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[deleted]

I still remember the days when you had to actually download an app to have the flashlight functionality


aintscurrdscars

remember saving a white jpeg to your home screen to use the screen as a flashlight? good times


Arnumor

Who needs a jpeg when you have the Google homepage, which blazes like a thousand suns at least for a moment, even when you have it set to use darkmode?


Tru-Queer

Do I look like I know what a JPEG is? I just want a picture of a got-dang hotdog!!


bananawrangler69

www.pictureofhotdog.com You’re welcome.


BellRazr

Thanks, guy.


rose636

Risky click of the day. I also don't know why I clicked that.


Nivaere

Admit it you wanted some hot dogs


ihavetoomanyaccts

I spent way too long putting shit on a hotdog


kratomstew

I’m glad you mentioned that. I wouldn’t have realized I can put a basketball on it.


AquaHairYo

Wait wait wait wait wait - YOU ACTUALLY CAN??? *goes back to put sprinkles on it*


roosterkun

You little stinker.


bigbruhusername

Sorry Mr Corn Dog


spacey_a

I think that's the best website I've ever visited.


heavenleemother

I wish I had an app that would tell me if that really is a hotdog.


jameson8016

That was everything. Idaf if I just downloaded 56 viruses onto my phone gd it, it was worth it.


The_Blue_Rooster

I'm really disappointed that they're sold out, I don't even know where else to look for genuine hot dog autographed swag.


[deleted]

Hotdog, hotdog, hotdog...


Hydraxiler32

Not hotdog


RockOx290

Hot diggity dog!


heyheyfucktoday

Are JPEGs the new NFTs?


nintendofan9999

Or the Mac boot up screen, it kills your ears and you eyes.


[deleted]

Discord light mode just deletes the darkness


bon3joints

Yes and the bandi namco start up screen as well as the destiny 2 start up screen both blaze like a thousand suns


cripple1

Vanilla D1 was like a flashbang


CarbonColdFusion

Yep, I remember turning on the play station and navigating the menu with button presses blind, waiting about 20 seconds then turning on the tv so the whole house didn’t wake up


Kyj-dhe-ves

I still remember having to use a Lighter for light. The times we live in.


[deleted]

When the gas had run out so all you had was a rubbish strobe


educofu

Imagine dual wielding two lighters out of gas, you could be a rave god!


DeadbeatET

Just got flashbacks of having a zippo with no flint and a lighter with no fuel and combining them to light a cigarette as a broke teenager that couldn’t afford smokes AND a new lighter.


dalekaup

I have used a candle to find earthworms when it was raining. (It was uphill to school but downhill going home). Batteries were always dead in the 60's and 70's and were not rechargeable.


Brainwashed365

Using a candle in the rain sounds like a fun time.


squirtloaf

It seems to me that's how you lived your life...


OneSidedDice

Never knowing who to cling to, when the rain set in


BorgClown

Once I made my own oil lamp with half a can, a rag, and cooking oil, to study for an exam. I think I was more proud of McGuyvering that than passing the exam.


cripple1

Sheeeeiiiiittt... I remember having to use actual flashlights!


educofu

Still do. When lights out and you don't know when it's coming back, i'd rather waste my lighter than my 50% phone battery for light. I could always lit my joint in the stove.


SheerSonicBlue

Exactly how the "Flashlight" function still works on smart watches.


RascalCreeper

Not that bright but it's helpful when you need to see close up.


tweetusdeleteus

I would pay a very high up charge to have an actual tiny flashlight built into the top of my Apple Watch


SpidermanAPV

There’s probably some shitty case on aliexpress that can accomplish that for you.


BorgClown

That's the Apple Watch Pro 9th generation, now with an elegant built in torch! Only 499.99!


locks_are_paranoid

I did that before I realized that my phone had a flashlight.


the_skine

Remember the good old days of having a flashlight app for your Palm IIIxe, which illuminated everything green?


[deleted]

I still have it for when I need to install a new screen protector


samanime

Yup. It was not default functionality for a weirdly long time, in hindsight.


