The flashlight on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most popular features, but sometimes it turns on accidentally or freezes in an active state. If you encounter a problem when the flashlight does not turn off in standard ways, or just looking for alternative control methods, this guide will help. Depending on the model (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T, etc.) and the version of MIUI (13, 14 or HyperOS), the methods may vary slightly, but we will consider universal solutions.
The flashlights on Xiaomi devices are very tightly integrated with firmware. For example, on some models (such as Black Shark 5), the LED can be controlled through the game menu, and on budget Redmis it can only be controlled through the notification panel. There are also situations when the flashlight turns on spontaneously due to a failure in the approach sensor or Conflict with applications like Mi Home. Let's analyze all scenarios from basic to advanced.
1. Standard method: notification panel
The most obvious and quickest method is to use the notification center, which works on all Xiaomi smartphones regardless of the model and version of MIUI.
- Swipe your finger down the screen to open the notification bar.
- Find the flashlight icon (usually it looks like a flashlight or a light bulb) on some firmware it may be hidden - in which case click on the icon «⚙️» or “Edit” in the upper right corner of the panel.
- Slap the flashlight icon once to turn it off. The icon's color should change from yellow/orange to gray.
If the flashlight icon is not in the notification panel:
- 🔍 Check if it is hidden: swipe the notification bar down twice (full view) and find the button «⚙️ Edit” or «➕».
- 📱 In some models (for example, POCO F4) The flashlight may be in the Quick Settings section - drag it to the active area.
- 🔄 If the notification bar is “hanging”, restart the phone (hold the power button for 10 seconds).
Check if the screen is locked (unlock the phone)
Make sure the notification bar is open fully (swipe down twice)
Reboot your smartphone if the icon doesn’t respond to the presses
Update MIUI to the latest version (see Settings → About Phone → System Update)
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On Xiaomi AMOLED-With screens (such as the Xiaomi 13 Ultra), the flashlight can automatically shut down after 3-5 minutes to save charge. If it does not go out longer, this may indicate a software failure.
2. Turning off the flashlight through buttons (gesture)
Many users don’t know that on most Xiaomi smartphones, the flashlight can be controlled with physical buttons — even when the screen is locked — a method that is especially useful if the sensor isn’t working or the notification panel isn’t available.
Instructions:
- Press the power button (on/off) for 1-2 seconds.
- In the menu that appears, select "Lightlight" (light bulb icon). On some models (Redmi 10 and older), this item may be called "Flash".
- Press it again to deactivate the flashlight.
If this method has not worked:
- 🔋 Check if the battery is under 5% discharged – on some firmware, the flashlight turns off automatically at a critical charge level.
- 🔄 Hold the power button for 10-15 seconds to force a reboot if the menu doesn't appear.
- ⚙️ Set up a gesture for a flashlight in Settings → Lock screen → Gestures and buttons (not available on all models).
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On some models (e.g., the POCO X3 Pro), double-pressing the power button turns the flashlight on/off. To activate this feature, go to Settings → System → Gestures → Double-press the power button and select "Lightlight".
Important: If the flashlight turns on on its own when you press the power button, it could be due to a Hall sensor problem (on bumper models) or a conflict with the Google Assistant app.
3. Voice control (Google Assistant / Xiao AI)
If you have a voice assistant on, you can turn off the flashlight with a voice command, which is convenient when your hands are busy or the screen does not respond to touch, and works on all Xiaomi smartphones with Google Assistant installed or Xiao AI branded.
Ways:
- 🎤 Say, “OK Google, turn off the flashlight” (for Google Assistant).
- 🤖 Or, “Little Ai, turn off the flashlight” (for Xiao) AI, It's based on Chinese firmware).
- 🔊 If the voice assistant doesn’t respond, check its settings in Settings. → Annexes → All applications → Google (or Xiao) AI).
Limitations of the method:
- ❌ Does not work if the microphone or permissions for the assistant are turned off.
- ❌ On some firmware (for example, MIUI Global) Xiao AI It may be disabled by default.
- ❌ Voice commands may not work in energy saving mode.
Google Assistant
Xiao AI (Chinese version)
I don't use voice assistants.
Another (write in the comments)-->
If the flashlight doesn’t turn off with your voice, try restarting the assistant app: go to Settings → Apps → Google, click Stop, then activate voice control again.
4. Through camera settings (alternative method)
Little-known fact: on some Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ or Xiaomi 12S Ultra), the flashlight can be turned off via the camera app. This is useful if the standard methods do not work due to a failure in MIUI.
Instructions:
- Open the Camera app.
- Switch to Video or Photo mode (it doesn’t matter).
- Find the flashlight icon (usually in the top left corner) and tap it. If it's illuminated in yellow, the flashlight is active.
