How to turn on the flashlight on your Android phone without unlocking it

Quickly access your flashlight on Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones.

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You don't have to unlock your Android phone to switch your flashlight on. There are shortcuts so you can easily and quickly access it in case of emergency. In this post, we'll focus on Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones, both of which have a customizable pulldown menu from the lock screen where you'll find a slew of useful tools.

If you want to go the hands-free route, you can also you can ask your AI assistant to turn on the flashlight for you in both cases. Start by saying "Hey, Google" without unlocking your phone and then follow it up with "Turn on the flashlight."

Google Pixel

You can find the flashlight button on your Pixel phone by swiping down from the top of the screen to bring up the Quick Settings menu. Just tap on the flashlight icon to switch it on, then tap it again to switch it off. If you can't find it among the top options in Quick Settings, you'll have to edit the icons in the first page. Simply tap on the pencil at the bottom of the Quick Settings menu and then press the plus button on the Flashlight icon and/or move it to the top of the menu so you can see it quickly whenever you need it.

While you can't shake the Pixel to switch the Flashlight on — that's an old Motorola feature — you can set your phone's Quick Tap gesture to activate it. Go to Settings > System > Gestures > Quick Tap to start actions and then enable Toggle Flashlight from there. After setting that up, you'll be able to turn your flashlight on by double tapping the back of your phone. You can, however, find third-party apps that will give you the ability to turn the flashlight on by shaking your device. 

It's also possible to edit your phone's lock screen buttons by long pressing on your lock screen and then tapping on the Customize button at the bottom. Scroll down to find the Shortcuts option and then choose the flashlight icon to add it to the bottom of your lock screen. 

Samsung Galaxy phones

Screenshot by Mariella Moon

On Samsung Galaxy phones, you can easily access your flashlight through the Quick Panel, which you can see by swiping down from either corner of the top of your screen. If you don't see it there or want to reorder the icons in the panel, just tap on the kebab or the pencil icon while it's open. You'll be able to edit the panel from there and rearrange the icons as you see fit. 

You can change the two buttons and the bottom corners of your lock screen, as well. Typically, those two buttons are the Phone and Camera icons, but you can switch out one of them by long pressing anywhere on the lock screen. Choose from one of them and then select the flashlight to replace it. If you can't seem to customize your lock screen, go to Settings > Lock Screen & AOD > Enable Touch and Hold to Edit.