5 Free Android Flashlight Apps With Minimal Permission Requirements

by Pete Daniel on 6 January 2015 · 3073 views

Flashlight apps have been getting some attention of late because many have been found to have excessive permission requests on the Android OS. You would think that a flashlight app simply needs access to the LED on the back of the smart phone and the front display, but many request a litany of other types of access including address book, calendar, email, internet, and more.

With permission requests it can partly depend on the version of Android the device has installed. Sometimes both the Camera and Microphone permissions are tied together within the Android OS. This can be unfortunate because for flashlights to work only the LED part of the camera and front display control (if this feature is included for front illumination) are needed. Later versions of Android have separated out the microphone and camera permissions to make things more secure. In the majority of cases free flashlight apps don't actually access the microphone as they have no need to do so to perform their function.

Here are a few of the better free flashlight apps which have minimal permission requirements for access to your personal information. All these apps are also free.

1. Flashlight by Mobile Apps

More than just being a flashlight, Flashlight by Mobile Apps can create a strobe light effect with customizable frequency to catch the attention of a passer-by in the dark when your car is broken down. The mini compass is also useful for people with a sensor for it. An SOS mode is also available for the flashlight to help you seek assistance.

2. Flashlight by SimGears

Flashlight from SimGears has a nice little flashlight widget which can be flicked on and off. Four widgets in all including three for the home screen and one for the lock screen on compatible devices. There is a pocket detection feature to turn the flashlight off when the smart phone is placed back into the pocket but this was a hit and miss affair with several false positives during testing. The app is free but does feature a few ads however this feature can be disabled in the settings.

3. Torch

Torch is the Galaxy Torch app that was included on the ROM of several smart phones already. It is a very basic type of flashlight with a single widget control. The notification tray will keep track of when the flashlight it turned on and can be tapped to disable it again. There are no extra features like strobe lights, SOS signals or front light.

4. Color Torch HD LED flash light

In the opposite direction to the simple Torch app is the Color Torch HD LED flash light which specializes in producing colorful screen displays to make life a little more interesting, and brighter! Adjust colors and brightness levels. Create a Help message in a custom hue. Create a candle light, a police light, and many other alternative displays for the front screen. And the app can turn on the LED light at the back. That's almost an afterthought with this fully-featured flashlight app.

5. Tiny Flashlight + LED

The Tiny Flashlight + LED is only 1 MB in size so it is very fast to download and install. Beyond the front screen and back LED lighting, there are strobe lights, Morse Code and SOS messages. Battery levels and battery temperature can be displayed on the screen when one of the lights is turned on. A convenient lit up power button is easy to tap to turn off again when extra lighting is no longer needed. Downloaded over 100 million times already, it is easy to see why.