This post highlights a few potential solutions to a problem on the iPhone flashlight that doesn’t work as intended. Read on to figure out how to troubleshoot the iPhone 13 flashlight not working in iOS 15.4.
When the latest iOS version was officially rolled out, a number of post-update issues were also raised by a number of iPhone owners. Among the reported issues is on the iPhone flashlight that doesn’t work as intended.
If you happen to bump into the same problem after updating your iPhone 13, there are a few tweaks that might help you fix it. Just keep scrolling for more information.
Possible Causes
Normally, the iPhone flashlight turns on with a single tap on a shortcut icon from the control center. But there are just some instances when things don’t work as expected. Thus, the iPhone flashlight may sometimes fail.
There are a number of possible reasons behind the iPhone 13 flashlight issue. Oftentimes, low battery, buggy update and overheating are found to be the underlying causes.
Resolving the issue requires ruling out of individual factors from the software to hardware components.
But in the case where the iPhone flashlight was perfectly working and suddenly malfunctioned from an iOS update, a software bug is most likely to blame.
This is often the case if the recently installed update contains some unforeseen bug that eventually ruined the iOS camera app and other relevant features. Another possibility is that the recent update might have altered or overridden certain settings and that resulted in conflicts.
Unless the hardware damage is present, post-update camera problems are usually rectified by carrying out some relevant tweaks.
And to give you some input on how to deal with such an issue, I’ve mapped out the potential solutions as follows.
Troubleshooting iPhone 13 Flashlight Not Working in iOS 15.4
Performing the subsequent procedures will help eliminate software-related factors that might have caused the iOS camera flashlight to malfunction after the recent system update. These methods are likewise applicable when troubleshooting the same problem on other iPhone models that are running on the same iOS version with that of the iPhone 13 series.
Prerequisites:
- Make sure that your iPhone is sufficiently charged. To rule out low power from the underlying causes, keep your phone’s battery level at 50 percent or higher.
- In the case where the iPhone seems to be overheating, let it cool down a bit.
Feel free to start whenever you’re all set to troubleshoot your device.
Solution #1: End the Camera and other background applications.
If the Camera app was left open and running in the background while updating and your phone hasn’t restarted, there’s a higher chance that the app has stopped and got stuck among other background applications. As a result, the flashlight system eventually developed a fault.
To clear this out, ending the camera app and any other background applications on the iPhone is recommended.
So here’s what you must do first:
- Launch the multitasking view by swiping up from the bottom left corner of the Home screen.
- Then swipe up on the camera app preview to force close the application.
Do the same to force close any other running apps to prevent them from causing conflicts that may interfere with the flashlight.
Solution #2: Soft reset/Force Restart iPhone.
Another simple solution to various types of software issues on an iPhone is a soft reset or iPhone reboot.
Typically, the iPhone reboots by itself after installing a new update. This is the phone’s way of ensuring that all recent system changes are properly implemented.
Just in case the automatic system reboot did not instigate properly after updating, give your iPhone a quick restart. This will likewise clear out any errant system cache and corrupted residual files from the system storage.
Just follow these steps to soft reset/reboot your iPhone 13:
- Press and hold either Volume button and the Side button simultaneously and then release both when the Power off slider appears.
- Drag the slider to power off the device completely.
- After 30 seconds, turn your iPhone back on by pressing and holding the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
Alternatively, you can force restart your iPhone to forcibly end any background apps and services including those that are causing system conflicts.
To force restart an iPhone 13, just refer to these steps:
- Quickly press and then release the Volume Up button.
- Then, quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
- Finally, press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
- Wait for your iPhone to complete the boot-up sequence.
After rebooting, retry activating the flashlight control to see if it’s already working.
This process does not delete any saved data from the internal storage so you won’t lose any of your saved files and documents.
Solution #3: Toggle Flashlight Control off and on.
Just like any other iOS features, the iPhone flashlight is also a binary feature and that means it can be turned off or on.
Oftentimes, random flaws transpiring on a binary feature can be rectified by turning it off for a few seconds and then turning it back on again. This gives it a quick restart, which results in clearing out of any minor shortfall in the iOS flashlight system.
So here’s what you should do next:
- Launch the Control Center.
- While in the Control Center, find and then tap on the Flashlight icon.
- When the icon appears to be highlighted, it means that the Flashlight is turned on or enabled. Otherwise, it’s turned off.
In order for the flashlight to work, it has to be enabled on your phone. That said, make sure that the Flashlight icon is turned on in the control center.
Alternatively, you can turn the iPhone camera flash feature off and on. Turning the iPhone Camera app flash feature will likewise activate the LED flashlight to make your iPhone able to take photos with the camera app.
Solution #4: Remove then re-add Flashlight to the control center.
Another tweak that’s been proven to work wonders by other iPhone users who have faced post-update Flashlight problems is by removing and re-adding the flashlight control from/to the Control Center.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Open the Settings app then tap Control Center.
- In the Control Center menu, scroll to find Torch from the list of items under the Included Controls section and then tap on the red button before it.
- That should remove the flashlight icon from the control center.
