# Flashlight App Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 29, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055 "2015-10-29T03:56:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055/1 "2015-10-29T03:56:01Z")
What’s in it for the developers of phone flashlight apps? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055/2 "2015-10-29T03:59:50Z")
> [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > What’s in it for the developers of phone flashlight apps? A functional flashlight? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055/3 "2015-10-29T04:02:41Z")
Selling ads. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055/4 "2015-10-29T12:52:54Z")
Selling ads seems to be the logical answer, but how/when would the ads appear? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055/5 "2015-10-29T12:58:53Z")
The only one I’ve had with ads shows it when you start up the app, before you turn the light on. I replaced it with a truly free one. The truly free ones are most often created by people who can program and needed the app in question with certain features. Then they just release it to the world, as why keep something potentially useful to others to yourself? ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055/6 "2015-10-29T13:30:41Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The only one I’ve had with ads shows it when you start up the app, before you turn the light on. I replaced it with a truly free one. > > The truly free ones are most often created by people who can program and needed the app in question with certain features. Then they just release it to the world, as why keep something potentially useful to others to yourself? Like to name one for an iPhone? I just get frustrated looking. There are zillions, and it is hard to separate the wheat from the spam. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055/7 "2015-10-29T13:35:53Z")
IIRC, one comes already installed on the iPhone 6. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055/8 "2015-10-29T13:38:55Z")
People still use flashlight apps? I used to use one, but ever since Apple built the flashlight functionality into iOS I haven’t bothered. Much faster to swipe up and hit the flashlight icon than it was to find the app icon on whatever page I had left it… ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055/9 "2015-10-29T14:09:23Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > People still use flashlight apps? I used to use one, but ever since Apple built the flashlight functionality into iOS I haven’t bothered. Much faster to swipe up and hit the flashlight icon than it was to find the app icon on whatever page I had left it… Yeah, much faster when you know it is there… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055/10 "2015-10-29T14:16:35Z")
They’re heavily invested in the cell phone charger and replacement battery business. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flashlight-app-question/736055/11 "2015-10-29T14:48:55Z")
Most apps, of any sort, are written for the heck of it by some amateur who’s just having some fun in their free time. This is especially true for very simple apps like a flashlight.