Your Pixel 8 only turns on its flashlight at half intensity

Summary

• Google Pixel 8 defaults LED flash to 50% brightness for unknown reasons.
• You can use third-party flashlight apps like Simple Flashlight or FlashDim to bypass this restriction though.
• Avoid using Pixel 8’s LED flash at full brightness for extended periods to prevent overheating and reduce lifespan.

LED flash is a standard feature on all Android phones nowadays. But chances are, you are using the camera flash as a flashlight more. On Samsung phones, you can increase (or decrease) the flashlight intensity based on your requirements. On other Android phones that don’t provide such an option, you’d think they will turn on the flashlight at 100% intensity. Turns out, that’s not the case with the Pixel 8, which switches on its flashlight at 50% power by default.

What’s worse, Google does not provide a way to control the flashlight intensity on Pixel phones. Long-pressing on the flashlight toggle in the Quick Settings panel does nothing; you can only tap on it to turn the flash on or off. We have confirmed that this limitation exists on the Pixel 8, 8 Pro, and 7 running Android 14 or the latest Android 15 beta. The same limitations should presumably also apply to other Pixel phones.

As Redditor Adnaks spotted, though, there’s a solution to this problem. You can use a third-party flashlight app from Google Play, like Simple Flashlight or FlashDim, to control the Pixel 8’s flashlight intensity. Bumping the intensity to 100% leads to a noticeable increase in the LED flash’s brightness.

Interestingly, Google added two APIs in Android 13 that let you control the LED flash’s brightness level, but it appears the company has not taken advantage of them. Presumably, some third-party apps use Android 13’s APIs to offer control over this.

Don’t use the Pixel’s LED flash at full brightness for an extended period

It is surprising that Google limits the Pixel 8’s flashlight intensity to 50% and does not provide a way to increase it beyond that. This could be due to heating issues, so even if you use a third-party app to boost your Pixel’s LED flash brightness level, avoid doing so for an extended time. Using the LED flash at full intensity for a long time can cause it to overheat, reduce its lifespan, or negatively affect its brightness in the long run.

If the default settings don’t allow you to adjust the flashlight strength on your non-Pixel phone, consider using a third-party app. It could help you exceed the 50% flashlight intensity limit if it applies to your phone.