Why is my iPhone Flashlight Disabled? Here’s How to Fix Greyed Out Flashlight Icon

All iPhone versions come with a powerful flashlight that comes in handy when you want a quick and convenient light source. The era of actual torches is far behind us. The availability of these touch-responsive flashlights in our smartphones has replaced the inconvenience of carrying lanterns and torches on our many expeditions.

But is your iPhone flashlight greyed out, and not responsive to your adamant touches? If so, then you don’t need to panic. This glitch is a common one and has been reported by multiple users.

Generally, the problem arises when you have recently updated to the iOS 11 version. Following the update, the flashlight icon might be unavailable on your device.

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Why is my iPhone Flashlight Icon Greyed Out?

When I first switched to iOS 11, I noticed that my flashlight is not working. I researched and visited multiple forums to answer my question – why is my iPhone flashlight disabled on iPhone?

After due research, I found that this issue is a common occurrence. Many users have reported the recurring issue where their iPhone flashlight icon is greyed out in the control center.

Fortunately, I managed to prepare a list of comprehensive solutions that can help you fix this issue. These issues will probably work for you irrespective of which iPhone model you are using.

How to Fix Disabled Flashlight on iPhone: 7 Ways

Here is a list of probable solutions that can help you solve your issue.

1. Reset the Torch Shortcut from Control Center Menu

The first thing that you can do is tinker with your iPhone settings. Here’s what you need to do –

1. Open your iPhone settings.
2. Locate and tap on the Control Centre menu.
3. Tap on Customize Controls and use the delete option to remove the Torch shortcut.
4. Tap on the Back option and then save your settings.
5. Repeat the process to bring back the Torch Option. Go to the Customization menu and tap on the More Controls list.
6. Tap on the green plus (+) sign and then bring the Torch icon to the Include list.
7. Drag and drop the label into your preferred position.

If your issue was a mere glitch, then this process should be able to solve your problem. If not, continue to the next process.

2. Force Stop the Camera App

You cannot turn on your iPhone’s flashlight if your Camera app is opened. This is because there is a conflict of interest between the camera’s flash and the flashlight. Thus, you can force stop your camera app to solve this issue.

Here’s how –

1. On the bottom of the screen, locate the gesture area and hold that region for a while.
2. Swipe up and hold until you come across the multitasking interface.
3. Locate the Camera app. Tap and hold on to the camera app until you see the red circle with the “-” symbol on the top left corner.
4. Flick the app up or tap on the left circle.

3. Reboot your iPhone

Sometimes, the flashlight icon is greyed out due to a software issue. Most of the software issues can be resolved by rebooting your iPhone device.

Here’s how –

1. Press and hold the volume/side button until you see the power slider.
2. Drag the slider and wait until your phone turns off.
3. After the device is turned off, press and hold the side button until it powers back on.

4. Reset iPhone Settings

A manual setting that you might’ve chosen could be interfering with your iPhone’s flashlight. To solve this, you can simply restore your iPhone’s settings to default. This won’t harm your data and would merely reset all the manual changes in settings.

Here’s what you need to do –

1. Go to iPhone’s Settings app.
2. Go to General settings.
3. Locate and tap on Transfer or Reset iPhone.
4. Tap on Reset.
5. Choose Reset all Settings.

5. Update iPhone Software

You can fix nearly all glitches by updating your phone’s software.

Here’s how –

1. Connect your phone to a stable Wi-Fi network/internet connection.
2. Go to your iPhone’s Settings.
3. Tap on General settings.
4. Locate and tap on Software Update.
5. If you see any available updates, tap on Install Now.
6. Wait for the update to complete and then check your flashlight.

6. Reset to Factory Settings

If none of the solutions work for you, then you’ll need to take drastic measures. Resetting your iPhone to Factory Settings will delete all your data, so make sure that you create sufficient backups.

1. Go to your iPhone’s Settings.
2. Tap on General and then on Reset.
3. On the Reset page, select Erase All Content & Settings.

7. Contact Apple Support

If the above mentioned solutions are not working for you, then chances are that there might be no manual fixes available for your issue. A technician from Apple’s support team could offer their input and diagnose the accurate problem. They will also be able to provide fool-proof solutions for the same.

Moreover, you might also be unfortunate enough to receive a defective model. In these cases, contacting Apple Support is the only alternative as they’ll help you get the model replaced.

Final Thoughts

In this article, we’ve tackled a common issue that iPhone users are facing – greyed out flashlight that isn’t working. To help them tackle the problem, we’ve come up with a list of tested solutions to get rid of the issue once and for all.