Best Flashlight Apps for iPhone [2027 Compared]
Most people do not need a flashlight app: the iPhone’s built-in flashlight is free, has no ads, and you can change its brightness by touching and holding the Flashlight control in Control Center. Install an app only for what it cannot do: Apple Magnifier or LoupeLens for light while you zoom in, Flashlight ○ or MyLight for strobe, SOS and a screen light. We make LoupeLens, a flashlight you can dim while you zoom in on something.
The best free option: the flashlight already on your iPhone
Most people do not need a flashlight app. The flashlight built into iOS is free, has no ads, comes on instantly and has its own brightness control. You can reach it four ways:
- Control Center. Swipe down from the top-right corner, or up from the bottom edge on an iPhone with a Home button, and tap Flashlight.
- Lock Screen. On iPhones with Face ID, press and hold the flashlight button in the bottom-left corner until you feel a tap. A quick touch does nothing.
- Action button. On iPhones that have one, open Settings, Action Button and swipe to Flashlight. Then press and hold the Action button to switch the light on or off.
- Siri. Say “Turn on my flashlight” or “Turn off my flashlight”.
To change the brightness, open Control Center, touch and hold the Flashlight control and drag the slider up or down. The iPhone remembers the level for next time. On recent Pro models with the Dynamic Island, you can also tap the Dynamic Island while the light is on, then touch and hold the light icon and drag to make the beam wider or narrower. If the button has disappeared or is greyed out, see flashlight missing on iPhone.
The built-in light has three gaps. It cannot flash a strobe or an SOS pattern. It cannot turn the screen into a soft or colored light. And it may not respond while an app is using the camera, because the flashlight and the camera share the same LED, so you cannot set your own brightness while you zoom in on something. Those gaps are the only good reasons to install an app.
Quick comparison
Details below come from each app’s App Store listing in November 2026. Apps change, so check the listing before you install. We make LoupeLens, so read our view of it with that in mind.
| App | Cost model | Dimmable LED | What it adds | Ads | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in flashlight | Free, part of iOS | Yes, in Control Center | Lock Screen, Action button, Siri | None | Most people, most of the time |
| Apple Magnifier | Free, from Apple | No, on or off | Zoom, filters, freeze | None | Light on small print, free |
| LoupeLens | Free download, annual subscription | Yes, while you zoom | Up to 40x zoom, front camera with screen light, photo and video | None | Looking closely at something in the dark |
| Flashlight ○ (Pixelinlove) | Free with ads | Yes | Strobe with adjustable frequency, SOS, Apple Watch app | Yes | Strobe and SOS |
| MyLight (Alexander Kaessner) | Free with ads, in-app purchase to turn them off | Yes | Screen light in colors, strobe, SOS, widgets, Siri Shortcuts | Yes, unless you pay | A screen light and widgets |
| Flashlight × (DOUBLE U) | Free with ads, one-time purchase to remove them | Yes | Colored screen light, SOS, Home and Lock Screen widgets | Yes, unless you pay | A widget with a screen light |
How we compared them
A flashlight gets used in a hurry: at the front door, under the car seat, in a child’s room at night. We looked at what decides whether it helps then:
- Speed. Nothing is faster than the Lock Screen button or Control Center, so an app has to offer something they do not.
- Brightness you choose. Full power is too much for a label 10 cm away or a dark bedroom.
- Light while using the camera. Can the light stay on while you zoom in, and can you dim it there?
- Extras that work. Strobe, SOS, a screen light and widgets count. A claim of the “brightest” flashlight does not (see the last section).
- Ads and tracking. A flashlight needs no internet connection, no account and no ad network. We read each listing’s App Privacy section.
The apps
Search the App Store for flashlight and you get a long list, much of it ad-supported. The three popular free apps below are long-running and still updated, and all three carry ads. Their App Privacy sections say data may be used to track you across other companies’ apps and websites. That does not make them unsafe, but it is a lot for a light switch, and it is the main reason to stay with the built-in flashlight unless you need one of the extras.
Apple Magnifier: light and zoom, free
Magnifier comes with the iPhone and is free from Apple, with no ads. Add the Flashlight control in Magnifier’s settings and the LED stays on while you zoom in, next to controls for image brightness, contrast, color filters and freeze. The light is on or off, so on a glossy label or skin you get the full-power glare spot. If the app is gone, Magnifier missing on iPhone shows how to get it back.
Choose it if you want light on small print now and then and do not need to dim it.