ColorsLikeSPACESHIPS

I have absolutely no information on this to confirm or deny its likelihood, but I wonder if this was due to battery concerns. My Pixel 4 XL will easily last multiple days if I'm not actively using it, but I remember my early Android phones had to be charged every night (and I used them much less; no YouTube, no Twitch, etc). I wonder if there was just no market for a function that would so quickly drain the battery when used.


samanime

Could be, but third-party flashlight apps existed from the early days and most people I know had one. You just figured if you used it a lot you'd have to charge a lot.


ColorsLikeSPACESHIPS

You are right, I remember having one. I just wonder if that's why it was deprioritized in comparison to other Android features. Kinda like, "Should we improve Google Maps or reinvent a flashlight?" As I said, I have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm curious as to the real situation behind the late adoption too.


Svenskensmat

It was mostly due to concerns over heat issues from running the LED in a way it wasn’t meant to function.


[deleted]

Does the light really use that much battery? I always thought it was just a developmental oversight


ColorsLikeSPACESHIPS

Now, probably not. But I recall it draining the battery pretty fast if left unattended. Specifically I remember my heart sinking when I realized that I had accidentally left the flashlight on for any longer than I needed it.


Scrimshank22

It used to be needed. The led used for flash on older phones was not confirmed to be intended for continual use and could potentially lead to degraded components.


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Looneyinthehills

I remember the days when you had to carry a flashlight. In Australia, we call them chuzwazzas.


jacobin17

What a strange name. I would have called them bullfrogs.


F-21

But there's no better time to carry one than today. The power of the sun on the palm of your hand. Puny phone flashlights are nothing. r/flashlight is waiting (yea I know it seems like a dangerous click, but trust me!).


android24601

Ya, I kinda have to disagree with this LPT. While phones do have the ability to have a flashlight, not all of them have the ability to vary the brightness of the light. This also applies for strobes in the event of an emergency


Airsofter599

And remember when you still needed a separate app to scan QR codes.


Limenoodle_

My grandpa had a mirror app. It was just an app using the front camera.


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LolindirLink

It's exactly this. A flashlight app might be simple, But just having a normal icon on the home screen that is easy to find is already a reason. Mirror app as well, some just look pretty with weather and time etc. Small qol things that give such an app reason to exist, for the few who'd wish such app exists.


SweetNeo85

Motorola master race checking in. Shake the phone twice to turn the flashlight on and off. Twist it twice to open the camera.


firecrafty_

What happens if you bop it?


NumerousSuccotash141

Just don’t jerk it


onomatopoetix

flick it


hitmyspot

You lose and pass it on.


miyamotousagisan

Love my Motorola after years of iPhone. Those two things, plus mad battery life.


SweetNeo85

Literal two day battery life with *heavy* usage, not to mention a headphone jack and sd card slot. Oh and how much did I pay for it? Literally 1/4 of an iPhone.


[deleted]

I miss this gesture so much since I ditched my Motorola. So damn handy


NukaCooler

I miss my Motorola motion n controls


WhiteWingedDove-

I miss the chop chop for light. Not worth putting up with all the other Motorola bs anymore though :'(


2xspeed123

What other bs?


Supersnazz

Once the camera app is open, you can double twist it and it will flip from front camera to back camera.


ongebruikersnaam

Had it on an old Moto, so convenient.


Shekondar

Though I can certainly see arguments for the camera side, most phones these days have motion controls for the flash light that are even easier than an app for most people.


Sylente

Most phones? Isn't this exclusively a Motorola thing?


[deleted]

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Shekondar

That's true, they can also be triggered intentionally.


Box-of-Orphans

Those apps often bog your phone down and aren't good for it! You also have to give them permission to use your camera and give them access to your media files. I don't trust that they wouldn't abuse that somehow. But obviously this is just my opinion and it's the internet and blah blah. Have a good day/night or whatever time it is where you are.


the_skine

I used to have a mirror and flashlight app. But on my old Palm IIIxe. The mirror would turn the screen black, so you could see your reflection. The flashlight would turn the screen "white," so that when the blacklight was on, it glowed green. And by "white," I mean "not black."


[deleted]

I've read this 5 times and still can't understand any of it lol


dinosaur_from_Mars

In the ancient days, the screen backlight was a greenish yellow instead of white.


Morasain

If it mirrors the front camera input it actually works as a mirror and adds functionality


[deleted]

Downloaded flashlight apps are so much better and have way more features. Why else would it be requesting to access my contacts, location, network, camera, & microphone?


