You reach for the torch on your OnePlus Open (model CPH2551), tap the tile, and nothing happens: no light, a greyed-out button, or a flash that flickers once and dies. Because this foldable uses a single rear LED for both the camera flash and the flashlight, a stuck app or a software hiccup can leave you in the dark at the worst moment. The good news is that most torch failures on the OnePlus Open are software issues you can clear in a couple of minutes, and the fixes below run from the quickest, safest taps to the official reset and repair paths only if you truly need them.
Work through them in order. Test the flashlight after each step so you can stop as soon as the light comes back, and so you never reset or contact support for something a simple reboot would have solved.
Start with the Quick Settings torch tile
The most common cause is the simplest one. The torch may just be switched off, or you may be tapping a tile that scrolled off the first row. The Quick Settings panel is the primary on and off control for the flashlight, so confirm it there first before assuming anything is broken.
- 1.Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification and Quick Settings panel.
- 2.Tap the flashlight (torch) tile to turn it on.
- 3.If you do not see the tile, swipe down again to view more buttons, then tap it.
If the tile lights up and the torch responds, you are done. If the tile appears greyed out or refuses to toggle, that points to another app holding the LED, which the next steps address.
Rule out the draw-a-V screen-off gesture
The OnePlus Open also lets you control the torch without unlocking the phone using a screen-off gesture, where you draw a V to turn the flashlight on or off. If your torch keeps switching on by itself in a pocket or bag, or if the gesture has stopped responding, you may be toggling it unintentionally.
Check the gesture's state under Settings, then Screen off gestures, then "Draw a V to turn on/off flashlight." Knowing whether this gesture is enabled tells you whether stray pocket movements are flipping the light, and gives you a second, reliable way to trigger it while the screen is off.
Free the LED from the camera and other apps
This is the single most important fix to understand. The flashlight uses the exact same rear LED as the camera flash. The official specs list it as "Flash: LED," and the manual treats the torch as that same camera flash.
If the Camera app or any other app that uses the flash is running in the background and holding that LED, the torch can fail outright or appear greyed out.
Open Recents to see your background tasks.
Tap Clear All to close every background app.
Try the flashlight tile again from Quick Settings.
Clearing the background tasks releases the LED so the flashlight can claim it. If the light returns after this, an app was simply hanging on to the flash.
Reboot the OnePlus Open the right way
A normal restart clears temporary glitches that build up while the phone stays on for days, including the kind of stuck process that locks up the flash. On this foldable the restart shortcut is a two-button press, not a single power-button hold.
When the phone is powered on, press the power button and volume up button simultaneously, and then tap "Restart" to reboot the device. Once it boots back to the lock screen, open Quick Settings and test the torch again.
Force a power off when the screen is frozen
If the display has become unresponsive and the normal restart menu will not appear, you can force the OnePlus Open off. This is also worth trying when the flashlight is frozen mid-glitch and the phone ignores your taps.
Long press the power button and volume up for 10 seconds to force a power off, then press the power button to turn the device on again. Holding the power button alone does not force a restart on this model, so it must be power plus volume up held together for the full 10 seconds.
Force stop the Camera app from App info
Because the torch shares the camera's LED, a misbehaving Camera app can quietly block the flashlight even after a basic Clear All. Force stopping the app from its own settings page resets it cleanly and hands the LED back to the system.
Go to Settings, then Apps, then App management, then App list.
Select the Camera app from the list.
Open its App info page and tap Force stop.
Return to Quick Settings and test the flashlight.
After a force stop, the Camera app starts fresh the next time you open it, which often resolves a torch that was stuck because the camera never properly released the flash.
Update OxygenOS to clear flash bugs
Bugs that affect the flash and torch are commonly fixed in software updates. The OnePlus Open shipped on OxygenOS 13.2 based on Android 13 for the Emerald Dusk and Voyager Black colorways and OxygenOS 14.0 based on Android 14 for Crimson Shadow, and OnePlus has since released the stable OxygenOS 14 (Android 14) update for the device, so it is worth confirming you are current.
Go to Settings, then About device, then Software update, and follow the instructions to download and update. The system checks automatically.
If an update is waiting, follow the on-screen steps, and if the device is already up to date, no further instructions will appear.
Back up, then factory reset as a last resort
If a software fault still survives every step above, a factory reset returns the OnePlus Open to its original state and clears whatever corrupted setting is blocking the flash. This erases your data, so treat it as a genuine last resort and back up first.
The official warning from the manual is clear. Restoring factory settings will wipe all app data, contacts, text messages, and so on, so back up important data before a factory reset.
Copy important photos and documents somewhere safe first.
OnePlus's Clone Phone app handles data transfer and backup if you need it.
Back up your data first.
Go to Settings, then Additional settings, then Back up and reset, then Reset phone.
Tap Reset phone.
Enter your passcode to confirm.
Once the phone reboots and you finish setup, test the flashlight before restoring everything, so you can tell whether the reset actually fixed it.
When the rear LED points to a hardware fault
If the flashlight still fails after a reset, the problem may be hardware rather than software. A strong sign is the camera failing alongside it. If the Camera app will not open or shows a black screen, that points to the shared rear-camera and LED module rather than a stray app.
At that point, follow OnePlus's official support guidance. The OnePlus Support site at oneplus.com/support can help you arrange diagnosis and repair at an authorized service center, where a technician can confirm whether the LED module needs servicing. OnePlus also publishes an official support article for a camera that is stuck or will not open, which is worth checking when the camera and flash fail together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the OnePlus Open have a separate flashlight bulb?
No. The OnePlus Open uses one rear LED for both the camera flash and the flashlight. The official specs list it as "Flash: LED," and the manual treats that same LED as the torch. That is why a camera issue and a flashlight issue often appear together.
Why is my flashlight tile greyed out?
A greyed-out torch tile usually means another app, most often the Camera, is currently holding the shared rear LED. Open Recents and tap Clear All to close background tasks, or force stop the Camera app from Settings, then Apps, then App management, then App list, then try the tile again.
How do I force restart a frozen OnePlus Open?
Long press the power button and volume up together for 10 seconds to force a power off, then press the power button to turn it back on. Holding the power button by itself will not force a restart on this model.
Can I turn the flashlight on while the screen is off?
Yes. The OnePlus Open supports a screen-off gesture you can enable under Settings, then Screen off gestures, then "Draw a V to turn on/off flashlight," which toggles the torch without unlocking the phone.
Will a factory reset fix the flashlight?
A factory reset can fix a torch that is failing because of a software fault, but it erases all your data, so it is a last resort. Back up first, since the official warning states a reset will wipe all app data, contacts, text messages, and so on.