iPhone lock screen flashlight is very useful. But have you ever noticed that while holding your phone, it randomly turns off, seemingly inexplicably?
What is actually happening is that the slightest touch on the screen is interpreted as a swipe to the right to open the camera, and the flashlight function is instantly turned off. It’s an annoying feature conflict, if you even understand what’s going on. But with iOS 26.1, you can now actually fix that.
When you’re using your iPhone’s flashlight, it’s usually because it’s dark and you’re fumbling around trying to find something. In such a situation, it is very likely that you will accidentally scratch your iPhone screen with your finger.
A small movement triggers a swipe gesture that turns off your iPhone’s flashlight. You don’t have to open the camera all the way, just a quick swipe to start the action, even if you cancel later. That’s why many people will be annoyed by this, without even understanding what is actually going on.
How to fix iPhone flashlight turning off accidentally
In the latest iPhone software update, iOS 26.1, released yesterday, Apple actually introduced a new setting that lets you turn off the camera swipe shortcut on the lock screen.
Go to (Settings) -> (Camera) and scroll to the bottom to find the toggle for (Swipe lock screen to open camera). Toggle this from on to off.
Disabling this setting prevents accidental touches on the lock screen from triggering a horizontal swipe to the camera. As a result, your iPhone’s flashlight will turn on more consistently.
The best part is that you probably won’t miss the swipe gone because there are other ways to quickly launch the camera. You can open the camera app using the long press shortcut action on the lock screen or by pressing the physical camera control button on the side of your phone.
