How to Fix the Flashlight on an iPhone

"Why won't my flashlight turn on?" If your iPad Pro or iPhone flashlight isn't working or is grayed out, of course you'll want to fix it as quickly as possible. After all, most of us use our iPhone flashlight on a daily basis! Let's go over how to get your iPhone light working again, whether you have an older phone like the iPhone 6 or 7, or a newer phone from the iPhone 11 or 12 line.

Related: How to Turn Your iPhone Flashlight On & Off with Back Tap (New for iOS 14)

iPhone Flashlight Not Working? Here's How to Fix Your iPhone Flashlight

We've already gone over how to open the flashlight from your iPhone's Control Center and from the Lock Screen, and how to make your flashlight brighter and dimmer. But, what happens when the flashlight on your iPhone is not working, or the iPhone flashlight icon is grayed out? We'll do some iPhone troubleshooting below and fix your iPad Pro or iPhone flashlight (keep in mind that only iPad Pros with a rear camera flash have flashlight capabilities). For more free iPhone tutorials, check out our free Tip of the Day. Let's begin.

Jump To

• Is It Your Case?
• Contact Apple Support
• Is Your iPhone Charged?
• Is Your iPhone Too Hot or Too Cold?
• Close the iPhone Camera App
• Turn the Flash Off & On in the Camera App
• Restart Your iPhone or iPad
• Hard Reset Your iPhone or iPad
• Change Your Control Center Settings
• Reset All iPhone Settings
• Update to the latest iOS
• Restore Your iPhone from an iCloud Backup
• Restore Your iPhone to Factory Settings
• Contact Apple Support

Flashlight Won’t Work & Flashlight Button Is Lit Up as Normal

Is It Your Case?

This sounds a bit silly, but we have to start with the simplest explanations first. Have you recently changed your iPhone case? If your new case is blocking your iPhone's camera lenses and flash, you'll need to take it off. Also, if your case is magnetic or metallic, it may interfere with your iPhone camera. 

Contact Apple Support

If your iPhone flashlight won't turn on, but the Flashlight icon or button is not greyed out, you may have a hardware problem, and it's time to contact Apple support. If you purchased your device within the last 90 days, you have free complimentary support. If you paid for Apple Care+ or another insurance plan, your device can be repaired for the cost of a service fee or deductible. 

Flashlight Icon Grayed Out? How to Fix Your iPhone Flashlight

Is Your iPhone Charged?

Here's another simple explanation for the flashlight on your iPhone not working; battery level. If your iPhone is in Low Power Mode, the amount of power your device uses is restricted, and you'll be unable to use several features. Low Power Mode stays on until your iPhone has charged to 80%, or until you turn Low Power Mode off.  

Is Your iPhone Too Hot or Too Cold?

You've probably already heard that you shouldn't do things such as leave your phone in a hot or cold car or anywhere else where its temperature is below -4 F or above 113 F. If your iPhone gets too warm, several things happen. Charging will slow or stop, and your display will dim or even go black, your camera flash will be disabled until your phone cools, and more. So, if your phone is too hot or cold, let it return to its optimal operating temperature, but don't put it in the refrigerator or freezer to speed the process.

Close the iPhone Camera App

The flashbulb used by your iPhone's Camera app is the same one used by your iPhone's flashlight. You can't use both features at the same time, so if your Flashlight icon is grayed out, close the Camera app and see what happens.

Turn the Flash Off & On in the Camera App

Turning the flash on, then off again, while in Video mode in the Camera app has worked for a few people in this Apple discussions thread. Alternately, some people have had success with turning the flash on while in the Camera app, then quitting the app. To do this:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Tap Video at the bottom of the screen, then tap the Flash icon at the top.
   
   
    
3. Tap On.
4. Tap Off.
   
   
    
5. Close the Camera app.

Restart Your iPhone or iPad

If you have any work in progress in apps without an autosave function, save your work and close out of those apps. Then, reboot your iPhone (turn your iPhone off, then on again).

Hard Reset Your iPhone or iPad

If restarting your iPhone or iPad didn't fix your flashlight problem, try a hard reset. The process is slightly different for iPhones without Home buttons and those with Home buttons. 

Change Your Control Center Settings

A few people in Apple forums have fixed their iPhone flashlight by removing the flashlight from the Control Center, then adding it back. Here's how:

1. Open the Settings app. 
2. Tap Control Center.
   
   
    
3. Tap the minus sign in the red circle next to Flashlight.
4. Tap Remove to remove the flashlight from the Control Center.
   
   

Hard restart your iPhone, then go back to Customize Center Settings and add the flashlight back by tapping the plus symbol in the green circle next to Flashlight in Control Center Settings.

Reset All iPhone Settings

If tweaking your Control Center settings didn't help, you can also reset all the settings on your iPhone or iPad Pro. Taking this step won't lose any of your data, but you will have to go back and reset any custom settings you've added. To do this:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General.
   
   
    
3. Tap Reset.
4. Tap Reset All Settings.
   
   

Update to the latest iOS

I know we're always mentioning updating your iPhone's software in these troubleshooting articles but, that's because it helps! If your iPhone isn't updated to the latest version of iOS, take a few minutes and update now. This may be the solution to not only your flashlight issue, but other small glitches and bugs you've been experiencing. 

Restore Your iPhone from an iCloud Backup

If your flashlight still isn't working, try restoring your iPhone from an iCloud backup you made before the problem began. 

Restore Your iPhone to Factory Settings

This is your last option to solve software issues before contacting Apple Support. When you factory reset your iPhone, your data will be deleted, so you'll want to back up to iCloud before taking this step. 

Contact Apple Support

If you've tried all these troubleshooting steps and your flashlight icon is still grayed out, call Apple support. 

We hope this helped and your flashlight is working as it should! Next, learn how to troubleshoot a common problem and find out why your iPhone camera is shaking and how to fix it.