Flashlight

What the phone flashlight app is for

Flashlight is an Android app from Sunfire Inc. that uses the phone's LED as a torch. The listing describes it as free, and it presents the light for walking in dark places, reading at night, finding keys, lighting a tent or hiking route, lighting a room during a power outage, and lighting roads when travelling outdoors.

Most of its features sit around the light itself: a steady beam, a strobe, a signal pattern and a colored screen mode. The rest are small tools like a magnifier and a compass.

Emergency signals: SOS, Morse and strobe

The SOS feature flashes the standard distress signal through the LED. Morse mode lets you tap out your own message in code, which the listing presents as a way to communicate in an emergency.

Strobe mode makes the light flash very fast. It offers 10 different frequencies, so you can pick the rate you want rather than a single fixed flash.

Color screen mode for parties and room light

Color screen mode turns the phone display into a solid colored light, which the listing suggests for parties. When the power is out, the same mode can serve as a light for a room.

It uses the screen rather than the LED, so it works as a colored glow instead of a white beam.

Magnifier, compass and home screen shortcut

The magnifying glass is listed as a way to look closer at small objects, with the light helping you see them. The compass shows direction, which the listing mentions for pointing the way on a hike or camping trip.

A shortcut can be placed on the home screen, so the light can be started without opening the app menu first.

Interface skins and sound settings

The app includes 12 built-in color skins that change how the interface looks. A sound toggle switches audio on or off, so the app can run silently.