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How to turn the flashlight on and off on the iPhone 13

Never be in the dark ever again.
By
September 12, 2023

It’s tremendously helpful to have a flashlight on your phone. It removes the need for a separate flashlight, and you never know when one will be useful. Therefore, knowing how to turn the flashlight on and off quickly is helpful. Here’s how to do it on the iPhone 13.

QUICK ANSWER

There are three ways to turn the flashlight on and off on an iPhone 13. The first is via the Control Center, the second is from the lock screen, and the third is by asking Siri to do it for you. You can also use iOS Shortcuts to add a flashlight to your home screen.


JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS

From the Control Center

The first method of activating the flashlight is by accessing Control Center and tapping the flashlight icon. However, if you use a PIN code to lock your phone, you may find this method somewhat awkward and annoying. Swipe down from the battery icon in the top-right corner to open Control Center. Tap the flashlight icon once to turn it on and again to turn it off.

ios control center flashlight

If the flashlight icon is not there, go to Settings > Control Center and enable the flashlight.

You can tap the icon to switch the flashlight on and off. But if you hold the icon down with your finger, then move it up or down, you can increase or decrease the brightness.

ios flashlight brightness

From the lock screen

If a PIN protects your screen, you may find it more convenient to access the flashlight from the lock screen. At the bottom of the lock screen is a flashlight icon. You need to long-press it to switch it on. Long-pressing it again turns it off.

ios flashlight lock screen

By asking Siri

ios siri flashlight

The third option is to ask your ever-helpful pal, Siri. She’ll do anything if you ask her nicely. For some reason, I find myself saying please to her. She will turn the flashlight off again for you if you ask her.

If you’re wondering, my phone is set to British English, and we say “torch,” not flashlight.

How to add the flashlight to the iPhone 13 home screen

ios shortcuts app

Another possibility, and not really one you have to do considering your other options, is to put a flashlight icon on your iPhone home screen. For this, you’ll need the Shortcuts app. It should come pre-installed on all new iOS devices, but if not, you can download Shortcuts from the App Store.

  1. To get started, tap the + icon in the top right-hand corner.
start new ios shortcut
  1. In the search box, start typing flashlight, and it will appear under Scripting. If your phone is in another language, type the correct word for a flashlight. My British English phone has it listed as “torch.”
ios shortcuts scripting
  1. Tap the Turn word, and a menu will pop up. Select Toggle from that menu.
ios shortcuts flashlight toggle
  1. An optional step is to tap the blue arrow next to Toggle torch. This displays the brightness slider.
ios shortcuts flashlight brghtness
  1. Now tap Settings which is the blue circular icon at the top-right.
ios shortcuts flashlight settings
  1. Select Add to Home Screen.
ios shortcuts add to homescreen
  1. If you want (but it’s not necessary), you can use an image from your phone or take a photo as your flashlight icon. Also, tap where it says New Shortcut and give it another name. Flashlight would be a good name, but it’s up to you. When it all looks good, tap Add.
ios shortcuts flashlight name
  1. The flashlight icon will now be on your home screen. Tap it once to turn it on, and tap it again to turn it off.
ios iphone 13 flashlight icon