What Do Orange and Green Dots on Your iPhone Mean?

Jul. 22, 2024

Have you ever wondered what do the orange and green dots next to the notch on your iPhone mean? No worries, you are not alone to have found their existence perplexing. First introduced iniOS 14, there is a reason why these indicators show up in the iPhone status bar or Dynamic Island. In this article, I will help you decode these simple privacy symbols and why you should pay close attention to them whenever they pop up in the status bar.

What Does the Orange Dot in iPhone Status Bar Mean?

When an orange indicator in the iPhone status bar means anapp is currently using the microphoneon your device. You will see an orange dot next to the notch on your iPhone while making calls or using the Voice Memo app, Siri voice commands, recording notes, and when you are in a Clubhouse audio room, among other things. If you’ve got an iPhone 14 Pro or a later model, you’ll see the orange and green dots inside theDynamic Island.

It’s worth pointing out that this indicator appears as an orange square if you have enabled theDifferentiate Without Colorfeature on your iPhone. Go toSettings>Accessibility>Display & Text Sizeand enable/disable theDifferent Without Colortoggle, as per your need.

Now, it is safe to assume that almost all apps on your iPhone respect your privacy and will only access the microphone when required. But if you ever notice the orange dot on your device when it shouldn’t be there, it simply means someapp is misusing the mic permission and eavesdroppingon your conversations. We have explained how to fix such a privacy loophole in the sections below.

If you see a green dot in the iPhone status bar, that meansan app is actively using the camera on your device. Also, the green indicator can signify when an app is using a camera and microphone together. So, youwill not see a separate orange dotfor microphone access here, even though it is usable along with the camera.

For instance, as you can see in the screenshot above, I’m using the FaceTime app on my iPhone and only see the green indicator next to the notch. It represents that the app is using both the camera and microphone at the moment.

Now, if you randomly see the green dot on your iPhone, it means some app is invading your privacy by accessing the camera and recording you without your permission. Follow the steps in the section below to find out which app it was and get it under control.

The green and orange dots are like alarms, designed to alert you about the usage of the camera and microphone on your iPhone. If an app is using them unnecessarily, you can take the needed action right away and disable the access.

Apple has made it easy to know what app had recent access to your camera and microphone. Here’s how to determine which app is using a camera or microphone on your iOS device:

This allows you to keep an eye on which apps are using a camera or microphone on your iPhone. If an app is accessing your camera or microphone in the background without your knowledge, you can revoke the permissions to ensure they aren’t recording conversations or videos.

It might be possible in some rare cases. First and foremost, you must check if any known apps running in the background are using your camera or microphone. In case you don’t find any apps, a hacker might be using malicious third-party apps to keep an eye on your iPhone. If this ever happens, you must turn off your iPhone, change your Wi-Fi name and password, and reach out to your network provider.

Hopefully, you have now got a good hang of what the orange and green dots mean and the sole purpose behind their existence. So, next time you see these recording indicators on your iPhone, you shouldn’t panic. You can always check which apps are using the camera and microphone on your device. If you find some shady, make sure to disable access in the Settings app.