Every Garmin Has a Flashlight — Even Without Hardware LEDs

Day 72: Every Garmin Has a Flashlight — Even Without Hardware LEDs

Here's a Garmin feature most people don't know about: the flashlight. And I'm not talking about the Fenix 8 or epix Pro with their dedicated hardware LEDs. I'm talking about virtually every Garmin watch — including budget models like the Vivoactive 6 — having a usable flashlight mode built right in.

How the software flashlight works

Garmin's software flashlight works by setting the display to full brightness with a solid white screen. In a dark room or on a dark trail, it's genuinely bright. Not a replacement for a headlamp on a technical trail, but more than enough to find a dropped key, check a map, or light up the first few metres of your path.

How to enable it

There are two ways to add the flashlight to your watch:

Option 1: Add it to Quick Settings

1. Long press the touchscreen or the Up button to open Quick Settings
2. Scroll down and tap the pencil/edit icon
3. Find Flashlight in the list and add it
4. Now you can toggle it from the Quick Settings panel in seconds

Option 2: Set it as a shortcut button (recommended)

This is the most convenient option. You can assign the flashlight to a long-press of any physical button on your watch:

1. Go to Settings → System → Buttons (exact path may vary by model)
2. Choose a button — the upper right button works well
3. Set the long-press action to Flashlight

Now a long press anywhere — mid-run, in the dark, without looking at the screen — gives you instant light. It's surprisingly useful.

More tips for running in the dark

While we're on the topic of night running, here are more Garmin features that make running in low light safer and smarter:

Sunrise & Sunset alerts

Go to Settings → Sensors & Accessories → Sunrise/Sunset Alerts. Garmin can notify you 30 or 60 minutes before sunset so you're never caught off guard mid-run without a plan.

LiveTrack — share your live location

Running alone in the dark carries real safety considerations. LiveTrack lets you share your live GPS position with family or friends in real time via Garmin Connect. They can follow your route on a map and know exactly where you are. Enable it in the Garmin Connect app before you head out.

Incident detection

Available on most modern Garmin watches, this feature automatically detects a potential fall or accident and sends your GPS coordinates to emergency contacts. Essential if you run alone at night.

Backlight settings for night running

Go to Settings → Display → Backlight. Set the backlight to stay on during activity or increase brightness. Some models support a red backlight mode — red light preserves your night vision far better than white, which is useful if you want to glance at your watch without killing your ability to see the trail ahead.

Segment alerts still work at night

All Garmin's pacing and segment features work regardless of light levels. PacePro, Virtual Pacer, and Segment Racing keep working normally — your watch is doing the tracking, not your eyes.