If you are an iPhone user, you may have noticed that an orange dot and a green dot occasionally appear in the top corner of the screen.
These dots are called indicator lights and alert users when an app is using their camera or microphone. This new feature is part of Apple’s greater pressure to protect users’ privacy.
The orange light point on iPhone means an app is using your microphone
If an orange dot appears in the upper right corner of your screen – just above your cellular bars – it means that an app is using the microphone of your iPhone.
For example, if you record a reminder with the Voice Memo app, the orange dot will appear. The orange dot also appears when you make calls or use the Siri feature.
The orange dot appears when an app uses your microphone, such as when you make a call.
Grace Eliza Goodwin / Insider
The green light on iPhone means that an app uses your camera or your camera and microphone at the same time
When the green dot appears in the upper right corner of your screen – also just above your cellular bars – it’s an indication that an app is using your iPhone’s camera or its camera and microphone.
For example, if you open Instagram and use the Stories feature to make a video with audio, the green light will appear to indicate that the app is using the camera and microphone of your iPhone. It will also appear when you place a FaceTime call.
The green dot appears when using your camera, such as when using FaceTiming.
Grace Eliza Goodwin / Insider
How to know which app uses the camera and / or microphone of your iPhone
Apple makes it easy to find out which app is using the microphone or camera of your iPhone.
If a green or orange dot appears, simply swipe from the top right corner of the screen to access the Control Center. At the top will appear the name of the app, whether the camera or microphone of your phone was used.
For example, if you used Instagram, it should read ‘Instagram recently’ with a camera or microphone icon.
The control center of your iPhone will tell you which applications your microphone and / or camera used.
Grace Eliza Goodwin / Insider
Why the indicator lights matter
With the iOS 14 update, Apple has introduced a number of new tools to help users protect their privacy, and force apps to be more transparent about how they use your phone.
The indicator lights are part of it, and users are warned if third-party applications use their microphone or camera without permission. If you notice that an app has access to your microphone or camera without asking, you need to remove and report it.