While Apple introduced a redesigned and customizable Control Center as part of iOS 18, the tech giant didn’t formally announce a significant improvement to the iPhone’s flashlight. Well, the latter is already available in the iOS 18 public beta for testing.
For some time now, we've been able to adjust the brightness of the iPhone's flashlight from zero to four, but with iOS 18, Apple is giving us a bit more control within a fun user interface. Basically, you can now control the flash brightness and focus (i.e. angle) in more detail.
I've been using it since the first developer beta of iOS 18 was released shortly after Apple's WWDC 2024 keynote. People who want to try out the iOS 18 public beta can do so now, as it will also be released starting July 14, 2024.
Clearly, Apple had fun creating this feature.
Now, when you turn on the flashlight on any modern iPhone (for example, an iPhone 15 Pro Max, like the one I’ve been using), you’ll see an overlay window at the top. Inside that window, you’ll find a flashlight illuminated, and its brightness displayed above.
The magic happens when you drag your finger left or right. You can control focus or angle, and up and down allows you to adjust brightness. So whether you're trying to brighten up a darker space or perhaps provide light for a photo shoot, you have greater control over luminance.
If you want to make further adjustments, you can long-press the smaller flashlight icon on an iPhone with Dynamic Island to bring up full control. It's been pretty responsive in my testing, and this functionality is also made possible by the True Tone Flash on the back of the iPhone.
In terms of control, you can adjust both focus and brightness at once by swiping your finger from top to bottom and left to right, or vice versa, in either direction, to see both rendered with the on-screen animation and the actual brightness your iPhone is emitting.
You could argue that Apple has turned the flashlight experience into a game, as it's fun to use, genuinely useful, and a great party trick. I've shown it to a few of my friends and they were impressed. It's also interesting to see Apple offering more control and improving the experience of a relatively common iPhone feature.
Apple’s iOS 18 will be officially available for all eligible devices this fall, but if you want to try out the new flashlight or more of its featured features, you can sign up for and install the iOS 18 public beta now. Of course, since it’s a beta, it’s a preview of the final release, and you can expect some bugs along the way and possibly a reduction in battery life.
Additionally, if you want to try out Apple Intelligence features, they aren't yet included in the iOS 18 public beta or developer beta. Still, you'll be able to enjoy other long-awaited features, including a redesigned Photos app, a new reader in Safari, and text effects in iMessage, among others.
