Is there an orange dot on your iPhone? If you’re an iPhone user, you’ve probably experienced this phenomenon at some time – an orange dot appearing at the top of your phone. It’s a very small light that looks like an orange dot. But what does the orange dot on iPhone mean? Does it mean that someone is listening to you or spying on you?
The good news is that most of the time, the orange dot doesn’t indicate anything nefarious. Instead, it’s an iPhone microphone indicator, and its purpose is to let you know when apps are accessing the microphone on your phone.
Does the Orange Dot Mean Someone Is Listening?
Source: Apple
If you’ve seen the orange dot on your phone, you might have wondered, “Is someone listening through my iPhone?” The good news is that the orange dot is not usually a privacy concern or any reason to worry. Microphone usage on your phone is indicated by this orange dot.
iPhones have this orange dot so you know when your microphone is being used. That way, you can have better control over apps that use your microphone.
How to Remove the Orange Dot on iPhone
There’s no way to disable the orange dot completely. However, you can remove the orange dot and turn off the microphone indicator by quitting the app that is using the microphone.
To do that, open the App Switcher by swiping up from the bottom of your screen. Then, close any app that is using your microphone. Look for common offenders – obvious apps such as your recorder. If you can’t figure out which app is using your microphone, close all apps. You can close an app by swiping it up towards the top of the screen from the App Switcher.
Should You Be Concerned About the Orange Dot?
If you are reading this article, you are probably wondering, “Is the orange dot on my iPhone safe?”
Usually, there is no need to worry about the orange dot on your iPhone. It simply means that an app is accessing your microphone. It’s an iPhone microphone privacy feature that is designed to let users know when their voice is being listened to or recorded through a microphone. Apps that commonly use your phone’s microphone include recorder apps and apps that allow you to make calls.
Occasionally, when you activate Siri by mistake, for example, you will activate the orange dot. That’s because Siri needs access to your microphone to listen to your voice prompts.
However, if you closed all apps, and the orange dot still doesn’t go away, you might have cause for concern. First, though, try restarting your phone to see if it fixes the issue. If it doesn’t, take your phone to an Apple repair shop or an authorized repair technician to investigate the issue.
Note that you may alternatively see a green dot. The green dot indicates camera usage. It could also mean that BOTH your camera and microphone are active. When you take a video with your iPhone, you will see the green dot appear instead of the orange dot.
Why the Orange Dot Appears During Calls
Are you seeing the orange dot during iPhone calls? Don’t worry – that’s very normal and caused by microphone usage in iPhone calls. The orange dot will show up during calls simply because you are using the microphone when you make a call.
Whether it’s a voice or video call, you activate the microphone, whether you are using WhatsApp, FaceTime, or making a regular phone call. Every phone call involves microphone usage – otherwise, the other person on the other end of the line would not be able to hear your voice. Since the microphone is active during your call – the phone app is accessing your microphone to transmit your voice – the orange dot will appear.
Is the Orange Dot Recording?
Does the orange dot mean the iPhone is recording? No, not necessarily. The orange dot indicates microphone usage. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you are being recorded. For example, when you place a phone call, you are using the microphone, but you are not recording the call. When you talk to Siri, you are also using the microphone, but you are not being recorded.
However, when you use a recorder app, it does record you. Nevertheless, the orange dot simply indicates microphone usage and nothing beyond that – you may or may not be being recorded.
How to Stop Your iPhone From Listening to You
Did you know that you can prevent apps from using the microphone? Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Microphone. There, you can turn microphone access and permission off for individual apps by toggling it on or off for each app.
If you toggle it off for an app, that will prevent that app from accessing your microphone. However, note that this may prevent some apps from working properly. For example, a recorder app needs access to your microphone if you want to record audio. Similarly, a phone app or a calling app like WhatsApp will need permission to access your microphone if you want to make voice or video calls.
Conclusion
The orange dot is one of iOS’s privacy features for your microphone. It is a microphone access indicator on your iPhone that tells you that an app is accessing your microphone. That could be a recorder app, your phone app, WhatsApp, or any other app that requires your microphone. To turn it off, close any app that might be using your microphone. You can also adjust microphone access permissions in your settings.
