iOS 18 Flashlight: Beam Width and Intensity Guide

Apple's iOS 18 introduces an overhauled flashlight interface that allows users to adjust both the beam width and light intensity simultaneously. This guide covers how these controls work, the specific adjustments available, and the hardware required to use them.

Supported Hardware

The beam width and advanced intensity controls rely on Apple's Adaptive True Tone flash system, which uses an array of individually controllable LEDs. This feature is exclusive to:

  • iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
  • iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
  • iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max

Standard models prior to the iPhone 16 series (such as the base iPhone 14 and iPhone 15) only support standard brightness adjustments without beam width control.

Available Adjustments

When the flashlight is activated on supported hardware, an interactive widget appears in the Dynamic Island. Tapping or expanding this interface reveals a dual-axis control pad:

  • Beam Width (Horizontal Axis): Swiping left or right adjusts the spread of the light. Swiping left focuses the beam into a narrow, concentrated spotlight for long-distance visibility. Swiping right widens the beam into a broad floodlight to illuminate a larger immediate area.
  • Intensity (Vertical Axis): Swiping up or down controls the brightness output. Swiping up increases the power to the LEDs for maximum brightness, while swiping down dims the output to preserve night vision or battery life.
  • Fluid Dual-Axis Control: You can drag your finger diagonally to adjust both beam spread and brightness level in a single motion.

How to Access the Controls

  1. Turn on the flashlight via the Lock Screen button, the Action button, Control Center, or Siri.
  2. Tap the Dynamic Island pill showing the flashlight icon to open the interactive adjustment card.
  3. Drag across the screen horizontally to change the width, or vertically to alter the intensity.
  4. Tap the power icon on the Dynamic Island interface to turn the flashlight off. iOS 18 remembers your last-used width and brightness settings for the next activation.