… The reality is many of these flashlight apps have been found to abuse unnecessary permissions. It’s been a bigger problem on Android, but there have been some malicious iPhone flashlight apps too.
Back in 2019, looked at around 1,000 flashlight apps found on the Google Play Store. Over a quarter of those apps were requesting between 50 to 77 permissions. These were things like recording audio and reading contacts, which are certainly not needed by a flashlight.
The scary thing is several of these apps had over one million downloads. Who would suspect such behavior from an app that is supposed to be so simple? Thankfully, both the iPhone and Android have gotten much better permissions controls.
Thankfully, it’s no longer necessary to use any type of flashlight app. Android devices and iPhones now have built-in toggles to turn on the flash. There’s nothing to install or worry about permissions being abused.
On the iPhone, you’ll find the flashlight toggle on the lock screen and Control Center for quick access. You can even adjust the brightness. With the Shortcuts feature, you can even launch the flashlight by tapping the back of the iPhone.
Over on Android, the flashlight can be found in the Quick Settings panel. You can re-organize the panel to put the flashlight in a more prominent position if you’d like. It’s also possible to launch the flashlight by tapping the back of the device with the help of a third-party app. …
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