottom left. Click on the color switched icon to turn on the flashlight.
Screen Flashlight

Do you have bad habits like snoozing your alarm for that extra five minutes of sleep? Then, you realize you’ve been sleeping for two hours straight! How can you get rid of such a situation? Light is one of the most effective ways to wake up. So, to use the flashlight as your alarm on android devices:  

  • Follow the pathway:

Settings > Accessibility > Hearing > Screen Flash Notification

Flash Notification

How to Set Up Flash Light Notifications on Android?

To set up flashlight notifications on Android:

  • Open Settings. 
  • Swipe down to Accessibility. 
  • Tap on Hearing and then click Camera Flash Notification.

When the alarm rings, the flashlight will blink, giving you another reason to wake up. 

Conclusion 

To sum up, the camera flashlight can be turned on by various methods. From my experience, what works well for most people is the Quick settings panel. Another option worth considering is to try using a widget. For those who have to use the flashlight extensively, the best way is to opt for the volume buttons. In the end, I do hope the flashlight helped you to find what you were looking for!

Is Turning on the Flashlight on an Android Phone Useful for Finding a Lost Phone?

Turning on the flashlight on an Android phone is not particularly useful for finding a lost phone, but there are other ways to locate lost android phones for free. By using built-in services like Find My Device or third-party apps, users can track their lost devices using GPS, ring the phone even if it’s on silent, and even remotely lock or erase its data to ensure privacy and data protection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Can’t I Turn On My Flashlight On My Android Phone?

The flashlight does not turn on when an app in the background uses it. Turn off all the background apps, restart your phone and then turn on the flashlight.

What Do You Do When Your Phone Flashlight Stops Working?

In case of hardware damage to the flashlight, visit the nearest phone repair center. However, if you think there is something wrong with the software, this is what you should do:
– Clear all the background apps.
– Restart your phone.
– Back up your files, and reset your phone as a last resort.   

How Do I Get A Flashlight On My Screen?

You can create a flashlight widget on your screen by installing a third-party app from the Play Store. The best app to create a widget is Flashlight Widget. It has no errors or bugs and is widely used.

Does The Flashlight Drain Battery?

The flashlight does take a chunk of battery if used extensively. Make sure that you turn it off when you’re not using it, or you might end up draining all your battery life.

Can The Flashlight Burn Out?

Flashlights generally get very hot when turned on for a longer period. However, most of them do not burn out. The phone will automatically turn off the flashlight. The flashlight may burn due to a faulty battery or phone internals in the worst-case scenario.  

Meet the Author

Abdul Rahim has been working in Information Technology for over two decades. Learn how Abdul got his start as a Tech Blogger , and why he decided to start this Software blog. If you want to send Abdul a quick message, then visit his contact page here.