If you’re an iPhone user, there may be a few things you don’t know about some of your features. Apple introduces standard software updates that have new fixes, updated layouts and legends you might not be familiar with. In recent years, Apple has placed a strong emphasis on user privacy, requiring apps to be transparent about how they access your device’s functions – like your camera and microphone.
If you’ve ever seen an orange or green dot appear at the top of your iPhone screen, you’re not alone – this feature was first introduced with iOS 14 back in 2020 as part of Apple’s built-in privacy indicator system, and it remains a big part of iOS. These indicators are designed so you can gain control over which apps have access to different parts of your phone. Read on to learn what the green and orange dots on your iPhone mean – and what you can do about them.
What Is the Orange Light?
First introduced in iOS 14 back in 2020, the orange dot is part of Apple’s built-in privacy indicator system. It appears in the top-right corner of the iPhone screen, just above the cellular and Wi-Fi signal bars. When you see it, it means an app is actively using your phone’s microphone – with or without you realizing it – making it a helpful alert if an app is accessing your microphone without your knowledge or consent.
Many apps legitimately need microphone access, like Voice Memo, social media apps, and messaging apps. You’ll also see the orange dot when using the voice-to-text feature, speaking to Siri, or making phone calls. Apple implemented this feature to give users greater control over their privacy and security.
It’s worth mentioning a few extra facts about how this indicator works:
- If an app is using both the camera and microphone at the same time, only the green dot will appear – the green dot takes priority in that scenario.
- The orange dot cannot be disabled, as it is a built-in Apple security feature.
- If you have difficulty distinguishing the dot by color, you can change it to appear as a square instead by going to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and enabling Differentiate Without Color. You may also want to explore how to customize your iPhone home screen for other helpful display options.
Can I Disable It?
You can’t disable the orange dot. First introduced in iOS 14 in 2020, the orange dot is a built-in privacy indicator designed by Apple to notify you whenever an app is actively using your microphone. It appears in the top-right corner of your screen, just above your cellular and Wi-Fi signal bars, and can’t be turned off as it’s a core security feature of iOS.
If your camera and microphone are in use at the same time, only the green dot will appear – the orange dot will not show alongside it in that scenario.
These orange dots may also appear as orange squares if you have the Differentiate Without Color feature enabled. This feature helps convey interface items through shape alternatives for those who have difficulty differentiating between colors. You can turn this setting off or on with these steps:
- Open the Settings App.
- Search or scroll until you find Accessibility.
- Click Display & Text Size.
- Find Differentiate Without Color and toggle the slider to your preference to enable or disable these changes.
While you can’t disable the orange dot, it shouldn’t always appear at the top of your screen. If you see the orange dot on your iPhone but no apps appear to be open, check the following to see how to get rid of it:
- If you have an iPhone 8 or earlier: Double click the Home button and swipe left and right to see your recently used apps. Swipe them up to completely exit the apps.
- If you have an iPhone X or later: Slowly swipe up from the bottom of your screen until you see your recently used apps. Swipe them up to completely exit the apps.
- Check your headphones: If you have wired, wireless, or Bluetooth headphones connected, they may be activating your microphone.
- Try restarting: If you’ve checked these items off, try restarting your iPhone to see if that clears the orange dot from your screen.
Why Is It Sometimes Green?
You may notice that sometimes a green dot appears at the top of your iPhone in place of the orange dot – this green indicator means that an app on your phone is actively using your camera, or your camera and microphone together. Every time you open the camera app to take a photo or FaceTime a loved one, the green dot will appear in the top-right corner of your screen. The green dot performs the same core work as the orange dot – it lets you know when an app has access to hardware on your iPhone.
Importantly, the green and orange dots will never appear at the same time. If an app is using the camera and microphone simultaneously, only the green dot will be shown. These privacy indicators, first introduced by Apple with iOS 14 in 2020, are a built-in security feature designed so you can stay aware of what apps are accessing at any given second – it’s also worth mentioning that the orange dot can’t be turned off. Apple has intentionally made it a permanent, non-optional feature.