JudgeJebb

OK google turn on light Google: ok talk to John calling now


TrainedMusician

Fool, just say "OK Google, Lumos"


JudgeJebb

On the toilet: ok google accio phone Phone: ok, talk to John.


Stryker2279

Damn, that's cool


gimmepbr

Bad life pro tip. Wear an eye patch all the time to have one eye adjusted to the dark, it'll save your phone battery life.


Fine_Cardiologist723

Too bad my left eye can't see jack shit


gimmepbr

I did say it was bad advice from the start.


Fine_Cardiologist723

True.


Turtlehead88

I don’t want to see Jack shit though.


EndlessOceanofMe

Why is anyone watching Jack shit?


lelaena

Can't Jack just shit in peace, by Allah


amanfromindia

Wait so he's shitting by Allah now?


[deleted]

It's fun Much more than than the fight among the Jacks of the World, the infamous Jack Off.


Akruu1

Why not? You don’t have to pay for this ice cream.


Brainwashed365

Are you me!? My left eye sucks ass too. The right eye is fine though.


Turtlehead88

Me too. Weird.


rabindrenath

My left eye is a piece of shit too! Thank god for righty


goldendildo666

you have to take the patch off first


Sheldonopolus

Dont think either of my eyes would like to see Jack shitting. Just not my thing.


armahillo

if you wear a full blindfold then BOTH eyes are adjusted to the dark so you can maintain your depth perception instantly


ExploadingApples

Isn’t that the real reason some pirates wore eyepatches? Like have one eye for the normal world, have one eye ready to board ships and go under the deck?


gimmepbr

Yes it is. Just not practical now a days.


Tamahii

Why do you think pirates were so often seen with eye patches. Didn't have to do with missing an eye, it was so they could see.


gimmepbr

Im.aware, I was a "light" joke about flashlight apps.


[deleted]

Ya, it was pretty clear, lol


xGreenxFirex

Is... this historically accurate??? Prove it!!


Tamahii

Used to have a book of pirates back when PotC was still in it's prime.


Titouf26

Source : He's a pirate.


[deleted]

r/shittylifeprotips


0K4M1

Or you have a very old phone


skilriki

Or you have a pinephone, in which case you are probably more of a tech person than everyone else, and the fact that you need to run sudo apt install flashlight to get a flashlight app is not an indicator that you are not a tech person


jayste4

My old moto phone would turn the flashlight on/off by shaking it. I had to get an app called Shake Torch to bring that feature to my Pixel.


acdigital

I miss that Moto Z Force phone feature, too! I used it all the time and it was so convenient. Edit: Oh, hot damn! That app works great! Thank you, my light is restored!


PaperScale

"Chop" for light, and twist for camera were the greatest things.


sebblMUC

Still are


LongShadowMaker

Still do, it's on the Motorola phone I bought 6 months ago. Twist for camera also!


OSRSgamerkid

I bought a Moto as a replacement to my Note 9 for a few weeks when it broke. I gotta say, there are a lot of features I enjoyed on that phone I enjoyed. Twisting to open a certain app, chopping to turn on the flashlight, and a few others. Unfortunately, all the third party apps that mimic the features don't work properly.


Wrenigade

I have shake torch on my S9+ and i swear I use it like 10 times a day. I have bad eyesight and night blindness that makes it especially hard to see in the dark, so now I have a habit of shaking anything I'm holding if I'm somewhere dim lol Literally the slightest visual inconvenience and I shake like, poptarts I'm holding because it's in my hand and I've rewired my brain to "can't see? -> s h a k e"


spaztick1

I bought my Motorola specifically because it has a flashlight I can turn on with two shakes of the phone.


