watchOS 4: How to Use Your Apple Watch as a Flashlight

BY Khamosh Pathak

Published 24 Aug 2017

watchOS 4 Apple Watch Flashlight featured 1

The flashlight on the iPhone is a  life saver. Whether it’s looking for your seats in a dark theater (remember to put your Apple Watch in Theater mode!)  or trying to find your way in your house when the lights are out. In watchOS 4, the Apple Watch also gets a flashlight feature.

As this is a watch, the implementation is a little different. It’s more like iPhone’s Selfie Flash feature. Because the Apple Watch doesn’t have an LED Flash, the software uses Apple Watch’s screen as a flashlight instead. Yes, it’s a bit weird, but in practice, I’ve found it to be really useful. Especially when I’m trying to find my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. My Apple Watch is right there so I don’t need to go looking for my iPhone. Here’s how it works.

Must Read: 50 Awesome Features in watchOS 4

How to Use Flashlight on Apple Watch

Just like the iPhone, the Flashlight feature on the Apple Watch is in the Control Center. Even the icon is similar.

Step 1: On your Apple Watch, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open Control Center.

watchOS 4 kaleidoscope watch face 2

Step 2: From the Control Center, tap on the Flashlight icon (it looks like a traditional flashlight).

watchOS-4-Control-Center-Flashlight-Icon

Step 3: You’ll now see a new page take over your Apple Watch. In a second, the entire Apple Watch’s screen will turn white and bright. This is your flashlight. And it gets better. As you turn your wrist away from you, the screen gets even brighter! This is a really thoughtful feature.

watchOS 4 Flashlight

Step 4: There are two more variations of the flashlight. Swipe left on the screen and you’ll enable an actually flashing (pulsating) flashlight that switches between the bright white and gray color. This can be really useful when you’re out running or cycling at night. This can be a good way to make sure others on the screen can see you.

watchOS 4 Flashing Light

Step 5: Swipe once more and you’ll get to a muted red version. If it’s the middle of the night and you think the bright white color is a bit too much, switch to the red color and it will be much better for your eyes.

watchOS 4 Red Flashlight

Step 6: To stop using the flashlight, all you have to do is press once on the Digital Crown and you’ll be back to the watch face.

How Do You Use Your Apple Watch?

Do you use your Apple Watch for fitness tracking? For managing notifications? Do you wear it in bed? Share with us in the comments below.