LoupeLens: a flashlight you can dim while you zoom in
LoupeLens opens straight into the camera with a flashlight button. Press and hold the button and slide to dim or brighten the light, while you zoom up to 40x on all supported iPhones. A low setting stops glare on shiny packaging and is easier on a sleeping child when you check an ear or a splinter at night. Switch to the front camera and the screen becomes the light. Tap to capture a photo, hold to record video; both go into a LoupeLens album in Photos. No ads, no tracking, no account, and it works offline. It needs an annual subscription, which Family Sharing covers. It has no strobe or SOS mode, so it is not a replacement for the apps below if that is what you want.
Choose it if you mostly use the flashlight to look closely at something: a tick, a label, a mint mark, the back of a cupboard. Reading text in dim light shows how to angle the light.
Flashlight ○ (Pixelinlove)
On the App Store since 2010 and updated in 2026. It adds a brightness control, a strobe with adjustable frequencies and an SOS signal, and has an Apple Watch app. The listing says the app contains advertising, and its App Privacy section lists location, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics as data that may be used to track you. The listing also warns that the strobe can affect people with epilepsy.
Choose it if you want strobe and SOS in one tap and accept ads.
MyLight – Flashlight & LED (Alexander Kaessner)
MyLight can use either the LED or the screen. With the LED you get a plain light with brightness control, a strobe and SOS. With the screen you get a white or colored light, a color-changing lamp, a strobe, light graffiti and SOS. It also has Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, quick actions and Siri Shortcuts. The listing says it contains advertising, with an in-app purchase to disable ads, and the App Privacy section says data may be used to track you. A screen light is much weaker than the LED but softer, which suits a tent or finding something on a bedside table.
Choose it if you want a colored or soft screen light, or flashlight widgets.
Flashlight × (DOUBLE U)
Uses the LED, or the screen at full brightness, with adjustable brightness, a choice of light color in screen mode, an SOS signal and widgets for the Home Screen and Lock Screen. The listing says the app is free with ads and that a one-time purchase removes them permanently. The App Privacy section says identifiers, usage data and diagnostics may be used to track you.
Choose it if you want a widget and a colored screen light and are willing to pay once to remove the ads.
Which one should you pick?
| If you need | Try |
|---|---|
| A light, fast, free | The built-in flashlight: Lock Screen, Control Center or the Action button |
| A dimmer light | The built-in flashlight: touch and hold the Flashlight control in Control Center |
| Light on small print, free | Apple Magnifier with the Flashlight control added |
| A light you can dim while you zoom in | LoupeLens |
| Strobe or SOS | Flashlight ○ or MyLight |
| A soft or colored screen light | MyLight or Flashlight × |
| No ads and no tracking | The built-in flashlight, Apple Magnifier or LoupeLens |
| A magnifier with more zoom and filters | See the best magnifying glass apps for iPhone |
Can a flashlight app make the iPhone brighter?
No. Every flashlight app switches on the same LED next to the rear cameras, and iOS sets the highest level any app can use. Turned all the way up in Control Center, the built-in flashlight is already that bright. When a listing promises the “brightest” light, that is marketing. What an app can change is how you control the light: a strobe, a dimmer while you use the camera, or the screen as a second, softer light source.
If the light looks weaker than it used to, check for a case edge, a sticker or dirt over the LED, and let a hot iPhone cool down, since iOS limits the flash when the phone is hot. Continuous use at full brightness drains the battery quickly, so a lower level is worth using when it is enough.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free flashlight app for iPhone?
The one already on it. The built-in flashlight is free, has no ads, works from the Lock Screen, Control Center, Siri and the Action button, and has a brightness slider. Install an app only for strobe, SOS, a screen light, or a light you can dim while you zoom in.
How do I make my iPhone flashlight brighter or dimmer?
Open Control Center, touch and hold the Flashlight control, and drag the slider up for brighter or down for dimmer. The iPhone remembers the level. No app can make the LED brighter than the top of that slider.
Is there a flashlight app with strobe or SOS for iPhone?
The built-in flashlight has neither. Flashlight ○ by Pixelinlove and MyLight both list a strobe and an SOS signal, and Flashlight × lists SOS. All three are free with ads. To call for help in a real emergency, use the iPhone’s Emergency SOS, which calls emergency services.
Can I use the flashlight while the camera is open?
Not from Control Center: the flashlight and the camera share the same LED, so the control may not respond while an app is using the camera. In the Camera app, set the flash to on in Video mode and the light stays on while you record. Apple Magnifier keeps the light on while you zoom, and LoupeLens also lets you dim it.
Do flashlight apps track you?
Many free ones say so. The App Privacy sections of Flashlight ○, MyLight and Flashlight × all say data may be used to track you across other companies’ apps and websites. Check that section on the App Store before you install any flashlight app.
Do I need a flashlight app on my iPhone?
Usually not. The built-in flashlight covers turning the light on fast and changing its brightness. An app is worth it only if you want strobe or SOS patterns, a colored screen light, widgets, or light you can control while zooming in with the camera.