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Shake to Light: Introducing Glim, a Privacy-First Android Flashlight

2026-10-13

Why another flashlight app?

Most flashlight apps on Android come with a familiar set of problems: intrusive ads, unnecessary permissions, tracking SDKs, and interfaces that feel like afterthoughts. When all you want is light, the last thing you need is a banner asking you to rate the app or a permission request for your contacts.

We built Glim to do one thing well: give you reliable, hands-free control of the flashlight without compromising privacy or battery life.

What Glim does

Shake to toggle. A quick shake of the phone turns the torch on or off. The gesture works even when the screen is off or the app is in the background, so you can reach for light without unlocking your device.

Quick Settings tile. Prefer a one-tap control from the notification shade? Glim ships with a Quick Settings tile that starts or stops the shake listener instantly.

Smart auto-off. Set the torch to turn off automatically after 1, 3, 5, or 10 minutes. This protects battery and prevents the light from staying on accidentally.

Pocket protection. The proximity sensor prevents accidental activation while the phone is in your pocket or bag. No more mysterious battery drain or hot cameras.

Material 3 design. Clean, modern UI that follows the latest Android design guidelines. No clutter, no dark patterns.

Privacy by design

Glim does not collect any data.

  • The Camera permission is used solely to control the flashlight hardware.
  • Accelerometer and proximity sensor data never leave the device.
  • There are no analytics, no ads, and no third-party tracking libraries.
  • The full source is open under the Apache License 2.0 so anyone can verify the claims.

Transparency is not a marketing line — it is the architecture.

Technical notes

Glim is built with a dual approach:

  • A React + Vite web layer that acts as a design simulator and control surface.
  • Native Android code generated via export (Kotlin + Jetpack Compose + Material 3).

Hardware access goes through CameraManager for the torch and SensorManager for the accelerometer and proximity sensor. The result is a small, focused APK that targets Android 6.0 (API 23) and above.

Download and install

  1. Go to the GitHub Releases page.
  2. Download the latest stable APK (Glim-v1.0.1-release.apk or newer).
  3. Enable installation from unknown sources if needed.
  4. Install and grant Camera + Notification permissions when prompted.
  5. Shake to light.

You can also add the Glim tile to Quick Settings for even faster control.

Brand and contribution

The source code is open-source. The Glim name, logo, and EonMirth brand are trademarks. You may fork the repository for personal study and contribute via pull requests. Redistribution on app stores using the Glim or EonMirth branding requires written permission.

Bugs, ideas, and feedback are welcome on the issue tracker.

Closing

Glim is a small product with a clear job. It does not try to be a Swiss Army knife. It tries to be the flashlight you reach for when the lights go out — reliable, private, and free of friction.

If that sounds useful, download it, give it a shake, and let us know what you think.

Download Glim from the product page or the GitHub Releases.