Walked in the dark yesterday, lights out on the sidewalk, there are cars.

Pulled out my phone and used the flashlight and it just didn't work very well, like at all, I did see the ground sliightly better but light getting everywhere (from the phone and phone-flashlight) made it worse.

Maybe it's my phone (Xiaomi 9 IIRC) though.

I don't think it makes sense to disagree with what someone else finds useful to carry. There is, of course no universal advice; not everyone will find the same things useful.

I think it’s best to have a roster of accessories for EDC tbh. You choose the loadout that makes sense for what you’re doing not bringing everything everywhere every time.

Flashlight for me comes with me when it’s evening/night or there is work where it might be handy (car repair for example). But it’s not in the starting line-up just a 6th man coming off the bench frequently.