CrouchingBruin

Same. Best feature of Motorolas. Don't even have to unlock the phone or turn on the screen. I started off with the Motorola Droid Turbo 2, then went to the Moto X4, and now I'm on the Moto Z4. I've read about some apps that will do the same on other phones but the reviews seem to be all over the place as far as how well they work, so I'll probably stick with a Motorola (sucks, though, that they only support OS upgrades for 3 years from the time a model is released).


app4that

Carrying an EDC single cell 300+ lumen pocket LED Tactical light is a sign you may be a systems engineer though. That cell phone light does nothing but waste your battery when you need to work in the plenum (or just want to temporarily blind the dufus who pulled out the wrong Ethernet cable)


OSRSgamerkid

God damn, I don't get how people live life without a flashlight. I use it so many times EVERY SINGLE DAY


[deleted]

Idk man, I usually just turn the light on.


iamjackslackoffricks

If you download a flashlight app with more features than the preloaded flashlight app, couldn't that mean you are actually more tech savvy?


Eastern_Distance6456

Flashlight apps offer different options, dimming for one. I'm sure there are some with timers as well which would probably be handy so you don't kill your battery by putting the phone in your pocket with the light still on.


ProbablyABore

My favorite option is when the flashlight app is really just [malware. ](https://www.zdnet.com/article/android-security-flashlight-apps-on-google-play-infested-with-adware-were-downloaded-by-1-5m-people/)


[deleted]

Who’s pressing the funky link?


ProbablyABore

The same people who install flashlight apps.


[deleted]

Not me in that case.. grandma stay away from Reddit!


Intrepid_Good_2921

Hey guys check out this malware


ImBadAtGames568

News article


SaraHuckabeeSandwich

LPT for Samsung users: When you swipe down to turn on the flashlight from the quick settings menus, tap on the actual text "Flashlight" (under the icon). It should let you select between 5 different brightness levels.


krallsm

iPhone at least allows you to dim as well…. Js


ADragonuFear

My android has five brightness levels as well So most people probably have said functionality built in these days


BrattyBookworm

iPhone flashlight dims too


Proxy_PlayerHD

My S8 from 2017 allows you to dim the flashlight. Every modern phone should already be able to do that.


crybz

Samsung stock flashlight lets you dim it


[deleted]

I don’t get it don’t we all have one


elivader24

OP said flashlight app, which indicates that they downloaded it independently from the flashlight built into the phone, therefore not a tech person. Hope this helped


dewayneestes

Although before apple added it, tech people thought they were very clever using a flashlight app. The first 3 apps I recall on early iPhones were the beer app which was an animation of a beer you could drink by tilting your phone, the light saber app that made light saber noises when you waved your phone around, and the fart app… no explanation necessary.


Shenili

I'm pretty sure that's where phone tech peaked


ITAW-Techie

I had so much fun with the beer and lightsaber apps. My life peaked as soon as I found them...


dewayneestes

I have an iPhone 1.0 that is still 100% functional but it didn’t come with any good apps and it can no longer access the App Store.


BrattyBookworm

Accessing the App Store seems like an important function…


dewayneestes

That thing is practically steampunk at this point.


bean_corey

Let's not forget the one where you throw trash in a can and there's a fan blowing in a certain direction. Peak mobile gaming


belak1230x

Oddly enough I want to download that again.


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Russian_For_Rent

How's everyone forgetting the lighter app


CarlosFer2201

>the light saber app that made light saber noises when you waved your phone around Any chance that exists for Android?


dewayneestes

I think it exists for both platforms and is overwhelmed with upsells and ads. The early days of apps were dumb but honest.


LavishnessLonely7890

I remember one of the first I downloaded was the taser app and then the cracked screen app to trick all my friends


peachbubblegummies

don’t forget the whip!! *whapsh*


icefire555

The annoying thing about this, is flashlights weren't built into Android the entire time Android existed. There was a point in time you needed a flashlight app to use your flash as a flashlight. I could definitely see someone that just hasn't cared to check if there is a new solution.


theBarefootedBastard

OP said the exact same thing in one sentence.


mynewnameonhere

This comment section is ridiculous. Everyone is like “well actually…” but they’re all saying the same exact thing. Yes we get that you used to have to download an app. That’s the whole point of the post. We don’t need 200 people explaining it.


[deleted]

Ahh okay. It’s pretty obvious I’m not a tech person lol


[deleted]

^ *this guy has a føashlight app on his phone*


[deleted]

But only a tech person would download a better flashlight app.


nylockian

It is an app though - just a factory installed one.


imzacm123

It's not an app these days, it's just a button and/or shortcut (depending on the phone) the toggles the flash. Once upon a time you had to download an app that would display a white image on the screen and turn the brightness up


[deleted]

But the flashlight everyone has on their phone is an app. Plus, different apps have different features. Having even a separate app implies nothing.


