What is the red dot above cellular network bars on iPhone?

51kk wrote:

Ues how do i tirn it off and see all apps using

There is no means to bypass that orange (or red) status indicator.

if it’s not the app you are immediately using (such as the phone app, or the voice-memo-recording tool), open the app switcher and close an app at a time, until you find the one accessing the microphone; when the orange (or red) indicator extinguishes.

Close an app on your iPhone or iPod touch - Apple Support

If you make a telephone call, or use FaceTime, or use the voice memo tool, or any other app that needs and uses the microphone as part of its function, the orange (or red) indicator will re-appear.

Note: The orange microphone-accessed indicator can appear as red, depending on the screen background chosen.

Always-ask wrote:

I’m not on any phone call it seems to always be on except when I start talking about it then it seems to go off but comes right back on how do I turn it off it’s kinda creepy

Make sure the dot is not part of your chosen background. Switch the background.

Check the running apps. That red or orange dot is expected whenever using the telephone or FaceTime or any other microphone-using app, for instance.

If there's no app (that should be) using the microphone, and Control Center doesn't show an app using the microphone, try restarting the iPhone.

mm2021 wrote:

you said it’s the phone app that’s using the microphone when making a phone call right?

so, if i understand this correctly, my phone is recording my conversations.

what if i do not want the app to be recording my conversations?

how do i turn this off?

i turned off microphone in settings

i thought that was enough, i was wrong.

how do i turn it off?

When you make a telephone call, you listen and you talk.

When you listen, you listen to the speaker on the phone.

When you talk, you talk into the microphone.

When the microphone is "hot" or active or listening or however you'd prefer to think of that, the orange indicator is lit.

This listening to the speaker and talking into the microphone is entirely separate from discussions of recording the conversation.

And the Apple phone app doesn't record. Whether the person you've called is recording you is a different question.

You can certainly disable or mute the microphone too, which I'd also expect would extinguish the orange indicator, but then you can only listen to the telephone call. The other parties in the telephone call cannot hear you when your microphone is muted.

Lawrence Finch wrote:

TucsonTech wrote:

no. i get all three colors as well, and there is a definite difference between the orange and red dots. orange is mic and green is either just the camera or camera and mic together. the third dot, “RED” has yet to be identified other than to call us all colorblind or incompetent.

The red dot is the orange dot that displays as red with some background color settings.

And to confirm this behavior, temporarily change the iPhone or iPad display coloring—the background image—to something that better contrasts with orange, and check the microphone indicator color again.

sue148 wrote:

How do I turn it off

How do you turn the red (or sometimes orange, depending on background color) dot off?

That'd usually involve ceasing use of an app which accesses the microphone.

The red (sometimes orange) indicator means some app has connected to the microphone.

Quitting that app should extinguish the red (sometimes orange) dot.

cubbie50 wrote:

You explained an orange or green dot. What does a red dot mean? That your microphone and camera are NOT being used?

Thanks

Depending on he background the dot can appear orange or red. It is the same dot and if it appears orange OR red to you, it means the Microphone is being used.

Means that the mike is hot; active, recording, on, enabled.

Status icons and symbols on your iPhone - Apple Support

There are arguments over whether that color is red or orange, yes.

Tuannguyenhung wrote:

We can’t turned it off

Make sure the dot is not part of your background. Switch the background.

Check the running apps. That red or orange dot is expected whenever using the telephone, for instance.

If there's no app (that should be) using the microphone, and Control Center doesn't show an app using the microphone, try restarting the iPhone.

AMPEDUP88 wrote:

I only see a red dot & that's when I'm talking to someone on speakerphone. I know they are watching & listening to me through the mic & cameras.

[Edited by Moderator]

Of course the party you are talking to you via speakerphone are listening to you. The orange/red dot indicates the mic was live at that time.

If it was a Facetime call, the green indicator means your camera was also on.

TucsonTech wrote:

no. i get all three colors as well, and there is a definite difference between the orange and red dots. orange is mic and green is either just the camera or camera and mic together. the third dot, “RED” has yet to be identified other than to call us all colorblind or incompetent.

The red dot is the orange dot that displays as red with some background color settings.

The red you are seeing happens due to the contrast settings you are using and the background. It is the same light. The green one is for the camera.

A port scan would be useless. If you open Control Center while the light is on it will show the light and what app is using it. If it says unknown contact Apple Support.

It is a basic API that when called to turn on the microphone it activates the light. Due to sandboxing you would not be able to write an app to tell which process is using it and it would be redundant anyway.

You can't turn it off!!!! It comes on while connected in a voice call/telephone call. It just lets you know that the microphone is in use. It has to hear you talk in order for it & the ppl on the other end can hear you speaking!!!!! Does that makes sense to you??? Whenever you speak to your phone it's the mic that goes hot & listens. The red dot indicates tat its I use!!!!!!! Don't get much simpler to understand!!!!!!!

it means the app has had access to your microphone:)

It can be red depending on the background. It still just means the microphone is on and has nothing to do with your calls not going through.

Antoin001 wrote:

I get all three dots- red, orange and green. If Red is supposedly in the app accessing the camera what is orange or green? I was unable to identify any app using anything when I had the red dot. Any ideas?

Click here for details on the: Status icons and symbols on your iPhone - Apple Support

As for the apps involved, quit the active apps one at a time until you find the app that was triggering the icon display.

Click here for How to force an app to close on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support