- After removing the flashlight control, restart/soft reset your iPhone and head back to Settings-> Control Center.
- On the succeeding window, tap on the green (+) icon before Torch.
That should add the Torch/flashlight icon back to the Control Center.
Make sure the Flashlight control is enabled/turned on and then try activating the flashlight to see if it’s already working properly on your iPhone.
Solution #5: Turn OFF Do Not Disturb to enable LED Flash for Alerts.
In iOS 15 devices like the iPhone 13, there’s a new accessibility option that allows you to use your iPhone flashlight to serve as an alert system. That feature is called LED Flash for Alerts.
When enabled, this feature prompts the iPhone flashlight to blink whenever a new notification or call comes through. This therefore makes you aware of the recent activity and be able to respond to it accordingly.
However, when Do Not Disturb is enabled, LED alerts will be disabled. As a result, the iPhone’s flashlight would no longer blink for alerts.
To make sure that this isn’t the root cause of the problem, try to disable Do Not Disturb on your iPhone and then retry activating the flashlight to see if it works with DND turned off.
Here’s how to access and manage this feature on the new iPhone 13:
- Open the Settings app.
- Find and then tap Focus.
- Tap Do Not Disturb then tap to turn the Do Not Disturb switch OFF.
Alternatively, you can keep DND turned on with the LED Flash for Alerts enabled.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Go to Settings-> Accessibility-> Audio/Visual menu and then turn on the LED Flash for Alerts.
That should enable Flash on Silent and allow the phone to use LED Flash for Alerts when the ring switch is set to silent or when the DND mode is enabled on the phone.
Solution #6: Reset all settings on your iPhone.
Restoring the default system settings may also be regarded among the potential solutions since the problem started from an iOS update. If the recent update automatically overrides the current settings, there’s a chance that the recent overrides result in some squabble in the iPhone operating system.
To clear this out, restoring the default values and options through the built-in reset all settings command is recommended.
In iOS 15 devices, there are a few changes made to the reset menu and that likewise changed the prior method to access the iOS reset options through settings.
Here’s how it’s done on the iPhone 13:
- Go to Settings-> General-> Transfer or Reset iPhone-> Reset menu.
- Select Reset all settings from the given options.
- Enter your device passcode if prompted.
- Read the reset warning and then tap Reset settings to confirm.
The phone will then erase all recent settings changes and then restore the default values and options.
After resetting, you will need to re-assign default apps for specific data types and protocols. Re-enabling features that are disabled by default is also necessary for you to use these features again.
But on a positive note, all your saved data and downloaded contents remain intact in the iPhone storage.
More importantly, system faults including flashlight problems tied to messed up settings are likewise rectified in the process. That said, everything should be working properly by then.
Is your iPhone flashlight still not working?
Should you wish to troubleshoot further, your next options would include a full system reset (factory reset) and iOS restore via recovery or DFU mode.
These methods are often deemed among the last resorts when dealing with post-update iOS issues that could not be rectified by the standard procedures.
A. Factory Reset.
If you suspect that a complex iOS bug is the underlying cause of the problem, restoring the iPhone to its factory state will likely fix it. However, this process would result in permanent data loss as it wipes everything from the iPhone system including downloaded apps and saved files in the internal storage.
If you wish to proceed, you can start with a factory reset via settings menu or restore your iPhone to its factory state in iTunes.
B. Recovery Mode Restore.
If the standard iOS restore doesn’t solve it, that’s when you may consider resorting to a recovery mode restore. This will put your device in a recovery state, allowing iTunes to wipe and repair fatal system errors inflicted by the recent update bug.
And if the recovery mode restore still failed to fix the problem, your last option would be a DFU mode restore.
C. DFU Mode Restore.
DFU stands for device firmware update, a more advanced iOS state that allows iTunes to access and communicate with your iPhone without activating the boot loader.
Fatal system errors resulting in recurring iPhone issues are often dealt with by a DFU mode restore but the main downside is permanent data loss.
Alternative iPhone Repair Solutions
Third-party iOS repair tools can also be regarded among other alternative solutions if iTunes failed to fix the iPhone. These tools are available for free downloads or via one-time purchase for a total package.
Among the leading brands that are designed for this purpose include Tenorshare – ReiBoot, Dr. Fone, AnyFix – iOS System Recovery and PhoneRescue for iOS, to name a few.
Each of these tools come with a Windows PC version and another version for Mac computers.
Just pick the best compatible software for your computer and try repairing any ruined system components that cause flashlight software malfunction on your new iPhone.
Seek more help
What you’re dealing with could be a hardware issue. Although the symptoms instigated from an iOS update, it doesn’t always denote that an iOS bug is at fault. The iPhone might have already obtained some sort of physical or liquid damage and the symptom just happened to appear after updating.
You may opt to escalate the problem to Apple support for further assistance and recommendations if none of the above solutions worked. This might be another major iOS camera/flashlight bug that requires a dedicated fix patch.
If you suspect that faulty hardware is present, then you should consider taking your iPhone to the nearest Apple-authorized service center in your area. That way you can ask an iPhone technician to diagnose and/or fix any damaged components that ruined the normal flashlight operation.
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