iPhone Flashlight not working? 12 Best ways explained

Are you tired of finding yourself in the dark when you need your iPhone flashlight the most? I’ve also struggled with a malfunctioning flashlight that left me frustrated. So, I looked for quick and easy solutions. In this blog, I’ll share how to fix an iPhone flashlight not working issue.

1. Ensure the flashlight isn’t blocked
2. Charge your iPhone
3. Turn off Low Power Mode
4. Avoid overheating your iPhone
5. Change flashlight intensity
6. Force quit Camera and similar apps
7. Trigger flash in the Camera app
8. Remove flashlight from Control Center
9. Remove flashlight command from Back Tap
10. Check LED Flash for Alerts settings
11. Uninstall third-party flashlight apps
12. Disable Focus mode

1. Ensure the flashlight isn’t blocked

Some cheap iPhone cases or covers don’t fit properly and block the camera module. So, whenever you enable the flashlight, it seems to be not turning on, though it’s working perfectly. Therefore, remove all accessories from your iPhone and try using the flashlight. 

2. Charge your iPhone

I discovered whenever my iPhone has less than 20% battery left, the flashlight icon is greyed out. Continuously using the flash consumes a lot of power, so if your iPhone is running low on battery, it won’t turn on. Connect your iPhone to the charger and juice it to at least 50% to fix this. 

3. Turn off Low Power Mode

The Low Power Mode disables all power-consuming features, apps, and background activities to save the battery. So, the reason for the iPhone flashlight not working can be a glitch with this battery-saving mode. To turn this off,

1. Go to Settings → Battery.
2. Toggle off Low Power Mode. 
   
   

4. Avoid overheating your iPhone

When your iPhone is too hot, it malfunctions, and the flashlight stops working. Overheating may occur for extreme outside temperatures, protracted sun exposure, or resource-demanding activities like playing intense games. Therefore, you must cool down your iPhone before it resumes torch functions.  

• Close all apps on your phone. 
• Leave it idle for a few minutes.  
• Place your iPhone in a cool, dry location away from strong sunlight.  

However, never put your iPhone in the refrigerator since doing so will harm it.

5. Change flashlight intensity

iPhone offers a great feature to adjust the flashlight brightness. Therefore, if the brightness is set at the lowest, you can’t detect the flash is enabled. To increase the torch intensity: 

1. Open Control Center → Tap and hold the torch icon. 
2. Drag the slider upwards to increase brightness. 
   
   

6. Force quit Camera and similar apps

If the Camera app or camera-demanding apps like Snapchat, Instagram, FaceTime, etc. run in the background, they may hinder the flashlight. So, close all apps to avoid iOS glitches.  

1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold. 
2. Drag up the apps from the App Switcher.
   
   

7. Trigger flash in the Camera app

A quick solution to an iPhone flashlight not working from the Control Center is toggling the flashlight from the Camera app and adjusting its settings. 

1. Open Camera → Tap the down arrow.
2. Tap the flash icon. 
3. Select On, Off, and again On. 
   
   

You may also try clicking a photo with a flashlight to see if the hardware LED light is intact. Besides, I suggest keeping the flash on or off as per your requirement instead of Auto. The Auto feature triggers the flash depending on your surroundings. So, it may obstacle the flashlight turning on. 

8. Remove flashlight from Control Center

Suppose the flashlight is turning on from the Camera app but not working from the Control Center; then what to do? I have fixed the issue by removing and re-adding the flash shortcut in the Control Center. 

1. Go to Settings → Control Center.
2. Tap the minus (-) beside the Flashlight → Select Remove.
   
   
3. Scroll down and tap plus (+) next to Flashlight.
   
   

Now open the Control Center by swiping the top right corner of your iPhone and check if the flashlight is working. 

9. Remove flashlight command from Back Tap

I frequently use the Back Tap feature to access features handy. If you have added a flashlight prompt in Back Tap accessibility, it may malfunction. So, remove this setting and access the torch from the Lock Screen or Control Center. 

1. Go to Settings → Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap.
   
   
2. Select Double Tap or Triple Tap in which the flashlight command is added.
3. Tap None.
   
   

10. Check LED Flash for Alerts settings

Have you enabled getting flash alerts for incoming calls while in Silent mode? It’s indeed a convenient feature, but some glitches in settings can stop the flashlight from turning on. 

1. Open Settings → Accessibility → Audio/Visual.
   
   
2. Select LED Flash for Alerts.
3. Toggle it off and then on.
   
        

11. Uninstall third-party flashlight apps

Using third-party apps for quick access to the torch may be at fault. So, delete those apps and use the default methods to turn on flashlights.  

12. Disable Focus mode

Focus mode restricts the distracting features on your iPhone. So, your configured Focus filter can cause the flashlight not to work on your iPhone. 

1. Open Control Center.
2. Select your Focus filter name → Tap Focus again.
   
   

Basic fixes 

• Restart your iPhone: Temporary iOS bugs and glitches can cause trouble. So, restart your iPhone and try using the flashlight. 
• Update iOS: The outdated iOS version lacks new features and starts malfunctioning. Therefore, keep your iPhone up to date. To check for updates: Open Settings → General → Software Update. 
• Reset all settings: Customizing the settings of your iPhone might conflict with flashlight functionalities. So, reset to the default option. Go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset All Settings → Enter passcode → Select Reset All Settings. 

Say goodbye to the darkness! 

Don’t let a faulty iPhone flashlight keep you in the dark any longer. By following the troubleshooting solutions above, you can fix your iPhone flashlight not working. If nothing seems to work, you must factory reset or restore your iPhone and contact Apple Support for professional assistance.   

Explore more…

• iPhone security and emergency features you should know 
• How to use iPhone when traveling internationally  
• How to turn on or off Flashlight on iPhone and iPad? Easy ways explained

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