Orange dot won't turn off on iPhone

Oh **** it mine says unknown. What is going on!!! I’ve denied access to all apps. Help this makes me wanna smash my phone and buy a...dare I say it 🥴 galaxy.

Re-read what was written above!! - all apps closed out none given ability to use microphone.

Same issue on my iphone - All apps have been turned off in privacy setting, orange light still comes on without identifying any app still being used. Either this is an Apple bug or there is an app on the phone that can't be viewed or is not being identified by IOS.

I have had the same problem. I found you can open the Control Centre when the orange dot appears and it will tell you which app is using the microphone or video whilst in a call or attempting a call. I too had turned off privacy and denied access to all apps before finding the app responsible for the Orange Dot. I found out the orange dot is on when making a phone call because the Phone Application itself is utilising the microphone. It is all a waste of time because the orange dot will Always be on the screen of the Phone App is always utilising the microphone. It’s a shame because people like using Apple products because they are secure and user friendly, but now they are complicating it with android-like interfaces that are complicating things with more choices.. Hope this helped...

What?? If you are not interested in helping go elsewhere. We are trying to figure out why the orange dot is still appearing even when apps are not being alllowed access in prvacy settings. A bug or something nefarious not showing up. ?? Who knows.

If you don't know don't reply.

The dot has NOTHING TO DO WITH RECORDING. To repeat: The dot has NOTHING TO DO WITH RECORDING. the Orange dot means ONE THING ONLY: It means that the microphone is ON. If you are using a recording app such as Voice Memo then it is obviously recording, and it actually says so right on the screen that it is recording. But if you are on a phone call it is not recording, all the dot means is that the microphone is ON. (And it would be extremely difficult for the person to whom you are talking to hear you if the microphone wasn’t on, unless they were in the same room with you).

Here is Apple’s Help text link for the orange and green dots→About the orange and green indicators in your iPhone status bar - Apple Support. Do you see anything in it about recording?

Face ID does not use the microphone, so there will be no orange dot. Face ID also does not use the camera, so there will be no green dot for Face ID. (Face ID uses an infrared scanner in the notch at the top of the screen.) FaceTime uses the camera, so there will be a green dot if you make a FaceTime call.

HPM76 is right. You need to know when you are using your own phone? Really? It is a distracting feature on the phone. It takes your attention away. Im on my phone constantly with meetings, etc.. all day. We should have the option to TURN IT OFFFFFF. They have options for tons of other stuff why not this???? How hard is that.

I do know. For most of the people who have posted about this and they say they aren't running any apps they come back with they are on the phone. Which is an app and it uses the microphone. And if you open Control Center while the light is showing it will tell you which app is using the the microphone. How is this not knowing?

Wow, some of these people...🤬. So, I found this discussion because I was searching for the answer to this same issue. First, the dot was green. I had to Google what that was about, and the answer was that it was my camera being accessed by some app. I went to my phone’s Home Screen and touched the bottom of the screen and scrolled up to pull up this screen:

then I clicked on the camera icon. (I was just guessing). It worked, the green dot went away but instead I had an orange dot. 🤷🏻‍♀️ So I googled that. Microphone it says. As is what this discussion is now about. But when I followed the Internet directions - went to the control center, turned off access to the microphone for all Apps, it didn’t change anything. The orange dot was still there. Finally, with microphone permissions for all my Apps still turned off in the Control Center though, I shut my phone off, waited about 5 minutes and turned it back on. Then the orange dot was finally gone. Something is fishy about this crap. When I had opened the Control Center, it didn’t tell me which app was using or had recently been using my microphone, like the Internet said it would. There was no orange or green dot next to any app. And, from that phone screen I posted here, it also did not indicate at the top any app was using my microphone either. So, maybe some people’s Control Center or Home Screen show that crap but mine doesn’t. Not sure what model their phone is either but mine’s an 8plus.

Good luck to those of you in this situation. My orange dot is still off for now after turning my phone off and back on with all microphone permissions turned off in the Control Center - that’s what worked for me.

As to how you feel about it, see Apple’s Privacy Policy—>Privacy - Apple. If you “feel” that Apple is lying in their privacy policy you should never use any Apple product, because if they are capable of lying about that they could be lying about anything.

Here is Apple’s PUBLISHED privacy policy ➡️ Privacy - Apple. If you believe Apple is lying in the published privacy policy you should never use any Apple product. But I don’t know what else you would use, because everyone else’s privacy policy lists many ways they use your personal information. Here is information on how other businesses use your personal information:

fai32 wrote:

Even when on whatsap call it’s still showing an orange dot. Can anyone help?

How can you be on a WhatsApp call yet have the mic off? I guess you could, but then no one on the call could hear what you say. As explained over and over in this thread, the orange dot means the microphone is on.

Here AGAIN is the explanation. CLICK HERE—>About the orange and green indicators in your iPhone status bar - Apple Support

couvf150 wrote:

I don’t like Big Brother or Big Tech spying on me & u shouldn’t either😡

You’re right. It was much better when Big Tech was spying on you and you had no idea that they were.

Although, if Apple wanted to spy on you, why would they let you know they were? If they tell you it isn’t spying.

Perhaps you should read Apple’s privacy policy ➡️ Privacy - Apple. If you believe Apple is lying in their privacy policy you should immediately get rid of any Apple products you have, and probably consult an attorney.

Chard36 wrote:

All of a sudden now we need this dot? Why????

Because Apple designed it to be there. As to why, you can see this support document regarding the display of the orange and green dots. About the orange and green indicators in your iPhone status bar - Apple Support For now, that is as much as Apple has provided.

Although to me this is NOT A FUNNY SUBJECT, I thought I’d share my humor I found in this “issue” at least now you know when “they” are listening to you when you see that orange dot 🟠 as opposed to only thinking or “believing” they are listening to you.

still... I’m with you the fog seems pointless.

I’m having a similar issue. The orange dot isn’t continuously on but it appears randomly and I can’t figure out why. No apps have access to my microphone and NO, I was not on a call. I wasn’t using my phone in any capacity when it has appeared. I moved my phone and the screen lit up and saw the orange dot. I tried control center but it didn’t have any apps using the mic.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks