April 2, 2024, 5:53 am | Read time: 2 minutes
It’s certainly never a bad idea to have some candles at home. But when you’re on the go or prefer an alternative light source without the risk of fire, it’s best to reach for your smartphone.
The flashlight function on a smartphone is handy in many situations. Whether you unexpectedly find yourself in the dark, need to illuminate a hard-to-see corner, or want to peek under the sofa. However, the white beam of light isn’t particularly cozy. Especially when camping, bridging a power outage, or creating a romantic atmosphere at a midnight picnic, the bare light of the flashlight isn’t very pleasant. But with just a few simple steps, you can turn your smartphone into an improvised lamp.
From Smartphone to Nightstand Lamp
All you need for this smartphone nightstand lamp is a smartphone with a flashlight function, a clear glass or PET bottle, and possibly a charging cable with an outlet or power bank. For particularly nice effects, the bottle should be filled with water or another translucent liquid. Green or red lemonade creates colorful effects, while the basic version with water mainly provides brightness.
Activate the flashlight function and adjust the light intensity as desired. Now, place the smartphone face down and carefully position the bottle on the camera so that all the light is diffused and no one is blinded. If you don’t have a bottle, you can also use a glass. However, it should either not be filled with water or be handled with special care. If you own an iPhone, you might want to set up the shortcut “Water Eject” in advance to react quickly if necessary.
Adjusting the Brightness of the Smartphone Flashlight
Depending on whether you prefer a cozy dim light or enough lumens for an eye-friendly reading session, you can adjust the flashlight’s brightness. On iOS, this is possible through the Control Center. You just need to hold down the flashlight icon until a slider appears. You can use this slider to dim or brighten the flashlight as needed.
On Android devices, this feature has been available since Android 13. Here, too, you need to access the quick settings menu and – similar to iOS – press and hold the flashlight icon. Once the flashlight is on, you can scale its brightness. The only thing that might stand in the way of the improvised lamp now is a weak battery.