How to turn on Flashlight on iPhone and iPad [6 ways]

Occasionally, we may find ourselves in poorly lit or completely dark environments requiring immediate illumination. Given that the majority of individuals constantly carry their iPhones, it is quite natural to utilize the device’s flashlight as the primary source of illumination, thereby guiding their path in such scenarios.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably tried to wake up your phone screen for a quick light fix, only to be left in the dark sooner than you’d like. Don’t worry; I’ve got your back! Here are some quick ways to turn on the iPhone Flashlight and give you the light you need in no time.

iPhone and iPad models with flashlight

Before we head on, you first need to make sure that your device has a flashlight. Apple already has placed a fully-functioning LED flashlight right into older iPhone models, but it wasn’t until iOS 7 that it added built-in flashlight controls into the system. As of writing, all existing iPhone models on the market have flashlight.

Meanwhile, not all iPads have flashlights. Here are the iPad models that have a flashlight:

• iPad Pro (all models)
• iPad Air (4th generation and later)
• iPad mini (6th generation)

How to Turn on or off flashlight from your Lock Screen

The most straightforward way to turn on flashlight on your iPhone is through the Lock Screen; however, this is only available to newer iPhone models (iPhone X and newer). To do this:

1. Wake your iPhone Lock Screen.
2. Press and hold the Flashlight button.
   Once enabled, the icon will have a white circle around it.
   
   
3. To turn off the flashlight on your iPhone, press and hold it again.

How to Turn on or off flashlight via Control Center

Another quick way to turn on flashlight on the iPhone or iPad is via the Control Center. How you’ll access it depends on what model you have. 

• For iPhones and iPad Pros with Face ID:
  • Swipe down from the upper right corner of your screen.
  • Look for the flashlight icon and tap it.
    
    
  • To turn off the flashlight, just tap the flashlight icon again.
• For iPhones with a Home button
  • If you have an iPhone or iPad model with a Home button, access your Control Center by swiping up from the Home or Lock screen.
  • Tap the flashlight icon to turn it on your iPad or iPhone.
  • Turn off the same by tapping the flashlight icon again.

If you can’t see the icon, you’ll need to customize your Control Center to add this shortcut into your Control Center.

You should also be able to access your Control Center even from your Lock Screen. If this isn’t possible, do the following:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Face ID & Passcode.
3. Enter your passcode.
4. Scroll down to Access When Locked and toggle Control Center.
   
   

Using Siri to turn on or off flashlight

While it takes a bit more effort, turning on flashlight with Siri is also convenient. This is especially handy if your iPhone or iPad if the dark makes it hard for you to locate your device. Here are some things you can say:

• “Hey Siri, turn on/off the flashlight.”
• “Hey Siri, turn the flashlight on/off.”
• “Hey Siri, enable/disable flashlight.”

Note: If your iPhone runs iOS 17, you just need to say “Siri” to invoke the assistant. No more “Hey Siri”.

Customize Back Tap

If you’re expecting to use the flashlight more often or just want a quicker way to enable it, you can assign the Back tap shortcut. To do this:

1. Go to Settings → Accessibility.
2. Tap Touch.
3. Scroll down and tap Back Tap.
   
   
4. Select Double Tap or Triple Tap → Select Flashlight.
   
   

Note: This feature is not available for iPads.

Create a shortcut to turn flashlight on or off

It’s also possible to create a dedicated shortcut just for enabling flashlight. To set up a shortcut:

1. Open Shortcuts.
2. Tap the Add (+) icon to create a new one.
3. Tap Add Action → Type and select Set Flashlight. This defaults to creating an action that turns the flashlight on.
4. Select Done.

You can also create a shortcut to turn it off. Just do the same process of creating a new shortcut and tap On to change it to Off. Tap Done.

Modify your flashlight’s brightness level

Not many people know that you can adjust the intensity of your flashlight’s brightness. This isn’t possible when you turn it on from your Lock Screen and is only possible when you access the feature via the Control Center.

1. Access the Control Center and hold the flashlight icon.
   This will bring you to a screen with a gauge.
2. Swipe upward and downward gently or tap on a square.

Wrapping up…

Lastly, the third-party app could be a convenient option for models without the flashlight icons on their lock screens. Some even give the option to turn your flash into strobe lights and use your screen for milder illumination. This is similar to the iPhone’s feature that enables flash for your front-facing camera.

Quickly accessing your iPhone or iPad’s flashlight may be necessary in certain situations. Fortunately, Apple created ways for you to turn on your device’s flashlight in a few seconds. Which one do you use? Share it below!

Read more:

• Best flash light app for iPhone
• iPhone flashlight not working? Simple Working fixes
• How to Customize Control Center on Apple Watch

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