If you’d like a different visual style, Apple does give you an accessibility option that changes the dot into a square shape instead. You’ll find this under Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and enabling Differentiate Without Color.
For example, if you see the green or orange indicator appear on your iPhone for a newly installed app – especially one that never asked for permission to use your camera or microphone – that may be a red flag worth investigating.
How to Know What It’s Using
If you have apps on your iPhone, it can be helpful to know which ones use your camera and microphone. There are a few ways to find out which apps have permission or access to these functions.
The first way to check accessibility is to swipe down from your screen’s top right corner to open the Control Center. The most recent app you used should appear along with a microphone or camera icon indicating which one was used.
For example, if you recently recorded a voice memo, the Control Center should say “Voice Memos, recently” with an orange microphone icon. If you used Instagram Stories to post a picture or video, it should say “Instagram, recently” with a green camera icon. It’s an easy, quick way to tell which apps use your microphone and camera – especially right after using the app.
If an app is using your camera and microphone simultaneously, only the green dot will appear on screen. The orange dot can’t be disabled – it’s a built-in security feature Apple introduced with iOS 14 in 2020, designed to always alert you when your microphone is in use. However, if you like a visual shape instead of a dot, you can switch it to a square by going to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and enabling Differentiate Without Color.
If you have many apps, tracking which ones have standard permissions can be time-consuming. If you see the orange or green dots unexpectedly, or simply want to review and manage which apps are allowed to use your microphone and camera, follow these steps:
- Open Settings.
- Tap on Privacy & Security.
- Tap on Microphone or Camera.
- View the list of apps with green switches to see which ones have access.
- Toggle the switches next to any app to turn access on or off.
Remember that if you disable microphone or camera access for an app that previously had it enabled, the app will prompt you to re-enable it the next time it needs that permission. For example, if you turn off Instagram’s access, it will ask you to go back into Settings and grant permission again the next time you try to record or upload a video. If you’d like to capture your screen at the same time, you can also learn how to screen record on an iPhone.
You can also manage your microphone settings for Siri. When enabled, Siri listens for its activation phrase. As of iOS 17 and later, Apple updated the wake phrase to simply “Siri” – you no longer need to say “Hey Siri.” You can control this feature with these steps:
- Open Settings.
- Select or search for “Siri”.
- Toggle “Listen for ‘Siri'” on or off according to your preferences.
How to Edit App Microphone and Camera Access
You can also take other measures on your iPhone to control your privacy and safety. While some apps need your microphone and camera, like FaceTime, you can block other apps that you don’t use or don’t need these functions to run. You may also want to learn how to clear or block cookies on your iPhone for added privacy.
Remember that all apps should display a pop-up message or notification when you open them for the first time requesting your permission to use your camera or microphone. The app should also explain why they need that access. For example, social media apps need permission to use your camera so you can upload photos or record videos.
You can control app access to other hardware features on your iPhone, like Bluetooth connectivity, fitness and motion sensors, and Local Network features. Similar to your microphone and camera, you can review and change the access to these features at your discretion.
- Open Settings.
- Tap on Privacy & Security.
- Choose a hardware feature like Local Network or Bluetooth.
- View the list that shows which apps have requested access.
- Toggle the switches next to the apps to turn them on or off.
The orange dot indicator itself can’t be disabled — Apple built it as a permanent security feature to ensure users are always aware when their microphone is active. However, if you have difficulty distinguishing the dot by color, you can change its appearance to a square by navigating to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and enabling Differentiate Without Color.
Tips for Microphone and Camera Access Safety
With hundreds of millions of Apple devices in active use across the U.S., it matters to know how to protect your privacy and control over how much access apps and tracking features have over your personal information. Here are some tips for microphone and camera access safety on your iPhone and other Apple devices like a Mac or iPad.
