All the ways to turn on your Android’s flashlight

April 18, 2023

By Kim Komando

Who knew there were so many ways you could activate the flashlight on your Android phone? You’re going to love these Android shortcuts. Several can even be used for other useful commands.

Read on for all the ways to turn on your device’s flashlight and more.

1. From your Quick Settings dropdown

You know the drill. Swipe down from your status bar on top. Flick until you find the Flashlight option and tap it. You’ve got it.

NOTE: You can make the flashlight more accessible from this menu by scrambling your Quick Settings tiles. All you have to do is:

  1. Swipe to the last panel and hit the “+” symbol or pencil (alternatively, hit the ellipses at the top and select Edit buttons.)
  2. Tap, hold and drag the flashlight icon to the first page or a more favorable position for easy access.

Sure, it’s the most obvious method. What other ways are there, though?

RELATED: 7 things you didn’t know your Android could do

2. Use Quick Tap

Android 13 users have another excellent way to use the flashlight. It’s called Quick Tap and is available for Pixel phones with back-tap gestures. To enable them, just:

  1. Tap into System under Settings.
  2. Select Gestures.
  3. Choose Quick Tap to start actions.
  4. Toggle on Use Quick Tap.
  5. Assign a function to the command. In this case, Toggle flashlight.

The Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G are both Quick Tap capable, as are their cousins, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series. 

3. Use Google Assistant

Is there anything your virtual assistant can’t do? Call up Google using your preferred approach — Quick Tapping, swiping from the corner of your display, using text or the microphone, or a simple “Hey, Google!” will do.

The command “Turn on flashlight” will have you covered however you spin it.

4. Use a custom block

Your home screen is prime real estate for your flashlight. This tip requires Action Blocks, a Google app that lets you customize a dynamic dashboard out of your phone.

Action Blocks for Android

After installing and opening the app:

  1. Tap Create action block.
  2. Choose Custom action.
  3. Type flashlight on.

The toggle that appears lets you control it from your display. You can create another action for flashlight off in the same way or switch it off manually.

You may also like: 12 smart Android tips and tricks you should be using

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