People are just realizing what the green dot means on iPhone – how to spot it

IPHONE users have been warned about a mysterious green dot that can mean they're being spied on.

Three years ago, Apple unveiled a feature for its phones that informs users to know when their microphone or camera is being accessed.

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Apple's goal with this feature is to prevent malicious apps from spying on users.

The tool does this by displaying either an orange dot, an orange square, or a green dot on the top right of your screen.

What do these colors mean?

An orange dot means that the microphone is being used by an app.

This can appear as an orange square if the "Differentiate Without Color" setting is on.

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And if you see a green indicator, that means the camera is being accessed.

However, it can also mean that both the camera and microphone are being used by an app on your phone.

To view or manage these symbols and indicators, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size. 

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How to use this tool

First, users will need to make sure their OS is updated to at least iOS 14.

Once that's done, you can find out what's being accessed and which app is doing this by swiping into your Control Center.

If you suspect an app is snooping on you when it shouldn't, you can check the app's permissions in Settings.

How to protect yourself

There are a number of steps you can take to protect yourself from apps spying on you – such as denying access to your microphone or camera.

And if you're really worried, you could just delete the app altogether.

"Privacy is a fundamental human right and at the core of everything we do," Apple explained back in 2020.

"That’s why with iOS 14, we’re giving you more control over the data you share and more transparency into how it’s used.

"An indicator appears at the top of your screen whenever an app is using your microphone or camera. And in Control Center, you can see if an app has used them recently."

Of course, this tool will alter you anytime an app is using the microphone or camera.

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That means it will show even when you use the Camera app or record a video on Instagram.

So don't worry if you see that green or orange glow – you only need to be worried if it shines unexpectedly.