- Click on the icon again to deactivate it.
If there is no flashlight icon in the camera:
- 📷 Check if it is hidden in the camera settings (image icon «⚙️» top-right).
- 🔄 Restart the camera app through the “Last Apps” menu».
- 🔧 Update the camera app on Google Play (if it’s updated separately from the firmware).
Why can't the flashlight go off through the camera?
This is especially true for POCO and Black Shark owners, where the flashlight can be tied to game modes. For example, on Black Shark 4 Pro, the LED sometimes turns on when running games with high CPU loads – in this case, only a full reboot will help.
5. Forced shutdown via engineering menu
If the flashlight is on and does not respond to standard methods, you can try to turn it off via the engineering menu (#4636##), which is suitable for experienced users and requires caution.
Step-by-step:
- Open the Phone app and enter the code ##4636##.
- In the menu that appears, select the item “Hardware Testing”.
- Find the Flashlight section (or the Flashlight section).
- Press "Turn Off" (Switch off).
Warnings:
⚠️ Warning: Do not change other settings in the engineering menu unless you are sure of their purpose.This can cause the camera to crash or loss of network signal.
Alternative code for some models:
#36446337## - Equipment test (powered by Redmi 9 and POCO M3)
##232338## - Wireless module test (can reset flashlight settings)If the engineering menu is not available:
- 🔒 Maybe the manufacturer blocked access on your firmware. Try using apps like this. MTK Engineering Mode (for MediaTek processors) or Qualcomm Service Menu (for Snapdragon).
- 🛠️ On some Xiaomi with HyperOS, the engineering menu is hidden - you need to unlock the bootloader.
6. Reset settings (if the flashlight does not turn off at all)
In rare cases, the flashlight may freeze in the on state due to a critical failure in the firmware. If none of the above methods worked, there are two options: reset the camera settings or completely reset the phone.
First, try resetting only the camera settings:
- Go to Settings → Applications → All applications.
- Find the Camera app and select it.
- Click on “Storage and Cache” → “Clear Cache” and “Clear Data”.
- Reboot the phone.
If this doesn’t help, do a soft reset (without losing data):
- 🔄 Hold the power button. + Increase volume 10-15 seconds until the phone restarts.
- 📱 After restarting, check the flashlight.
The last measure is a complete reset to factory settings:
⚠️ Warning: This will delete all data from your phone, including photos, contacts and apps. pre-backup in Settings → Google → Backup or through Mi Cloud.
- Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
- Select "Reset all settings."
- Confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed.
| Resetting method | Loss of data | Implementation time | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearing the camera cache | ❌ No. | 1-2 minutes | ⭐⭐ (It helps 30% of the time) |
| Soft reset | ❌ No. | 30 seconds | ⭐⭐⭐ (It helps 50% of the time) |
| Resetting camera settings | ❌ No (only settings) | 2-3 minutes | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (It helps 80% of the time) |
| Full reset (Hard Reset) | ✅ Yes, all the data) | 5-10 minutes | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (It helps 99% of the time) |
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Before you completely reset, try updating your firmware via Settings → About Phone → System Update. Sometimes flashlight bugs are fixed in newer versions of MIUI/HyperOS.
7. Frequent causes of malfunctions and how to fix them
If the flashlight on your Xiaomi is not behaving properly (it turns on, does not turn off, flashes), the reasons can be both software and hardware.
Programmatic failures
- 🐞 Application conflict: Some programs (such as Mi Home, Google Fit, or Shagomer) can activate the flashlight for notifications.Solution: disable permissions for these apps in Settings → Annexes → Permits → Camera/Microphone.
- 🔄 Bug in MIUI: On the firmware MIUI 13-14 flashlight control glitch, solution: upgrade or revert to a stable version via Fastboot.
- 🤖 Viruses or malware: Some Trojans use a flashlight to signal. check the phone via Google Play Protect or Malwarebytes.
Hardware problems
- 💡 LED malfunction: If the flashlight is dim or flashing, the LED itself may have failed.Solution: contact the service center (on Redmi models, it costs 500-1500 to replace) ₽).
- 🔋 Power problems: With low battery charge, the flashlight can run unstable.Solution: charge your phone up to 20% and restart.
- 📱 Camera plume damage: If the flashlight turns on when you press the body, the plume may have gone away. Solution: disassemble the phone (in-house or in the service) and check the connections.
Diagnosis:
- Check if the flashlight responds to other controls (buttons, voice).
- Run the hardware test using the code ##4636## (Flashlight section).
- If the flashlight is turned on when an incoming call is made, turn off the “Flash on Call” function in Settings → Sounds and Vibration → Flash on notifications.