When the flashlight on your Nothing Phone (2) is grayed out in the Quick Settings panel, it's a surprisingly common hiccup. You tap the icon and nothing happens, or it's just dimmed out and unresponsive. Let's get that light working again.
Close the Camera App
The camera and flashlight share the same LED hardware. If your camera app is open, even in the background, the system reserves the flash and grays out the flashlight toggle. Swipe up from the bottom to go home, then swipe up again to see your recent apps. Swipe the camera app away to close it completely. The flashlight icon should become active again right away.
Force Restart Your Phone
This is the quickest way to clear a temporary software glitch that's locking the flashlight. Just press and hold the Power button on the right side for about 10 seconds. Keep holding until you see the Nothing logo appear and the phone restarts. This doesn't erase any data and often fixes unresponsive hardware controls.
Check Battery Saver Mode
While Battery Saver shouldn't outright disable the flashlight, it can sometimes make system services less responsive. Pull down the Quick Settings panel twice and look for the Battery Saver icon. If it's highlighted, tap it to turn it off. You can also go to Settings > Battery > Battery Saver to disable it from there.
Let Your Phone Cool Down
The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip in the Phone (2) can run warm during heavy use. If the phone gets too hot, the system will automatically disable features like the flashlight to prevent further heat buildup. If the back feels warm to the touch, set it down in a cooler spot, out of direct sunlight, for 10-15 minutes. The flashlight should become available once the temperature drops.
Use Google Assistant to Toggle It
Try activating the flashlight with your voice. Say "Hey Google, turn on the flashlight." If Assistant can turn it on but the Quick Settings tile remains grayed out, it confirms a UI or software state issue. You can try toggling it off with your voice as well. A simple restart after this usually clears up the discrepancy.
Adjust the Flashlight Brightness Level
You might not be able to see the light if it's set to its dimmest setting. Instead of just tapping the flashlight icon in Quick Settings, press and hold it. A small menu should pop up with a brightness slider. Drag the slider all the way to the right to the maximum setting and see if the light turns on.
Reset Your Quick Settings Layout
A bug with the Quick Settings panel itself could be causing the problem. Go to Settings > System > Quick Settings. Look for an option to reset the layout or edit tiles. Sometimes removing the flashlight tile and re-adding it can refresh its connection to the system. I'd start with this before a full settings reset.
Update Nothing OS
Software bugs that affect hardware controls are often patched in updates. Go to Settings > System > System update and tap "Check for update." Install any available update for Nothing OS. Make sure your phone is connected to Wi-Fi and has at least a 50% charge before starting the update process.
Test the Camera Flash
If all else fails, you need to check the hardware. Open your Camera app and switch to a photo mode. Tap the flash icon to make sure it's set to "On" or "Auto," then take a picture in a dim room. If the camera flash doesn't fire at all, the LED hardware itself may be faulty. Since the flashlight and camera flash are the same component, this points to a physical problem that would require service.
