We doubt there's a phone user who has never missed a call or text message in their life. Sometimes you just can't pick up the phone – when driving, when showering, or when your hands are occupied, to give a few examples. Then there are those times when you simply don't notice your ringing phone – it beeps, blinks, and vibrates vigorously, yet still can't draw your attention. While there's little that can be done in the former case, this nifty trick can help you avoid the latter situation. It is possible to make the LED light on your Android phone's camera blink when there's an incoming call, which should minimize the chance of you missing it. Read on to learn how.
Option 1: Use the built-in feature of your smartphone (if there is one)
The software on Android phones often varies between manufacturers and even accessibility features can be different. Luckily, some of the biggest phone manufacturers have the feature that lets you use the flash for incoming calls and messages as part of their custom Android software, here's how to activate it:
How to activate Flash when phone rings on Samsung Galaxy phones on Android 9 or older
Step 1. In the Settings menu, tap on Accessibility, then on Hearing.
Step 2. Tap on Flash Notification and then tap on the toggle to activate the feature. That's it!
How to activate Flash when phone rings on Samsung Galaxy phones with Android 10 or newer
Step 1. Go to Accessibility, then Advanced Settings. Look for the Flash Notification menu.
Step 2. Simply tap the Camera toggle and you'll be good to go!
How to activate Flash alerts on LG phones
Step 1. In the Settings menu, tap on Accessibility, then on Hearing
Step 2. Tap on the Flash alerts toggle, then confirm by tapping on Turn on. You're all set!
Regardless of your phone's make and model, the accessibility settings menu is where you should look first. If the option is not available there, you can make its camera LED flash when calls are incoming using an app made for the purpose.
Option 2: Get a dedicated app like Flash Alerts
Enter Flash Alerts. It forces your Android phone's powerful LED to blink when a call is incoming, when you get a new message, or when a notification pops up. What's more, the app is free and comes with a bunch of extra features. It also comes with ads scattered around here and there, but thanks to the available customization, you shouldn't need to open it often so they're not too annoying.
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Once you open Flash Alerts it will activate the flash for incoming calls and messages automatically. From the app, you can fine-tune when and how it uses the flash. Using the toggles you can enable alerts for calls and/or text messages and tapping on the text allows for even more adjustments. You can tweak the LED light's blinking pattern using the sliders for the ON and OFF duration and quickly test if you like it.
If you want certain apps to use the camera LED for notifications, Flash Alerts allows you to do that as well. Tap the toggle next to "Select apps" under "Flash Notifications". This will take you to the Notification access menu on your phone where you have to tap on the toggle next to Flash Alerts to give it access to the phone's notifications. Once you've done that, tapping on "Select apps" will show you the list of apps that can use the LED on the back of your phone for notifications.
You can also select the battery percentage at which all flash notifications are disabled by tapping on "Battery Percent" under Battery Threshold and select the percentage you prefer using the slider. This will prevent your phone from dying if someone is calling you a lot while you're not around since the camera LED can drain the battery quite fast.
Additionally, you may configure Flash Alerts' Do Not Disturb period. Basically, that's the time of the day when the app is off, and we suppose you don't want it active during sleeping hours. Or you can just select with which of your sound profiles it must be active – Ring, Vibrate, or Silent.
And that's about it! Now that you have Flash Alerts enabled and configured, you'll have a much lower chance of missing important calls and messages. Just be aware that your camera's LED is a bright one. You probably don't want it active at night, in venues like bars and restaurants, or in any place where others might be distracted by it.
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