• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
People are just realizing what the three little dots on your iPhone mean

Home> Technology

Updated 17:06 14 Jul 2024 GMT+1Published 20:06 11 Jul 2024 GMT+1

People are just realizing what the three little dots on your iPhone mean

An important iPhone privacy feature by Apple has gone under the radar for years

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck

People are flooding to social media in appreciation of a little-known iPhone privacy feature from Apple.

A 'superb' iPhone feature was brought out in the iOS 14 update released in 2020, however, not many have heard about it and many probably haven't even noticed the three little dots which sometimes appear on the top right of your phone's screen.

You know when you've been to see a friend and all you've talked about is how you need to book another holiday and the next thing you know, you're travelling back on the bus and you open Instagram and get hit with a wave of airline advertisements and bikini promotions?

Yup. It can feel like your phone is always listening to you.

Advert

However, this isn't always the case and there's a way to tell when your phone has a cheeky ear up to your conversation - and even when your camera is being used - and it comes in the form of three little dots.

The orange and green dots appear in the top right area of your screen, above your signal, wifi and battery indicators. But what do they mean?


Do you know what the orange and green dots mean?
Apple

Advert

Well, Apple's website explains: "With iOS 14 or later, an orange dot, an orange square or a green dot indicates when the microphone or camera is being used by an app.

"An orange indicator means the microphone is being used by an app on your iPhone. This indicator appears as an orange square if the Differentiate Without Colour setting is on. To enable Differentiate Without Colour, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size.

"A green indicator means either the camera or the camera and the microphone are being used by an app on your iPhone."

The final dot is blue with a right arrow inside.

Advert

"A blue arrow may appear when the app you’re using requests your location," Apple states.

A green dot signals the camera or camera and microphone are being used by an app.
Apple

According to The Stem Support, the dot indicators appear through a computer programme written by Apple called Application Programming Interface.

"This means a visual indicator will appear no matter if your app is telling you it's using your microphone or not," the outlet notes.

Advert

It's all very well and good to be aware you're being spied on, but how do you find out which app is guilty of using your microphone and/or camera?

If you swipe down, bringing up the Control Centre, you should be able to see.

The privacy feature has been in place for a while, but not everyone knows what the dots mean still.
Justin Sullivan / Staff

iPhone users have flocked to social media in appreciation of the privacy hack.

Advert

One Twitter user said: "This talks more than anything about how apple takes care of privacy. This dot indicates when an app is using a microphone or a camera. Just superb."

However, another user questioned: "Why? I have no apps that have requested use of microphone!"

A third replied: "I feel like they added the dots to let the users know that they can feel safe. If Apple hadn’t added the dots, we would never know that our microphone/camera is on. Every app has a privacy option in the settings."

A final iPhone user resolved: "The best and most underrated iOS 14 feature is the Orange, Green dots indicators and Copy-Paste indicator."

Featured Image Credit: Apple/Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Topics: Apple, Social Media, Technology, iPhone

Poppy Bilderbeck
Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
2 days ago
4 days ago
  • 9 hours ago

    Everyone's saying the same thing after clip of Elon Musk resurfaces claiming we're 'summoning the demon' with AI

    Musk has since developed robots, self-driving cars and an AI platform integrated into X

    Technology
  • 2 days ago

    Important reason why you should blur your house on Google Maps

    One Redditor claimed they'd taken the plunge after a 'number of break-ins and incidents'

    Technology
  • 4 days ago

    Expert gives step-by-step on how to survive the first 24 hours of a nuclear bomb attack amid WW3 fears

    Searches for 'WW3' have spiked amid the conflict between Israel, Iran and the US

    Technology
  • 4 days ago

    Expert shares stark warning to the US after Iran-linked hackers carried out Truth Social cyberattack

    Hackers aligned with Iran claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on the Trump-founded social media channel

    Technology
  • Apple unveils new iPhone feature that allows people to make their own emojis but there's one concern
  • People urged to act now as 16,000,000,000 social media passwords leaked in 'largest data breach ever'
  • Apple now classifies these two products 'vintage' and people are horrified
  • Apple issues important warning for people who charge their iPhone while they're sleeping