Flashlight won't turn on when plugged to USB

[TechAbstract]

Is it just me or everyone's Lumia 640 is the same?

 

[garvitmiglani97]

It's happening with me too on my 640 XL
But never noticed it

 

[Guytronic]

Discovered this a while back.
Camera flash works...flashlight doesn't.
L640...

 

[TechAbstract]

My sister thought the flash is broken and she never had any issues with the phone since I gave her couple weeks ago.

 

[lunged]

Happens to me too. I thought my led broke a day after buying it, until I used it again the next day and it worked. I just tried again while plugged in and it doesn't work.

 

[vrlny]

I think it's by design.

Think about it... A flashlight is for PORTABLE illumination, e.g. walking around in the dark, looking into small, dark places, etc.

Mobile = battery power; Fixed = electrical, usb, etc. power.

And yes, it also happens to me when plugged in.

 

[Rose640]

I think it's by design.

Think about it... A flashlight is for PORTABLE illumination, e.g. walking around in the dark, looking into small, dark places, etc.

Mobile = battery power; Fixed = electrical, usb, etc. power.

And yes, it also happens to me when plugged in.

Excuse me for expression but I think your explanation is nothing but nonsense, even more it's stupid. Your telling us the reason the flashlight won't work it's cause phone thinks we're not in a dark place cause there is electric power? Well, I put my phone on charging every night at 3-4 am, and my room is very, very dark then. And guess what, flashlight doesn't work. Why? Cause that's not the way it works. If it was like that then the ambient light sensor would be one to determine whether there's light or not.

 

[Goodeye]

I could be wrong but I believe there is an API used to activate the led flash for use as a flashlight (I.e. When the camera isn't setting off that led flash).

I'm guessing when its plugged in that API is disabled and doesn't run. If this is the case in sure its by design.

 

[vrlny]

Excuse me for expression but I think your explanation is nothing but nonsense, even more it's stupid. Your telling us the reason the flashlight won't work it's cause phone thinks we're not in a dark place cause there is electric power? Well, I put my phone on charging every night at 3-4 am, and my room is very, very dark then. And guess what, flashlight doesn't work. Why? Cause that's not the way it works. If it was like that then the ambient light sensor would be one to determine whether there's light or not.

That's absolutely NOT what I wrote. It's got nothing to do with light sensors. It's simply plugged in vs NOT plugged in. Plug it in, it won't work because it's running off of external power. Electrical power, USB power, it doesn't matter -- power is power. Unplug it, it's portable and works, like a REAL flashlight.