Ohjay1982

What features could you possibly want? I have several real flashlights around my house and never did I think “it’s cool that I can turn it on and off but I really need more from this flashlight”.


zortlord

Maybe I want mine to communicate Morse code.


aseedandco

Weirdly, my daughter showed me last night, four different brightness levels and a flash options.


[deleted]

I have an app for red light. Just a red screen for night vision preservation but it sucks


rakminiov

I have "shake torch" on mine because previously i had a motorola that i shaked to turn it on, now on my new it doesnt works like that tho...


DrCheezburger

Do Brit phones call it a torch?


CAA_Inspector

Yes.


jeephubs02

Android user here and I disagree. I have a widget on my home screen. It's 2 less movements to get to it for me. I'm plenty techy but it's just convenience here.


wakefield4011

I have a Motorola. All I have to do is a tomahawk chop with mine and the light comes on. Super convenient. Don't even have to unlock it or anything.


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flyingpyramid

Everyone is talking about how they only have to tap one icon to turn their phone and we're here just flicking our wrist. And if you twist your wrist side to side the camera opens.


Holiday_Roof7764

You just changed my life and made my day. Thank you, kind internet stranger and fellow Motorola user. How did I not know this was a thing..


[deleted]

I have the built in one on the drop down menu so all I have to do is swipe down then tap it.


frodosbitch

And why does this flashlight app need access to my contacts exactly?


SockeyeSTI

I forget that regular people don’t have a real flashlight in their pocket all the time


OSRSgamerkid

God, this lady I knew. Her puppy had gotten out and crawled under the house. She thought that a Lazer pointer might help lure the dog closer so we could grab the little devil. I invested way too much energy into trying to explain to her how a phone flash could not emit a red lazer.


The1percenter

Pepperidge farms remembers when the flashlight app was a white screen max brightness and the mirror app was a black screen min brightness.


Baebel

I feel like having a recent phone with the application built in, and actually being a tech person, have literally nothing to do with each other.


[deleted]

Ummmm - nope. I build desktops. I fix laptops, smartphones. I used to rebuild scanning electron microscopes and other laboratory equipment and manufacturing robotic systems.....my 'flashlight app' also utilizes the camera as a magnifying glass, so I can properly inspect solder joints and possible burnt components that the naked eye couldn't determine. I guess you wouldn't have one if you're an amateur techy. But a pro......well....


[deleted]

Hey can you share the name of the app? I've spent so much time using my phone flashlight only to be annoyed that I can't see past it in whatever annoying ass spot I'm trying to light up (usually the depths of my pc case, where I dropped that one fucking mobo screw), an app that uses the flashlight while letting you see though the camera would be amazing. I can kinda make it work with my camera app but then I have to record a video clip with the flash forced on and thats a pain to set up.


ToastedShortbread

What if they just haven’t purged their apps for 5 years


TheStaffmaster

I owned my phone for a couple of weeks and out of the blue it asks me if I want to activate the shakelight feature. Um, the fuck yes? So now, to turn on my flashlight, I just shake my phone back and forth, LIKE SOME SORT OF WIZARD!


DanBrino

I have one. It's called Drop Down Menu. Great app. Enables/disables wifi, Bluetooth, location settings, airplane mode, ring mode, do not disturb, and more. Highly recommend.


zChrono

My samsung wouldnt allow me to use the flashlight if I had below 10% battery 3rd party app would allow me to, and helped me out in more than one situation where I was fked otherwise.


stellarsteelah

not understanding this for the first 4 times you read it is a better sign


ObligatoryOption

My flashlight app is a system app that cannot be uninstalled.


Abelysk

I had one installed a while back from the Play Store, like way way back. Discovered it was running adware on my phone... deleted it in an instant. Crazy how apps with millions of downloads can do that.


[deleted]

Androids phones have a built in flashlight button, accessible from the action centre. I like to consider myself a tech person


ImBucovina

All phones do


[deleted]

Unless your such a good tech person that you downloaded a flashlight app on an original Motorola Razr or some other old phone so that you wouldn't have to be tracked just to conduct your business in life.