How To Turn On Flashlight On Iphone Xs Max

If you've ever discovered that the flashlight on your iPhone was suspiciously turned on after pulling the device from your pocket, you are far from alone.

Some people have been alerted by strangers on the street that the mini searchlight on their phone is beaming for the world to see. Others report having looked down to discover the flashbulb shining through their clothing.

Either way, no one is ever thrilled to find out that their expensive smartphone's battery is being unwittingly drained by a feature that can't be uninstalled.

So far, 488 iPhone users have reported the problem to Apple, asking the tech giant how to remove the fussy shortcut from the main screen entirely. If you don't have this problem, you probably have a pre-iPhone X device – and more control of when you let your little light shine.

Sacramento comedian Morgan Lujan, 28, said that the flashlight on his iPhone XS Max seems to turn itself on at least once a day. "It's interesting that the camera shortcut on the other side of the phone is never triggered. For some reason, it's always the flashlight."

Toussaint Campbell, 21, of Pembroke Pines, Florida, said that he accidentally triggers the flashlight on his iPhone XS "all the time. When I'm just walking with my phone or holding it, my hand just so happens to be all over the screen. People ask me all the time, 'Do you know your flashlight is on?' I've gotten used to it."

Other iOS users have taken to Reddit and MacRumors to express their grievances over the easily triggered light beam.

Twitter is also a hotbed of commentary on the topic:

"The flashlight on the iPhone X turns on by itself. Then you have to turn it on and off to get it to go off. I'm so confused," writes Twitter user @ericasaysyes.

"Having an iPhone X makes me feel like an old lady because I'm always accidentally turning on my flashlight," writes Twitter user @glnchlochlo.

"My fav feature of the new iPhone is how simple it is to accidentally turn on the flashlight," writes Twitter user @Nickwiger.

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The problem seemingly started in 2017 with the release of the iPhone X, when Apple installed the hard-pressed flashlight and camera shortcuts right on the lock screen.

The issue continued in 2018 when Apple introduced the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR to the masses.

The ever-present flashlight icon is located at the bottom left-hand corner of your smartphone, so when you grip the phone face-up with your right hand, your thumb can easily come in contact with the shortcut, whether intentionally or not.

Your palm comes in contact with the screen when you grip the phone face down, which can also trigger the flashlight.

So, what's the solution?

Currently, there's no way to remove the flashlight icon from the lock screen – we've tried. However, there are a few ways to turn the light off quickly if you turn it on accidentally.

For one, you can ask Siri to turn it off. Any of the following commands will do:

"Hey Siri, turn on/off the flashlight"

"Hey Siri, enable/disable the torch"

"Hey Siri, flashlight on/off"

"Hey Siri, torch on/off"

However, the voice assistant does need an internet connection to interpret flashlight commands.

An even faster and more discreet way to kill the torch is by slightly swiping left on the lock screen. A half-swipe is enough. If you use too much motion, you will open the Camera app.

Lastly, when the flashlight shortcut is activated, you can simply hold down the icon until the flashlight turns itself off.

Does your smartphone do something weird? Let Dalvin Brown know on Twitter: @Dalvin_Brown