Why Is There an Orange Dot on iPhone for iOS 16

There is a lot of information displayed on our iPhone screen, especially so many status icons in the status bar at the top of the screen. You can check the Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner if you don't see an icon. If the Control Center is not working, you can refer toControl Center Not Working iOS 11.

状态图标在屏幕的顶部many popular items and widgets, including the network icon, 5G icon, VPN indicator, Location Services symbol, Airplane Mode, locked icon, alarm icon, etc. And today we are talking about an orange dot on iPhone 14 shown in the lower right corner of the following diagram.

Part 1. What Does the Orange Dot on iPhone Mean

First of all, we need to know what the orange dot on iPhone means and then we can explore more usage of the icon. The orange indicator is one of the new privacy features introduced with iOS 14. So it's certainly available on iOS 16. An orange dot means the microphone is being used by an app on your iPhone. That means the orange dot on iPhone will appear on time whenever you use apps on your iPhone.

For example, when you use Voice Memos, take phone calls, or even use voice-to-text to dictate text messages to your friends, your microphone would be activated and the orange indicator would appear at the top of the screen at once. If you want to call up Siri through the microphone but it is obstructed or damaged, the orange dot on iPhone would not appear and theSiri is not available.

So don't worry and suspect that you are being recorded or spied on. This little orange dot is the symbol of using the microphone on your iPhone, instead of a certain monitoring signal.

Part 2. How to Customize the Icon Shape of the Orange Dot on iPhone

For a better user experience and to accommodate users who are not color-sensitive, users can change the shape of this icon in Settings. Note that you cannot disable the orange indicator feature when using the microphone. You can only change the icon shape from dot to square.

To customize the icon shape of the orange dot on iPhone:

Step 1.Go to Settings.

Step 2.In Settings, select the Accessibility option.

Step 3.Then tap Display & Text Size.

Step 4.Toggle the Differentiate Without Color slider on.

Once the Differentiate Without Color setting is turned on, this orange indicator appears as an orange square.

Part 3. How to Know Which App Is Using the Microphone

As we already know, the purpose of the orange indicator is to let you know some apps are using your microphone. So that begs the question: how do I know which app is using my iPhone's microphone right now?

Step 1.Whenever you see an orange indicator appearing in the status bar, swipe down from the top of the screen.

Step 2.Then you can see a yellow circle with a microphone icon in it on the upper screen, showing which apps are using your microphone.

Note:If the system recognizes unidentified apps are using your microphone, then "Unkown" will be labeled on the right side of the microphone icon.

Part 4. The Benefits of the Orange Dot on iPhone

With the iOS 14 update, a few new tools have been introduced to help users protect their privacy and make apps more transparent to users when used. In general, the orange or green indicators would alert you and ask your permission if some third-party apps try to use a microphone and camera, which makes users feel more at ease when using apps on the iOS 14 and later versions.

Bonus tip: What Does a Green Dot Mean on iPhone 14

When you use the microphone on your iPhone, a green indicator may appear next to the orange indicator at the same time. The green dot can also appear alone, which means the camera or the camera and the microphone are being used by an app on your iPhone. Furthermore, you can use the same method mentioned before in Part 2 to customize the shape appearing in the status bar.

For example, when using the camera app, Facetime, and other apps that can record a video, the green dot will appear on time. What's more, if thescreen recording not working你的iPhone或不再可用,我们so offer a corresponding solution here.

The Bottom Line

In this guide, we have covered what is the orange dot on iPhone, how to use this feature, and its great benefits comprehensively. With this user-friendly feature, you can directly swipe down from the top of the screen to check your microphone and camera status with ease at any time.

Note that you cannot disable the orange dot on iPhone. If you want to turn off your microphone, it's good practice to go to App Switcher toclose apps on iPhonethat are using your microphone by swiping up from the bottom of the screen and pausing in the middle of the screen. Once you close the related apps, the orange dot on iPhone would disappear at once.

FAQs on Why Is There an Orange Dot on iPhone

For more information on the orange dot on iPhone, you can check the commonly asked questions below and get what you want.

1. Can I disable the orange dot on my iPhone?

Sadly no. You cannot disable the orang indicator from Settings or the Control Center. The orange dot on your iPhone means your microphone is on. So the correct operation is to close the apps that are using the microphone, then the dot indicator would disappear automatically.

2. Why does the orange/green indicator matter?

You can check if the microphone's status is on/off through the orange/green indicator. These indicators provide a new guarantee of your privacy and security on iOS 14 and later.

3. Where does the orange dot appear?

It appears when some apps are using the microphone, such as Voice Memos, phone calls, or voice-to-text messages service. And it appears in the status bar at the top of the screen.