15 solutions to fix an iPhone flashlight not working

A non-working flashlight on iPhone can be due to software glitches or serious hardware problems. This guide shows you how to fix your iPhone flashlight issues like it being grayed out or refusing to turn on.

The solutions apply to all iPad models with a backlight and all iPhones, including iPhone 13, 12, 11, XR, 7, etc.

Fix flashlight not working on iPhone

5 ways to turn on the iPhone flashlight

  1. Press (not tap) the round flashlight icon on the Lock screen of iPhone with Face ID.
  2. Tap the flashlight icon in the iPhone Control Center.
  3. Invoke Siri and ask, “Turn on the flashlight” or “Turn on the torch.” You can even say, “Enable LED flash.” Note: If you say something fancy like “Give me light,” it will turn on your HomeKit lights or say you don’t have a HomeKit bulb configured.
  4. Use third-party flashlight apps.
  5. Use a shortcut to turn on the flash. How to add a huge flashlight button to your iPhone Home Screen

If the iPhone flashlight isn’t turning on or working, here are the solutions to fix it.

Make sure flashlight isn’t blocked

I’m almost sure you have checked this. But still, in case you haven’t, please ensure a cover or an unusual waterproof iPhone case isn’t covering the camera module and the adjoining LED backlight.

Force quit the Camera and similar apps

In rare cases, the flashlight may not work if the Camera app or one of the apps that use the iPhone camera like Instagram, Snapchat, FaceTime, QR code reader apps, and such are open in the background.

You can quit the camera app and all conflicting apps by swiping up from the bottom of the screen or double-pressing the Home button and dragging the app cards all the way up.

Quit Camera app on iPhone to fix flashlight not working

Disable flash inside the iPhone Camera app

  1. Open the Camera app and swipe up or tap the tiny arrow at the top to see the camera controls.
  2. Tap the flash icon.
  3. Tap On and then Off.
  4. Next, quit the Camera app and try to use the iPhone flashlight. It should work.
Camera flash on and off

Restart your iPhone

Restart is an important solution that will almost certainly fix the backlight not working on iPhone issue. Start by turning off your iPhone and turning it back on after a minute. Once that’s done, press the flashlight icon on the Lock screen, Control Center, or ask Siri to turn it on.

Force restart your iPhone

In case a simple restart doesn’t fix the issue, go ahead and force restart it.

Ensure iPhone isn’t too hot

If your iPhone is abnormally hot, it may gray out the flashlight button on the Lock screen and the Control Center. In this case, along with the flashlight, you won’t be able to use other apps as well. Simply turn off your iPhone and let it cool down.

iPhone Temperature warning on screen

Update your iPhone

In case the flashlight continues to fail, go to iPhone Settings > General > Software Update and get the latest version of iOS available for your device.

Uninstall flashlight apps

If you use a third-party flashlight app on your iPhone, press its icon from the Home Screen and tap Remove App > Delete App > Delete. Next, restart your iPhone and after this, use the built-in options to turn on the flashlight.

Remove flashlight command from Back Tap

Do you conveniently use Back Tap to turn on your iPhone torchlight? If yes, turn it off from iPhone Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap > Double or Triple Tap and choose None or an action other than Flashlight. After this, restart your iPhone, and you should be able to use the LED flash normally from the Lock screen or the Control Center.

Turn off Back Tap Flashlight command on iPhone

Note: Disable any flashlight jailbreak tweak if you’re using one.

Turn off Low Power Mode

The iPhone flashlight works even in Low Power Mode. But in case it isn’t for you, turn off Low Power Mode from Settings > Battery and see if it helps or not.

Tip: The standard white or green battery indicator is yellow when your iPhone is in Low Power Mode.

Make sure iPhone is sufficiently charged

The flashlight may not work if your iPhone’s battery health is poor and your device isn’t charged. Simply plug the device into charging and try using the torch. In case it doesn’t, wait for the battery to charge up to 20% or more.

Disable Focus

Open the iPhone Control center and disable any active Focus mode. After that, the backlight should work flawlessly.

Disable Focus on iPhone

Reset all iPhone settings

If the iPhone flashlight continues to stay off, go ahead and reset all iPhone settings. This won’t delete your apps, app data, photos, videos, music, files, etc. It will only reset all the iPhone settings to the default state and fix the ongoing problems.

Restore your iPhone

This is the last thing you can do from your end if the iPhone flashlight isn’t working. Start by backing up your iPhone to a computer or iCloud. After that, erase it. Finally, while setting up the device, restore the backup.

Once you do this, your iPhone flashlight should work. And if it doesn’t, you have serious problems!

Contact Apple Support

The above solutions help you fix all conflicting issues on the settings and software level. But if the iPhone flashlight is still not working, it most certainly hints at a serious hardware issue!

To test, open the Camera app and turn on the flash. Now, take a picture and see if the LED flashes or not. In case it doesn’t, that means the iPhone camera and flashlight are not working after a drop or something similar. Take your iPhone to an Apple Store for inspection and repair.

Some flashlight tips

  • Add flashlight to the Control Center: Go to iPhone Settings > Control Center > green plus icon next to Flashlight. Now, open the iOS Control Center to see the torch icon.
  • Change flashlight brightness: To change the brightness of the iPhone flashlight, press the torch icon and drag the slider up or down. You can’t change the brightness from the Lock screen. When you enable the flashlight from the Lock screen, it uses the same brightness level you last set from the Control Center.
  • Set iPhone LED to flash on calls and notifications: You can go to accessibility settings and have your iPhone LED to flash on incoming calls and messages.
  • Use Apple Watch to ping your iPhone’s flash: Did you misplace your iPhone in the dark? Use your Apple Watch to trigger iPhone’s LED flash remotely!

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