Avoid Video and Audio Chat Apps
Every time you install a new app on your iPhone — and that’s also the case for ones that need your camera and microphone for their primary functions — you open your device to more vulnerabilities. Try to use your web browser for things like video calls on Skype or Zoom to stay away from downloading an app that remains on your phone long after you’ll have to use it.
With fewer apps on your phone having access to your microphone and camera, it can be easier to protect your privacy and not have to turn the access options on and off for every use. Some apps might not let you turn off these features, like apps preinstalled on the iPhone, like FaceTime.
These apps need these features to work, so review the apps you’ve installed from the App Store and decide if you need them. If you need them, you can turn off the camera and microphone access as you see fit. Otherwise you can uninstall them.
Keep Your iPhone Software Updated
Keeping your phone updated helps protect your privacy and security. iPhone iOS updates continually apply bug fixes and rid your iPhone of any identified vulnerabilities to keep you protected, so it matters to update as needed. You can turn on automatic updates or check for them frequently to make sure you stay on top of your software and firmware security.
Regularly Check Your Device Permissions
While Apple requires most apps to ask permission for your camera and microphone access or location information, some may try to access these features without notifying you. If you’ve recently downloaded apps, go into your Settings app and double-check that the ones you use have asked for permission. You can also manage how your iPhone shares your location to further limit what apps can track about you.
It’s also a good idea to revoke any permissions for apps you don’t use or need – this way, if hackers compromise your apps, they won’t be able to access your camera or microphone immediately.
Know How to Tell if You’re Being Recorded
Since iOS 14 was introduced in 2020, Apple has let users know when their camera or microphone is actively in use through an easy but helpful visual indicator system. When an app is using your microphone, a small orange dot appears in the top-right corner of your screen, just above the cellular and Wi-Fi signal bars. When your camera is in use, the dot turns green. If the camera and microphone are active simultaneously, only the green dot will be displayed. Importantly, the orange dot can’t be disabled – it’s a built-in security feature by Apple.
If you like a different visual style, Apple also has an accessibility option that changes the dot into a square instead. You’ll find this under Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and enabling Differentiate Without Color.
This helps you more quickly find out if an app is behaving suspiciously or accessing your hardware without reason.
Use the Tape Method
Putting stickers or tape over your iPhone and Mac computer cameras is a popular way to feel more protected in your privacy. If your computer or phone is hacked, the physical barrier will prevent the hacker from seeing anything on your end. However, this is harder to achieve with your device’s microphones. While you can cover or muffle a device’s microphone, it still may work.
When taping over your camera, remember to use a small, thin piece so it doesn’t prevent you from closing your laptop or putting a protective case on your iPhone. If you ever want to sell your iPhone, damage to your camera lens or residue from the tape may cause a problem. Learn more about how to avoid broken iPhone screen damage that could also affect your resale value.
You can buy stickers designed primarily for this security purpose. They are usually easy to move and replace without damaging your screen. While it will provide some security, the best thing you can do is review your iPhone’s privacy settings and controls and check for updates or any unusual activity within apps.
Learn More About Your iPhone Features With Gazelle
With so many convenient features on the iPhone, it can be easy to forget how to protect your privacy while going about your day-to-day life. Many users have pages and pages of apps they downloaded months or years ago and don’t even know those apps have access to their information and main iPhone functions- that’s why it matters to know how to stay on top of your security and delete any apps you don’t need or use.
Hackers can take advantage of your privacy from the most minor vulnerabilities, so learning about how to enable or disable functions at your discretion puts the power back in your hands. Your iPhone will also keep you notified of any new software updates and let you read new security content each time you update your device. When upgrading, it’s also important to know how to erase your iPhone data before passing it on.
At Gazelle, we want to teach you how to use the features on your iPhone and how you can adjust your device to meet your preferences. Browse our iPhone tip articles to learn about the latest updates, features and how-to’s to maximize your iPhone use and control your data privacy and security more.