What do the orange and green dots mean on your phone?

At a glance

An orange dot means an app is using your iPhone’s microphone.
A green dot means your camera or camera and microphone are in use.
You can swipe down to see which apps are currently or recently using these features.
Reviewing app permissions in settings helps you stay in control of your privacy.

Those tiny dots on your phone are not random. They are built-in privacy alerts that show when your camera or microphone is in use.

Recently, we received a question from Teresa, who emailed us asking:

“What does the little orange dot in the top-right corner of my iPhone?”

The orange and green dots you see at the top of your screen are part of an enhanced privacy and security feature. Learn more about what these notification dots mean below, not only for iPhones but also for Androids.

What does it mean if you see the orange dot on the top of your iPhone?

orange dot at top of iphone

When an orange dot appears in the top-right corner of your screen — right above your cellular bars — this means an app is using your iPhone’s microphone.

It could be any third-party app, or even when you’re using built-in features like calls, Siri or voice dictation. In most cases, this is completely normal and part of how your iPhone protects your privacy.

Which iPhone apps are using your microphone?

If you see the orange dot, you can:

Swipe down from the top right of your screen to reveal which apps are using your microphone
You will now see both, which app is currently using your microphone and which app used it recently
In the case below, the app that is using the microphone is the iPhone

Orange dot on iphone icon, which app

What does it mean if you see the green dot on the top of your iPhone?

When a green dot appears in the top-right corner of your screen — right above your cellular bars — this means that an app is using either the camera or the camera with the microphone on your phone.

The indicator will stay visible for as long as the camera or microphone is in use and may briefly remain after, so you can identify the app.

green dot at top of iphone

Which iPhone apps are using your camera?

Like the orange dot, if you see the green dot, you can:

Swipe down from the top right of your screen to reveal which apps are using your camera or camera with the microphone
You’ll see the green icon at the top of your screen with the device next to it
In the case below, the app that is using the camera is FaceTime

iphone screen showing which app is using my camera

What does it mean if you see the green dot on the top of your Android device?

Android 12 or later phone with a green indicator on the top right of phone to indicate use of camera or microphone

Credit: Samsung

If you’ve got an Android 12 or later (including newer versions like Android 14, 15 and 16), you’ll notice that there’s only a green dot indicator (no orange dot) in the top right corner of your screen that will inform you when the phone’s camera or microphone is being used by an app.

Some Android devices briefly show separate camera and microphone icons before switching to the green dot.

When an app first accesses your camera or microphone, you’ll see a camera icon and a microphone icon before it changes to simply a green dot. This dot will remain on for as long as the app uses your microphone or camera.

Credit: Samsung

Which Android apps are using your microphone or camera?

If you see the green dot, you can:

Swipe down from the top of your screen to show the notification bar

Open notification bar and click the green dot

Credit: Samsung

Click the green dot, and you will see which apps are using your camera or microphone

You can view which apps are using your microphone or camera on an android

Credit: Samsung

What if an app is using my microphone or camera, and I can’t find it to delete the app?

If you see that your microphone and/or camera are in use even though you don’t have an app open, it likely means that an app has permission to use those features on your phone even when it isn’t being used, or your phone may have been hacked. In Is your device spying on you? you will find step-by-step instructions to see which apps have permission to access your microphone or camera and when.

If you’ve gone through your permission settings and your microphone and camera are being accessed without your consent, there is a chance that some malicious spyware may be using your device to spy. If you’re not sure your phone has been compromised, you can check for these additional signs outlined in How to tell if your phone has been hacked.

To avoid this altogether, consider adding antivirus software to your phone to ward off any malware.

Lock up your tech

My biggest desire is to educate and inform you about the increased real threat to each of our connected devices and encourage you to use strong antivirus security protection on everything in your life connected to the rest of the world. The best way to protect yourself is to install antivirus software on your devices.

My top pick is TotalAV.

TotalAV is easy to set up and offers real-time protection for paid users, keeping your devices safe around the clock. It includes tools to block phishing scams, remove ransomware and spyware, and clean up adware and junk files. The software also features a browser manager, system tune-up tools, and protects across Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Those little orange and green dots might seem easy to ignore, but they are one of the simplest ways your phone helps protect your privacy. If you notice them when you expect it, everything is working as it should. If you see them when you don’t, it’s a signal to take a closer look. A quick check of your settings can give you peace of mind and help you stay in control of your device.

Have you ever noticed your camera or microphone being used when you didn’t expect it? What did you do next? Let us know in the comments below.

FOR MORE OF MY TECH TIPS & SECURITY ALERTS, SUBSCRIBE TO MY FREE CYBERGUY REPORT NEWSLETTER HERE

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