The flash on the Xiaomi Mi 8 is not just a light source for night photography, but a multifunctional tool that can work as a flashlight, an SOS alarm or a backlight for macro photos. However, many users face problems: the flash button is inactive in the camera application, the flashlight suddenly stops turning on, the LED flashes for no reason. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to turn on the flash on the Mi 8, from standard to hidden, and explain why it may not work and how to fix it.
The peculiarity of Xiaomi Mi 8 is that the model is equipped with a dual LED-It's a flash with adjustable color temperature, which improves white balance in the photo, but it also complicates the settings: for example, in some firmware, the "Auto" option for flashing is not correct, and the manual mode requires additional manipulation. MIUI 12.5 and MIUI 14, so the instructions will work regardless of whether you upgraded your smartphone.
If you're looking for an answer to a specific question, use the table of contents below. If the flash doesn't turn on despite all the effort, there's a fault diagnosis section at the end of the article where we'll go through hardware and software causes.
1. Enabling flash in camera app
The most obvious way to use a flash is to activate it directly in the standard Camera app, but there are nuances: there are three flash modes available on the Mi 8, and their behavior depends on the chosen shooting scenario (photo, video, portrait, etc.).
To turn on the flash:
- 📸 Open the Camera app (the icon on the home screen or menu).
- 🔍 In the top toolbar, find the lightning icon (🌟) — That's the flash switch.
- 🔄 Click the icon several times to switch between modes: Off. — flash will not work. Auto — smartphone will decide whether you need backlight. On. — flash will work on each shot.
- 📷 Take a picture - the flash should work (in the "On" mode.»).
Important: In some firmware MIUI The lightning icon can be hidden in the additional menu (three dots or an arrow up). If it is not visible, swipe the toolbar upwards or click on the icon. ⋮.
💡
If you take pictures in Portrait or Night mode, the flash can automatically turn off so as not to spoil the effect.
| Camera mode | Is the flash available? | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Photo Photo | ✅ Yes. | All three flash modes are working. |
| Video | ❌ No. | The flash does not work during recording (you can use the flashlight separately). |
| Portrait | ⚠️ Partially. | The flash can be turned off automatically to preserve the blur effect. |
| Night. | ❌ No. | The nighttime algorithm blocks the flash. |
| Professional | ✅ Yes. | You can manually adjust the flash power (if supported by firmware). |
2. Use of flash as flashlight
The flash on the Xiaomi Mi 8 can also work like a flashlight, which is convenient when you need to light the road or find an object in the dark.
- 🔦 Through the notification bar: Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification bar.Look for the flashlight icon (🔦) And you tap it. To turn it off, you click on the icon again.
Through the widget:
- Add the flashlight widget to the main screen (long press in the free space → Widgets → Tools).
- Now, one tap!
- 🗣️ Voice Assistant: Say OK Google, turn on the flashlight or Hey, Xiao AI, Turn on the flashlight (if the Chinese assistant is configured).