Even the most prepared people rarely walk around with a flashlight in their pockets, but these days, there’s really no reason to when our smartphones have a decent flashlight built right in.
While not bright enough to fill a large room with light or to cast a beam dozens of feet ahead down a hiking trail, an iPhone ‘s flashlight creates more than enough light to help you walk your dog at night, look for small objects that have fallen underneath your bed, and more.
If your iPhone flashlight isn’t working, however, you don’t necessarily have to be left in the dark.
Why is my flashlight not working on my iPhone?
- Extreme temperatures may be preventing your iPhone’s flashlight from working.
- A software glitch could be preventing your iPhone’s flashlight from working.
- Your iPhone is having a hardware problem.
It’s a major inconvenience when your iPhone’s flashlight stops working and you see a grayed-out flashlight icon. So, let’s look at the various solutions you can try to get your iPhone torch working again.
How to troubleshoot your iPhones flashlight
Here are eight ways to fix an iPhone flashlight that won’t turn on.
Make sure your iPhone is not very warm or very cold
If your iPhone is too warm or too cold, the flashlight may not work. Get your iPhone down to a moderate temperature, and try again.
Toggle the Flash in Your iPhone’s Camera App
To get rid of glitches that stop your iPhone’s flashlight from working, you can also try turning your camera flash on and off.
First, open the Camera app and switch to "Photo" or "Portrait" mode. In the top menu, you’ll see the Flash icon. Press and hold it, and you’ll see three options: Auto, On, and Flash Off. Toggle between On and Flash Off a few times.
Close Your iPhone’s Camera App
Your iPhone’s camera’s flash function uses the same light as the flashlight. If you have the Camera app opened, it’s normal to see the Control Center’s flashlight icon grayed out. This is because you can’t use both features at the same time.
To solve this, just exit the Camera app and access your Control Center again. You should see that the flashlight button can once more be selected as usual.
Restart Your iPhone
Turning your iPhone off and on again may refresh the software and restore the flashlight.
If your iPhone has Face ID, press and hold the side button and either volume button simultaneously until slide to power off appears. If your iPhone doesn’t have Face ID, press and hold the power button until slide to power offappears on the screen.
Then, swipe the red and white power icon from left to right. Your iPhone will shut down.
Wait 30–60 seconds to allow your iPhone to completely shut down. Then, press and hold the side button (iPhones with Face ID) or the power button (iPhones without Face ID) until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
Update Your iPhone
Updating your iPhone can fix software bugs and give you access to new features. Since Flashlight is a native feature, the only way to update it is to update the iOS version on your iPhone.
Open Settings, then tap General -> Software Update. Tap Update Now if an iOS update is available.
Reset All Settings
If the above doesn’t work, it’s time to reset all settings. It is easy to reset all of your settings. Simply Open Settings, then tap **General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Reset -> Reset All Settings and follow the onscreen instructions.
Note: All settings—including network settings, the keyboard dictionary, location settings, privacy settings, and Apple Pay cards—are removed or reset to their defaults. No data or media are deleted.
Back Up Your iPhone
Before moving onto our final step, we recommend saving a backup of all the data on your iPhone. Our next step erases and reloads all the code on your iPhone, and it’s still possible your iPhone is experiencing a hardware problem. You can back up your iPhone to Finder, Apple Devices, iTunes, or iCloud, depending on your personal preference.
Back Up Using Finder
If you have a Mac running macOS Catalina or later, you’ll use Finder to back up your iPhone to your computer.
- Open a Finder window on your Mac.
- Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable. Then, click on your iPhone under Locations.
- Click Back Up Now.
Back Up Your iPhone Using Windows Devices or iTunes
- Open the Apple Devices app on your PC. If your PC doesn’t have the Apple Devices app, or your Mac is using macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes instead.
- Connect your iPhone to your PC using the cable that came with your device.
- Select your iPhone in iTunes.
- Click General in the Apple Devices app or Summary in iTunes.
- Click Back Up Now.
Back Up Your iPhone To iCloud
- Open Settings and tap on Your Name at the top of the screen.
- Tap iCloud.
- Tap iCloud Backup and make sure the switch next to iCloud Backup is on.
- Tap Back Up Now.
DFU Restore Your iPhone
The final step you can take before completely ruling out a software problem is the DFU restore. DFU stands for Device Firmware Update, and it’s the deepest type of restore you can do on an iPhone. Every line of code that controls the software and hardware of your iPhone is erased and reloaded, which is why we strongly recommend creating a backup first. Otherwise, you’ll lose all of your photos, contacts, and other important data.
Once you have a backup, check out our article on how to put iPhone in DFU mode!
Contact Apple Support
If flashlight is still not working on your iPhone, it’s time to contact Apple Support. There may be a hardware problem with your iPhone that needs to be repaired.
Visit Apple’s website to figure out which support option is best for you. Apple provides support online, over-the-phone, through the mail, and in-person at Apple Stores. If you plan to go into your local Apple Store, make sure to schedule an appointment first!
Effective Solutions When Your iPhone’s Flashlight Is Not Working
If you’ve been stuck wondering why the flashlight won’t work on your iPhone, we hope this list of fixes has helped you resolve the problem effectively. Make sure to share this article on social media to teach your friends and family what to do when flashlight is not working on their iPhones. Leave a comment down below if you have any other questions about your iPhone.
See also: Easy Ways to Turn the Flashlight On or Off on iPhone