With iOS 14 or later, an orange dot, an orange square or a green dot indicates when the microphone or camera is being used by an app. is being used by an app on your iPhone.
According to Apple, with iOS 14 or later, an orange dot means your microphone is being used by an app. But it doesn't necessarily mean anyone is listening in. But if you're worried about it, you can deny microphone access by going to Settings, Privacy, and Security and selecting Microphone.
This feature was first included on Apple's iOS 14 / iPadOS 14 (2020) and Google's Android 12 (2021). On iOS/iPadOS a green dot indicates the use of any camera while an orange dot indicates that the microphone is being accessed by an app. If both are being used (like when recording video), the dot is green.
The orange dot means an app on your iPhone was using just the microphone. You'll also be prompted to give an app permission to use your iPhone's camera or microphone the first time you use the app, Apple notes.
When your iPhone's microphone is on or was recently accessed, a small orange dot appears in the upper-right hand corner of the screen. If your camera is in use or was recently recording, you'll see a green dot. When your iPhone's camera and microphone are in use, you'll see the green camera dot.
If there's a small orange dot present on your iPhone screen in the upper-right corner directly above the cellular bars, it's an indication that the phone's microphone is currently in use – a definite red flag if the user isn't actively making a call or recording something in that moment.
If you want to know if your Android phone is being tracked, look for performance issues such as a rapidly depleting battery or an unusually hot phone. Here's how to check for performance issues that could indicate your phone being tracked: Open Settings > Battery and device care. Tap Battery > View details.
The orange light dot on iPhone means an app is using your microphone. When an orange dot appears in the top-right corner of your screen — right above your cellular bars — this means that an app is using your iPhone's microphone.
The orange dot means an app on your iPhone was using just the microphone. You'll also be prompted to give an app permission to use your iPhone's camera or microphone the first time you use the app, Apple notes.
The iPhone has a hole next to its rear camera lens. It's easy to miss because it's so small, and you might never have noticed it before, let alone wondered what it's for. However, the hole actually serves a very important purpose. It is, in fact, a microphone, one of three on the device.
With the new Android updates, whenever you download any app, it asks you for various permissions depending on its purpose. For example, a photo editing app might request access to your storage space, camera, microphone and photo gallery. Therefore, users know which app has access to specific permissions.
Unknown apps have access to camera
This allows the app to take photos and videos in the background without you knowing. Therefore, checking all the apps on your phone that have access to your camera can be a good way to find out if it's hacked.
The best way to do this is to install an intruder detection app that takes a certain action when someone tries to spy on or tamper with your cell phone. The Certo Mobile Security app for Android devices is the best way to catch someone in the act.
Yes, most spyware is designed to run incognito without attracting attention. For this reason, it's not always easy to know if you're being spied on. To find out more, read my guide on how to know if someone is spying on your phone.
If someone wants to listen to your calls, they'll need to compromise your phone in some way, usually by installing spy software on your device to monitor your activity. Therefore, searching for signs of spyware is the best way to know if someone is listening to your calls.