If you’re like most people, you probably rely on your phone’s flashlight to help you see in the dark. But there are a lot of flashlight apps out there that are better than your phone’s built-in light. One of the best flashlight apps is Flashlight Plus. It has a ton of different light options, including a bright white light and a dimmer light that can be used to see in low-light situations. Flashlight Plus also has an SOS feature that can be used to call for help if you need it. And if you’re worried about your battery life, Flashlight Plus has an option to turn off its screen light when it’s not in use. So why not switch to an app like Flashlight Plus instead of using your phone’s built-in flashlight? It’ll save you battery life and give you more flexibility when it comes to using your flashlight. ..
Why Stop Using Your Phone as a Flashlight?
In the past we’ve strongly recommended you stop using flashlight apps on your phone. I’ll take that a step further and recommend you stop, in most instances, using the flashlight altogether.
I won’t pretend that I never use my phone flashlight. Most people have their phones on them 24/7, and the little LED flash on most smartphones, in flashlight mode, can throw about 40-50 lumens of illumination. You can adjust the flashlight brightness on your phone, but that doesn’t help enough. Your Apple Watch has a flashlight mode, but it also doesn’t work as well as it needs to.
For those impromptu moments where you need to find something you dropped under the bed or you’re looking for something in your purse in a dark car, an ultra-compact flashlight built into a device you’re already carrying is amazing.
But smartphones are expensive and, relatively speaking, quite fragile. If somebody gave you a regular flashlight that cost $1000 and was made of delicate glass, you’d certainly handle it with care and consider getting a more durable flashlight you wouldn’t be worried about breaking, no?
Yet millions of us use our phones like regular flashlights every day in situations where we would benefit from a dedicated flashlight and not a smartphone with a flashlight function.
After all, I’d be unhappy if I accidentally dropped one of my favorite pen lights into the weird pseudo-crawl space under my front porch while working on my house, but I’d only be out about $15. And I certainly wouldn’t have to spend a Saturday afternoon pulling up floorboards or digging to get my iPhone back (hopefully) safe and sound.
The same goes for using my phone as a flashlight versus a dedicated flashlight out in the garage, looking under a car hood, in a dark parking lot, or finishing up a hike after dusk. In all those situations, dropping my phone could easily lead to a cracked screen or even worse damage, even with a case.
But dropping an impact-resistant metal-body flashlight is going to, at worse, just scuff the body of the flashlight. And even if the flashlight somehow gets lost or crunched under a car tire, I’m out a small sum of money again.
So sure, for those quick moments where you really need a flashlight, who can say no to popping the flashlight on their phone on? But for anything more serious or long-lasting than a peek under the bed, you really should use a dedicated flashlight.
Use These Flashlights Instead of Your Phone
There are so many flashlights to choose from, but which kind of flashlight you pick to replace your phone’s built-in flashlight will depend on what you use your phone flashlight for most frequently.
You might find you want more than one type. I keep multiple flashlights of different kinds around my home, car, and even on my keychain to ensure I always have the right light for the right job—and can minimize banging up my poor iPhone in the process. Below are some rock-solid suggestions for everything from your keychain to your toolbox.
Just imagine it. Months from now, you’re using a cheap and bright LED flashlight, you drop it outside your car right into a storm drain, and you don’t stress about it because it’s just a cheap little flashlight and not your $1000 smartphone.
Or not: Maybe skip the cheap flashlight and live fast and free with your new phone. Maybe even use your phone without a case and live on the edge. (Or maybe at least get the flashlight before ditching the case!)
