Say What You Want, But Watch Out for the Yellow Dot on Your iPhone
- Written by Malte Mansholt
- 🕒 Approximate Read Time: 3 minutes
iPhone's Background Hiding C covert Messages: Watch Your Words - Inquiring about the presence of a yellow dot on an iPhone device?
Your smartphone is more personal than your coffee mug, tagging along everywhere you go. It's easy to forget that it's equipped with a camera, microphones, and GPS tracker. Apps can tap into these features, too. Thanks to Apple's iOS 14, your iPhone has a warning system to protect your privacy. Yet, many users are clueless about these alerts.
This feature includes small icons in the status bar at the top of your screen. They're distinct from Wi-Fi or cellular signal symbols, and they alert you when apps are diving into your daily life.
The Green, Yellow, and Blue Dots: What They Mean
When a green dot pops up, it means that an active app has control over your camera—and it's not just about snapping selfies. Whenever you open the camera function, apps can also listen in via the microphone.
If only the microphone springs to life, a yellow dot shows up. This often happens during calls, voice messages, or when asking Siri a question. The camera is off in this scenario.
The blue symbol you see at the top left is less subtle—it's a larger blue dot with an arrow pointing from the navigation app. This indicates that an app is currently using your GPS.
So, Is a Dot Always a Surveillance Alert?
Nope. In many cases, the reason for a dot to appear isn't surprising, like when you open the camera or the camera view in Instagram. A lit dot doesn't necessarily mean something is being recorded; it amounts to apps requesting your permission.
However, remember that apps might still be keeping records you're not aware of. If a yellow or green light pops up out of nowhere, it's a sign for added caution—someone or something could be listening in on your conversations or watching your actions.
Find the Snoops Later
Missed a warning or it vanished too quickly? No worries, you can catch up later. Pull down the control center from the top right corner. If an app asked for access to one of the three data sources in the last few minutes, it'll be displayed there. This also applies to Apple's own apps.
You can also check app permissions in the settings under "Privacy & Security." Here, you can see which app has access to which function and revoke permission if needed.
The "App Privacy Report" offers more details. By activating this feature, your iPhone keeps track of which app wants which data and dishes it out in an easy-to-read list.
Pro Tip: If an app checks your location too frequently in the background, your iPhone will eventually warn you and let you restrict the app with a tap.
The Reason Behind the Warnings
'Twas a digital frontier back in the early smartphone days, with the app market resembling the Wild West. Apple and Google, the operating system providers, gave developers lots of options—options that some abused. App creators were found to be selling location data gathered by seemingly innocuous flashlight apps[1][3].
With numerous privacy measures, it's becoming harder for data merchants to peddle their wares, all without limiting essential functions users want to use.
- References
- https://tipb.co/how-to-stop-advertisers-from-tracking-you-on-iphone/
- https://mashable.com/article/iphone-apps-using-your-camera-microphone-without-your-knowledge/
- https://www.gsmarena.com/how_to_see_which_apps_are_using_your_camera_or_microphone_on_your_iphone-5904.php
- Your smartphone, equipped with gadgets like camera, microphones, and GPS tracker, is more personal than your coffee mug, and it's important to be aware of apps that can access these features.
- When you see a green dot on your iPhone, it means an active app has control over your camera, not just for taking selfies, and when a yellow dot appears, it indicates that the microphone is activated, often during calls, voice messages, or when asking Siri a question.
