Android’s flashlight brightness slider now looks like a real flashlight

Most Android phones have rear LEDs that can be used as a flashlight, but not all give you native brightness control. On Pixel phones, for example, adjusting flashlight brightness requires a third-party app. This is a problem, and many users don’t even know such apps exist, preventing them from changing the intensity of their flashlight.

In the latest Android Canary version 2510, the Flashlight Strength dialog box has a new vertical slider that looks like a real flashlight. As you drag the slider from the bottom (off) to the top (full brightness), an arc representing a beam of light enlarges to visualize the increased intensity.

This is only a UI change, as the tile functionality remains the same. Although the new vertical layout may seem less precise to some, it offers the same range of brightness adjustments as the previous design.

Since this feature is not in the Android 16 QPR2 beta, we don’t expect it to arrive in the corresponding stable release. The first instance where it could appear outside of the Canary track is in the Android 16 QPR3 update, scheduled for March next year.