Red pinpoint dot on my iPhone 14 Pro Max

This is not a question about the microphone alert. It is about the proximity detector (which looks like a small red dot at the top of the iPhone that turns off the screen AFTER YOU MAKE OR RECEIVE A CALL AND YOU THEN HOLD THE PHONE TO YOUR EAR SO YOU CAN HEAR THE PARTY YOU CALL/WERE CALLED BY.

There are 2 microphones on an iPhone. One is the bottom left grille; the other is on the back to pick up sound when you are recording a video. The one at the bottom left is the one that picks up your voice and sends it whizzing over radio waves to the person you are communicating with, and is the one that the red or orange dot is indicating as being on.

Out_o_pocket wrote:

Why am i seeing a very small (pinpoint) red dot 🔴 within the black oblong at the top of my iPhone 14Pro max With iOS 18+

What I think you are seeing is the proximity sensor that locks your screen when you hold the phone to your face when on a call. This is to prevent your face from activating any buttons on the screen.

Out_o_pocket wrote:

I see it because I never hold the phone up to my ear…. Always look at it like one would watch say TikTok….

That doesn’t change the fact that if the microphone wasn’t on the person you are calling couldn’t hear you. Regardless of how you hold the phone.

A very small pinpoint red dot within the black oblong at the top of your iPhone 14 Pro Max with iOS 18+ could represent multiple things, including...

1. Your microphone is in use. A red dot on the oblong could indicate that one of your apps on your iPhone is using the microphone
2. COVID Exposure. Your phone will detect if someone close to you has COVID 19 by it's COVID Exposure program. It will stay by the oblong of your phone.
3. Screen Recording. If you are screen recording there would be a red dot on the top of your phone.

I know you see a red dot in the dynamic island when you do a screen recording. Tap the red dot in the Dynamic Island to see what it is associated with.

nibor209 wrote:

Microphone use is indicated by an orange dot.

Depending on the background color, the orange dot will appear to be red. But I think that’s irrelevant in this thread; see my response above yours.

Limnos wrote:

Uh, if you were holding the phone to your face like a traditional telephone, how would you see anything on the screen?

Depending on how the light hits the screen, you can, in fact, see the proximity sensor when you are looking at the screen. It can look red.

Regarding the red dot at the top of my screen when I am on the phone, everyone says it is using the microphone.

When you say microphone, is that referring to using the speaker on my phone, which I do all the time?

Are you sure it isn't orange?

About the orange and green indicators in your iPhone status bar - Apple Support

I think Limnos has pointed you in the right direction. Depending on lighting and screen settings, the light can appear red instead of orange.

Microphone use is indicated by an orange dot.

Uh, if you were holding the phone to your face like a traditional telephone, how would you see anything on the screen? I am not clear why you think the orange/red thing is "irrelevant".

I suffer from color blindness and they look extremely similar to me. Was True Tone on, was the background affecting the color perception?