How to turn on your Apple Watch flashlight

The Apple Watch Series 10 on a user's wrist showing a colorful orange and pink home screen — (Image credit: Future)

Now you've set up your Apple Watch, you're probably wondering what features to explore first. While the Apple Watch has some serious capabilities, such as tracking heart rate zones and walkie talkie mode, sometimes it's the simpler features that prove most useful in daily life.

Whether you own one of the best Apple watches or an earlier model, the flashlight feature can be surprisingly handy — from finding your keys in a dark car to navigating your way around a campsite.

1. Access the control center

Press the side button to open Control Center, where you'll find quick access to your watch's most useful features.

2. Activate the flashlight

Locate and tap the flashlight button in Control Center to turn on the light.

3. Choose your light mode

Swipe left or right to select between different light modes, each designed for specific situations.

When you're finished, swipe down from the top of the watch face to turn off the flashlight.

Now you've learned how to turn on your Apple Watch's flashlight, why not explore some of our other articles. You might 5 features to try first on your Apple Watch useful, or the best Apple Watch apps in 2025. And if you want to know how to unpair an Apple Watch, we've got you covered.

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Kaycee is Tom's Guide's How-To Editor, known for tutorials that get straight to what works. She writes across phones, homes, TVs and everything in between — because life doesn't stick to categories and neither should good advice. She's spent years in content creation doing one thing really well: making complicated things click. Kaycee is also an award-winning poet and co-editor at Fox and Star Books.

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