Why is there a green or orange dot on my iPhone? How to see which app is using your camera or microphone

On iOS 14 and later, a green dot means an app is using the camera, and an orange dot (or square) means an app is using the microphone. If an app uses both at once, only the green dot shows.

The dot says an app can access the camera or microphone right now. It does not by itself prove anything is being recorded or sent anywhere.

Normal causes include a phone call or voice message (microphone), Siri or dictation (microphone), a video call, the Camera app, a scanner and recording a voice memo.

1. 1Open Control Center. On an iPhone with Face ID, swipe down from the top-right corner. On an iPhone with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom.
2. 2Look at the top. For a short time after the camera or microphone was used, iOS shows the name of the app that used it and which one it was.
3. 3Do this soon after you see the dot. The note is not a permanent log, so if you wait, it may be gone.

1. 1Open Settings and tap Privacy & Security.
2. 2Tap Camera, or Microphone.
3. 3You will see every app that has asked for it. Switch off the ones that have no reason to use it, such as a game asking for the microphone.
4. 4If you turn it off, that app can no longer use it until you switch it back on. A video-call app without the microphone, for example, will not work properly.

The same Privacy & Security list also covers Photos, Contacts, Location Services and more. How to control which photos an app can access on iPhone goes through the Photos setting in detail.

Yes, on newer iOS versions there is App Privacy Report. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → App Privacy Report and tap Turn On App Privacy Report.

Once it is on, it lists when apps accessed things like location, photos, camera, microphone and contacts over roughly the last seven days, and the network domains they contacted. It only records from the moment you switch it on, so it will be empty at first, and turning it off clears the data.

The report shows activity. It does not change any permission, so use the Privacy & Security lists above to do that. If App Privacy Report is missing on your phone, your iOS version may not offer it.

• Check Control Center straight away and note the app name.
• Open that app and see whether it is doing something in the background, such as a call, a recording or a video.
• If the app is unfamiliar or has no reason to use the camera or microphone, turn its permission off and delete the app.
• Update iOS: privacy fixes arrive in updates, so staying current helps.
• If you think someone else has used your phone, how to tell if someone went through your iPhone lists what you can check.

The dots only cover the camera and microphone. They do not show when an app reads your photos, contacts or location.

Lockboxy asks for camera access so you can photograph, film or scan documents straight into its encrypted vault, and for the microphone so you can record voice memos saved inside the vault. You will see the dots when you use those features, which is the system doing its job.

You can switch either permission off in Settings → Privacy & Security, or find Lockboxy in the same lists. Other features keep working without them. See how to keep voice recordings private on iPhone for the Audio area.

• Everything above is free and built into iOS.
• Lockboxy's free plan holds up to 30 photos or videos and 10 files, and Premium removes those limits. Prices are on the Premium page and the app shows the exact price before you buy.
• Control Center only shows recent use, and the indicator shows access, not what was captured.
• Apple changes menu names and behaviour between iOS versions. If a step does not match your screen, use Search in Settings.