Someone accessing mic, screen view and speakers? How is this even possible?

Okay Apple Security Pro’s, explain this one if you dare… a neighbor has access to current screen view, is able to use the phones speakers to talk sh*t during music and movies, and I assume has access to the mic which is evident by the orange dot that’s glowing up top from time to time on an iphone14 running ios26. My best guess is she got into my (secure) iCloud account. All passwords have been changed, and a new account set up ( that she hacked again after doing a factory reset and having all these issues happen a second time), but I’m mainly just interested in what settings she’s adjusted or what she may have installed etc. Thank God Apple is so secure, otherwise I’d have to waste your time looking for answers to this situation no one will believe anyway. 😘

Posted on Dec 31, 2025 8:14 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 31, 2025 8:37 AM

  • Open the Control Center when you see the orange dot and either post a screenshot or let us know what app is showing there.
  • There are certainly screen sharing apps including Zoom, Messages, and FaceTime to name a few, but access to your screen would first have to be approved by you first on your device. It cannot be remotely approved.
  • Passwords are not visible in your iCloud account, so cannot be remotely changed. Setting up a new device where those Passwords could be seen would require both the Apple Account Password and the Passcode to your device to remove the encryption before they could be synced.
  • Not sure what you mean by a new account set up remotely. Your current account can only be removed from your device with physical access and the Password to the Apple Account. If you are seeing a new account signed into your device, then your neighbor knows your Passcode to unlock it and that should be changed.
  • Make sure you are using Two Factor Authentication with a known Trusted Phone number.
  • I would recommend to review use Safety Check to view the other devices logged into your account and also to review the Trusted Phone number on your account. It is also useful to see what apps have access to your Microphone and any data being shared to others. One thing to be aware of when using Safety Check is if you have deleted any of the apps used to check for shared data, such as Home or Health, then the check mail fail saying it is unable to gather sharing data.

Safety Check for an iPhone with iOS 16 or later - Apple Support


3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 31, 2025 8:37 AM in response to SLCJohn

  • Open the Control Center when you see the orange dot and either post a screenshot or let us know what app is showing there.
  • There are certainly screen sharing apps including Zoom, Messages, and FaceTime to name a few, but access to your screen would first have to be approved by you first on your device. It cannot be remotely approved.
  • Passwords are not visible in your iCloud account, so cannot be remotely changed. Setting up a new device where those Passwords could be seen would require both the Apple Account Password and the Passcode to your device to remove the encryption before they could be synced.
  • Not sure what you mean by a new account set up remotely. Your current account can only be removed from your device with physical access and the Password to the Apple Account. If you are seeing a new account signed into your device, then your neighbor knows your Passcode to unlock it and that should be changed.
  • Make sure you are using Two Factor Authentication with a known Trusted Phone number.
  • I would recommend to review use Safety Check to view the other devices logged into your account and also to review the Trusted Phone number on your account. It is also useful to see what apps have access to your Microphone and any data being shared to others. One thing to be aware of when using Safety Check is if you have deleted any of the apps used to check for shared data, such as Home or Health, then the check mail fail saying it is unable to gather sharing data.

Safety Check for an iPhone with iOS 16 or later - Apple Support


Jan 12, 2026 5:24 AM in response to SLCJohn

This really doesn’t sound like a real “hack.” Stuff like AirPlay, Bluetooth auto-connect, SharePlay, or Accessibility can make it seem spooky, and the orange dot just means some app used the mic recently, not that someone’s listening live. Remotely controlling an iPhone like that, especially after resets and password changes, is basically unheard of.


If you think it's some more sinister and want to check, run a scan with something like Certo AntiSpy or MVT.

Someone accessing mic, screen view and speakers? How is this even possible?

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