What is the feature found on every phone that all users have activated multiple times, yet its performance on individual models is never considered by consumers when they go new phone shopping? I'm talking about the flashlight. Has one person ever picked a specific phone to buy because of the flashlight? That would be very doubtful. Even though there are slight differences found in the flashlight feature from phone-to-phone, have you ever seen Apple, Google, Samsung, or Motorola promote the flashlight on their phones?
Pixel users do have a hack that will make their flashlight stronger
Apple iPhone users with a model that features the Dynamic Island can increase the intensity of the flashlight by sliding their finger vertically upward inside the box created by the Dynamic Island when the flashlight is turned on. Sliding the finger down vertically will reduce the intensity of the light. Dragging a finger in the box left and right will change the beam from narrow to a wide floodlight.
This hack will take the Pixel flashlight to maximum brightness
Pixel users currently cannot control the strength of their flashlight's beam without installing a third-party app, of which there are several. Back in June, we told you about a hack that will double the brightness of your Pixel's flashlight. Simply do this:
Install the Google Magnifying app on your Pixel phone from the Google Play Store by tapping on this link .
Once the app is installed, open it and tap the flashlight icon on the right side of the screen. This turns on the flashlight, and a vertical slider will appear above the icon.
Swipe the slider all the way to the top and you've doubled the intensity of the flashlight on your Pixel.
You can modfy the strength of the flashlight by moving your finger back and forth accross the slider.
But there might be another way to do this. According to a recently released report, an upcoming software update will allow you to make the beam from the flashlight on your Pixel phone stronger and brighter. Back in August, hidden code found in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 revealed a slider, looking very similar to the horizontal brightness slider at the top of Quick Settings, that would control the strength of the flashlight beam of your Pixel's flashlight.
Most recent design for the Pixel Flashlight Strength control. | Image credit-Android Authority
In the latest 2510 Android Canary release, the Flashlight Strength control strongly resembled the Dynamic Island flashlight control for the iPhone. Inside a box is an illustration of a flashlight in the vertical position with the light coming out on the top. Dragging the slider inside this box up from the bottom, the flashlight turns on. As you reach the top of the box, you have the flashlight on maximum brightness. As you move the slider and the flashlight gets brighter, this is represented by an arc of light coming from the flashlight that gets wider.
We could see this improvement arrive with the March Pixel Feature Drop in 2026
As you slide your finger down lower inside the box, the light gets dimmer and the arc of light from the flashlight gets narrower.
Could a weak flashlight on a phone be a dealbreaker for you?
Yes. I might need a strong beam someday.
0%
No. I can always install an app to get a brighter light.
0%
Flashlight? Who cares. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.
100%
The flashlight slider has yet to appear in the QPR2 Beta releases which means they might show up with the Android 16 Beta, which corresponds with the March 2026 Pixel Feature Drop. That is when we could see the aforementioned the Pixel Flashlight Strength control become available for Pixel phones.
Thos might not be the most important feature Google has added to the Pixel line, but it does show Google's intentions to make things easier for Pixel users. If you use the flashlight on your Pixel phone often the new flashlight control will be a great addition to the phone. Until then, you might want to try the Google magnifying app hack that we mention in this article.
"Iconic Phones" is coming this Fall!
Good news everyone! Over the past year we've been working on an exciting passion project of ours and we're thrilled to announce it will be ready to release in just a few short months.
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"Iconic Phones: Revolution at Your Fingertips" is a must-have coffee table book for every tech-head that will bring you on a journey to relive the greatest technological revolution of the 21st century. For more details, simply follow the link below!
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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