How to Use the Flashlight on Apple Watch (Plus Airplane Mode and Ping iPhone)

To turn on the flashlight on Apple Watch, press the side button to open Control Center and tap the flashlight button. Swipe left or right to switch between a steady white light, a flashing white light, or a steady red light, and turn the Digital Crown to change the brightness. Press the Digital Crown to turn it off.

This guide covers Apple Watch on current versions of watchOS. Along with the flashlight, it covers two other Control Center shortcuts people often look for: Airplane Mode and Ping iPhone. It also shows how to put a missing button back in Control Center and how Apple Watch Ultra owners can use the Action button. The steps come from Apple’s Apple Watch User Guide, checked in October 2026.

How to Use the Flashlight on Apple Watch

Apple says the flashlight is handy for lighting up a door lock at night, alerting others when you’re out for an evening run, or seeing nearby objects. Here are the steps from Apple’s flashlight guide:

1. Press the side button (the flat button below the Digital Crown). Result: Control Center opens.
2. Tap the flashlight button. Result: the watch screen lights up white.
3. Swipe left or right to pick a mode. Result: you switch between steady white, flashing white and steady red.
4. Turn the Digital Crown to adjust the brightness. Result: the light gets brighter or dimmer.

To turn the flashlight off, press the Digital Crown, or swipe down from the top of the screen. If you want the brighter light on your phone instead, see how to turn on the iPhone flashlight, even when it is locked.

Which Flashlight Mode Should You Use?

• Steady white: the brightest everyday light, good for finding a keyhole or something you dropped.
• Flashing white: a blinking light that helps others see you, such as drivers when you’re walking or running at night.
• Steady red: a softer light that’s easier on your eyes in the dark, such as when you’re checking something without waking someone.

Use the Action Button on Apple Watch Ultra

Apple Watch Ultra models have an Action button you can set to the flashlight. Apple’s Action button guide says that with Flashlight chosen, you press once to turn it on and press again to turn it off. Choose the action in the Settings app on your watch under Action Button.

How to Turn On Airplane Mode on Apple Watch

Apple notes that some airlines let you fly with your watch on if it’s in Airplane Mode. Per Apple’s Airplane Mode guide:

1. Press the side button to open Control Center. Result: your controls appear.
2. Tap the Airplane Mode button. Result: Airplane Mode is on.

By default, Airplane Mode turns off Wi-Fi and cellular (on cellular models) but keeps Bluetooth on, so your watch can still connect to headphones. To change what it turns off, open Settings on the watch, tap Airplane Mode, and turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on or off.

Turn On Airplane Mode for Both Devices at Once

1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. Result: your watch settings appear.
2. Tap My Watch > General > Airplane Mode. Result: the Airplane Mode options appear.
3. Turn on Mirror iPhone. Result: when you turn Airplane Mode on or off on one device, the other matches.

Apple says the two devices need to be within normal Bluetooth range, about 33 feet (10 meters), for this to work.

How to Ping Your iPhone From Apple Watch

Lost your iPhone in the couch? Apple’s Ping your iPhone guide explains:

1. Press the side button to open Control Center. Result: your controls appear.
2. Tap the Ping iPhone button. Result: your iPhone plays a sound.

In the dark, touch and hold the Ping iPhone button and your iPhone’s flash blinks too. If your iPhone isn’t in range of your watch, Apple suggests using Find My from iCloud.com.

Precision Finding

On Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later, paired with an iPhone 15 or later (except iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e), the watch also shows a heading and distance to your iPhone. Follow the heading on screen. Apple says the screen turns green and your iPhone pings twice when you’re close. Precision Finding isn’t available in every country or region.

If a Button Is Missing From Control Center

You can rearrange Control Center, so a button may have been moved or removed. Apple’s Control Center guide says:

1. Press the side button and scroll to the bottom of Control Center. Result: you see the Edit button.
2. Tap Edit. Result: you can change the controls.
3. Tap the add button, choose the control you want, and tap the confirm button. To remove one, tap the remove button in its corner. To move one, touch and hold it, then drag it. Result: your Control Center layout changes.
4. Scroll to the bottom and tap Done. Result: your changes are saved.

To go back to the original layout, open Settings on the watch, tap Control Center, then tap Reset Control Center Layout.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make the Apple Watch flashlight brighter?

With the flashlight on, turn the Digital Crown. The steady white mode is the brightest.

Does the flashlight drain the battery?

Apple doesn’t give a figure, but the screen is doing the work. Turn it off when you’re done, and see how to save battery on Apple Watch if you’re running low.

Why does my watch say Airplane Mode is on but my headphones still work?

That’s expected. Apple’s default Airplane Mode keeps Bluetooth on. You can change that in Settings > Airplane Mode on the watch.

Related Guides

• What the icons on Apple Watch mean
• How to turn off an Apple Watch
• How to control your iPhone camera from Apple Watch

Want fewer interruptions from one app? Here’s how to turn off X (Twitter) notifications on Apple Watch.