Why is My Flashlight Not Working? 8 Quick Fixes (2024)

The smartphone has replaced many gadgets that were previously used for different purposes in the modern world. In the phone, there is an option to turn on the torchlight or flashlight instead of an actual torchlight. But on the other hand, it is true that the primary purpose of the flashlight in mobile phones is to light up the area we are taking photos from in low light conditions, but we often use it as torchlight as well.




But consider a scenario where your phone flashlight doesn’t work when you need it to take photos in low lighting situations or to be used as torchlight at night. No worries you can fix it with the solutions given below!

How to Fix “Why is My Flashlight Not Working” Error?

Why is My Flashlight Not Working

On Android devices, you can access the flashlight pretty easily these days. There is usually a flashlight button built into the quick settings menu on Android phones. You can access it by swiping down from the top of your screen. As soon as you click the first button, a flashlight icon should appear.




If you are worried that your flashlight is not working properly then don’t worry, we have given 8 solutions here that will get your flashlight back to its normal working condition.

Enable Safe Mode on Android

When you are experiencing a problem that my flashlight on my phone is no longer working, you may be able to resolve this by turning on the safe mode on your Android device.

Following are the steps to enable Safe Mode on Android:

  • You can power off your screen by pressing the power button and holding it until you see the option appear. Then turn it off.
  • Press and hold the power button again until the logo appears.
  • You now need to hold down the volume down button and leave the power button alone.
  • As soon as you press the button, the device will start up.
  • When the “safe mode” notification appears at the bottom of the screen, release the button.

As soon as you have enabled safe mode, you should activate the flashlight using the camera icon or notification bar button. It seems that if the flashlight issue has been resolved, it indicates the problem was due to a recently installed app that interfered with it.

Restart your Android device

Restarting your phone is one of the most common solutions for many problems. The flashlight will work properly after a reboot if there is some application interfering.

You can restart your phone by following these steps:

  • The power button should be pressed and held for a few seconds until you see a message saying “Power off”. Alternatively, hold both the power and volume down buttons together until the message “Turn off” appears.
  • After ten to fifteen seconds, turn on your phone again.

Reset Camera Settings to Default by Clearing App Data

It is possible that the camera app settings may have gotten messed up if you have used the phone camera for an extended period of time.

To solve this problem, it is recommended to clear all the data on the camera app and reset it.

  • On your phone, go to ‘settings’ and select ‘Apps.’
  • Next, click on System app settings
  • Tap ‘camera’ to open it.
  • Afterward, click Restore default settings.
  • Click ‘OK’ at the end.

Now, you will immediately be reverted to the default settings for your camera app.

Reset the App Preferences

Also, your app preferences could have been configured incorrectly, which might have caused the flashlight to stop working. You can reset app preferences by following these steps:

  • First head to the phone ‘settings’ and tap on ‘applications’.
  • Choose “Reset app preferences” from the three vertical dots menu in the top-right corner of the screen. If you confirm the prompt, your app preferences will be reset.

Delete the Cache and Data for the Camera App

Generally, clearing the camera’s data and cache solves the flashlight not working issue. By doing this, the camera application’s system will be reset. The main disadvantage of this method is that it resets the settings of the camera to the original settings after you delete the data. Now it is necessary to re-adjust the settings. You can do this by following these steps:

  • Select Apps from the phone’s settings.
  • Locate the camera app. Click it and select the storage option. A couple of options will be available, such as clearing data and clearing cache. Now cache and data must be deleted
  • Next, make sure the flashlight works after this process.

Turn off the Auto Mode on the Camera

You can use the auto mode in your camera app to turn on or off the flash based on the amount of light in the room.

However, there are times when it can become “stuck” despite the light being on or off when it is on. By disabling auto mode in the camera app, you might be able to resolve the issue. 

Turn on and off automatic flash in your camera app. This should work, hopefully. If it does not, your phone’s light sensor might be malfunctioning.

Allow Access to the Camera App by Enabling Permissions

Also, it is possible that your app permissions were incorrectly changed, thus preventing the flashlight from working.

There is a possibility that the flashlight will not function if camera operation is blocked in App permissions. Here is how to check the app permissions for the camera app.\

  • First head to the ‘settings’ and then ‘apps’.
  • Next, choose ‘Permissions’.
  • Make sure that the camera app is allowed to take photos and videos.
  • Lastly, enable the permission if it is not enabled.

Contact an Authorized Center

A hardware failure is almost certainly to blame if the issue persists after several attempts to fix it. In this case, contact a professional mobile phone repair service to resolve the flashlight issue on your phone; never disassemble it yourself to avoid damaging any of the phone’s components.

Wrapping up!

Now we are in the end of the article and here we have discussed in detail one of the most frequently asked questions by Android users that why is my flashlight not working, and how we can solve it.

You have to keep in mind that several factors can cause this problem, but most of them have to do with software. The solution for this problem can be quickly sorted out by trying the solutions mentioned above, which include restarting the device, clearing the camera cache, turning on safe mode, and re-booting the device and many more for Android in order to fix the Android system. We hope this was helpful!

FAQs: Most Asked Questions

Is there any effect on my Android device’s performance when using third-party flashlight apps?

You may benefit from the additional functionality and features of third-party flashlight applications, but the performance of your Android smartphone may also be affected. It’s best to select flashlight apps that are trustworthy and monitor how they impact your smartphone’s performance. You might also be able to maintain optimal performance by clearing your cache and data frequently.

What is the reason for the greyed out flashlight button?

Due to the fact that your camera app makes use of the flashlight, close the camera app before you can use the flashlight as a torchlight.