Microphone icon appears in my menu bar when visiting a certain website on Safari

This seems a bug in Safari Version 17.3.1 (19617.2.4.11.12).

@robdejonge, yes Safari is ignoring your settings. I just did the test, the culprit in my case was web.whatsapp.com.

Following procudure:

• Start Safari – no microphone icon
• Check Safari > Settings > Websites > Microphone – all Websites are set to Ask
• Open the whatsapp tab
• Enter a conversation – orange microphone icon appears
• Go to settings, set microphone permission for whatsapp to Deny
• Close Safari – microphone icon disappears
• Reopen Safari
• Open the whatsapp tab, enter a conversation – orange microphone icon appears

So now in order to not have this bright orange icon annoying me, I need to reload the whatsapp site every after I entered a conversation. This removes the icon until I enter a conversation again.

Unfortunately Apple does not list Safari in the System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone, or I would have overriden the per website setting globally.

I was in the "me too" camp, baffled and a bit creeped out. Got as far as this support article before I remembered, "oh right, when *did* I last reboot this mac?"*

Whatever was causing the microphone alert to pop up when Safari was playing a YouTube video, it's probably still lurking out there. But at least I now have a simple fix: just shutdown, and reboot. Doesn't even have to be a fancy Safe Boot or anything.

I can once again view my YouTube videos with no worrisome alerts telling me my microphone is listening.

* the irony? I used to work in IT. "Have you tried rebooting" indeed.

Same issue. But with YouTube for me. I don't know why the website is using my microphone. I just allowed the mic once for Google Meet in Safari and from then YT started using the mic.

I even chose the Deny option for YouTube but it was no use.

Hey robdejonge,

To get started, it is expected to not see Safari as a toggle option under microphone or privacy settings. Safari is an Apple developed app and those sections are for managing options for 3rd party apps that request microphone access.

As to the indicator, it does mean whatever site you're visiting is accessing the microphone. If this happens consistently on visiting that site, and you're not actively making use of the microphone we can either advise not going to that site any longer and/or advising Apple via the feedback link below of your microphone icon concerns.

• Feedback - iPhone - Apple

Take care.

Hello robdejonge,

Adjusting the microphone access for that particular website in the Safari settings should have addressed that behavior: Change Websites settings in Safari on Mac - Apple Support Let's take some additional steps to help isolate that further.

Let's use the steps below to make sure that your Mac is up to date: Update macOS on Mac - Apple Support

1. Before installing new software, it's a good idea to back up your Mac. If you have an external storage device, you can use it to back up your Mac with Time Machine.

2. To check for new software, open Software Update:

• From the Apple menu  in the corner of your screen, choose System Settings. Click General in the sidebar, then click Software Update on the right.

• Or in earlier versions of macOS, choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Software Update.

3. If Software Update finds new software, click the Update or Upgrade button to download and install it. You will be asked to enter your administrator password, which is the password you use to log in to your Mac. During installation, your Mac might show a progress bar or blank screen several times.

If Software Update says that your Mac is up to date, then no new software is currently available for your Mac model. Software Update shows only software that is compatible with your Mac. 

Updating can sometimes help address odd behaviors.

If your Mac is all up to date, let's use the applicable set of steps below to boot into safe mode to see if that persists from there: Use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

If you're using a Mac with Apple silicon

1. Shut down your Mac.

2. Press and hold the power button on your Mac. As you continue to hold the power button, your Mac turns on and loads startup options. When you see Options, release the power button.

3. Select your startup disk. It's named Macintosh HD, unless you changed its name.

4. Press and hold the Shift key, then click the “Continue in Safe Mode” button below your startup disk.

5. Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again.

If you're using an Intel-based Mac

If you're not using a Mac with Apple silicon, you're using an Intel-based Mac.

1. Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key as your Mac starts up.

2. Release the key when you see the login window, then log in to your Mac. 

3. You might be asked to log in again. On either the first or second login window, you should see ”Safe Boot” in the upper-right corner of the window. If you can't start up in safe mode, make sure that your Mac isn't using a firmware password.

It can take a few extra minutes to boot into safe mode. Your screen may flash or flicker while in safe mode. Those behaviors are expected. Testing in safe mode runs a check on your disk, removes some cached files, and can help isolate conflicts with startup items. Once you've tested that behavior in safe mode, you can restart to leave safe mode.

Let us know your results, and we'll keep moving forward from there.

Same issue. But with YouTube for me. I don't know why the website is using my microphone. I just allowed the mic once for Google Meet in Safari, and from then, YT started using the mic.

I even chose the Deny option for YouTube, but it was no use.

Please DerekM87, give us some useful solutions. We can't allow some random website or app to use our mics.

sindhu99 wrote:

Same issue. But with YouTube for me. I don't know why the website is using my microphone. I just allowed the mic once for Google Meet in Safari and from then YT started using the mic.

I even chose the Deny option for YouTube but it was no use.

Try opening Safari > Preferences at the top, then Websites > Microphone, remove any websites you don't want there, then set 'When visiting other websites' to 'Deny'. Clear your website data and restart the computer, then test.