What To Do With Flashlight Not Working on iPhone 13 (iOS 15.2.1)

Among the most uncommon issues users reported is the iPhone flashlight not working when tapped.

Being one of the core features of the iPhone, the flashlight icon is accessible even in the lock screen, which means, you can turn on the LED at the back of the phone even without unlocking it.

If your iPhone’s flashlight doesn’t work, it can be due to a pretty minor glitch or issue, which can be fixed by doing some basic troubleshooting procedures. Or, it can be because of a hardware problem that often has something to do with the LED.

Common Causes of Flashlight Issues on iPhone

It is important that you know the causes of this problem because even if you’re able to fix it, there’s no guarantee that it won’t happen again in the future. With that said, here are some of the most common causes why the flashlight does not working on iPhone:

Some apps causes the problem – it is possible that there are apps that use the flashlight on your device and thus preventing it from turning on when needed. This must be the first thing you have to look into because it’s the case, then you can fix the problem by simply closing the apps that use the flashlight.

Minor system glitch – system glitches can also cause some features or services to stop working. That might be the case here. Most of the time, system glitches can be fixed by simply rebooting your device.

Your iPhone is low on battery – having a low battery level will also prevent the flashlight or torch from turning on. That’s why it’s important that you charge your device from time to time even if it’s not in the critical battery level yet.

Your iPhone is overheating – if you’ve been recording 4K videos for several minutes and your iPhone is a lot warmer than it usually is, it’s possible that it’s on the brink of overheating. You may not have been prompted with the overheating message yet but if your device is really hot, the flashlight just won’t come on.

Some services have issues – if there are issues with some of the services, then your iPhone might not work properly and core features like the torch might also be affected. This must be one of the possibilities that you have to rule out.

Fixing the flashlight that’s not working on iPhone

Before you troubleshoot your device, make sure that LED is working. Just tap the iPhone camera app and turn on the flash, and then snap a picture. If it flashes, then the LED is working.

At least, at this point, you know that it’s not a hardware problem. So continue with the troubleshooting to make the flashlight work again.

First solution: Close all background apps

Before anything else, rule out the possibility that this problem is caused by one of the apps that are left running in the background.

So the first thing you have to do is close all of them and see if the torch lights up after that.

Here’s how you do that:

Step 1: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and stop in the middle.

Step 2: Swipe up on each app preview to close them one after another.

Once you’ve done that, pull down the Control Center and then tap the flashlight icon to see if the LED lights up.

Second solution: Force restart your iPhone

The next thing you have to do is to rule out the possibility that a system glitch is causing the problem. To do that, you have to perform the Forced Restart, which is a simulated battery removal.

Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button and then do the same to the Volume Down button.

Step 2: Immediately after releasing the Volume Down button, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for 10 seconds.

Doing so will trigger your device to shut down and power back up.

Step 3: When the Apple logo shows, release the Power key and allow the iPhone to continue the boot process.

After the reboot, try turning on the flashlight to see if it works. If still not, then move on to the next solution.

Third solution: Let the iPhone cool down & then recharge it

If you’ve been using your iPhone for several minutes and you notice that it’s a bit warmer than it usually is, then it’s possible that it’s just too hot for it to turn on the torch.

What you have to do is let it cool down for a few minutes. I suggest you power it off completely and let it sit on the table unused for 5 minutes.

After that, connect it to its charger so that it turns back on.

While on the lock screen, try holding the flashlight icon for a couple of seconds and check the back side to see if the LED turns on.

Fourth solution: Reset All Settings

Assuming that the camera flash still works but the torch doesn’t turn on when you tap the flashlight icon even after doing the previous solutions, then the next thing you have to do is to reset all settings.

Doing so will reset all the services back to their default values without deleting your files and data.

Here’s how you do it:

Step 1: From the Home screen, find and tap the Settings app.

Step 2: Find and tap General.

Step 3: Scroll down and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.

Step 4: Tap Reset at the bottom of the screen to reveal all the other options.

Step 5: Tap Reset All Settings and enter your passcode if prompted.

Step 6: Tap Reset All Settings at the bottom of the screen, and then tap the same option to confirm it.

Your device will reboot once all the iPhone settings have been reset.

When the reset is finished and your iPhone 13 reaches the lock screen, tap and hold the flashlight icon for 2 seconds to turn it on. It should work properly now that you’ve reset the settings.

We hope that this troubleshooting guide can help you one way or the other.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day!