iOS 14 introduces Green and Orange dots on your iPhone to indicate when an app is using the mic or camera

Earlier this week, Apple took the lid off several new products, including new Apple Watches and iPads. Apart from hardware, the company also rolled out iOS 14 for existing devices.

The feature in question is a small dot in the top right corner of the iPhone's display, right above the signal bars. The dot appears in orange and green colours and it turns out that they are actually pretty important when it comes to privacy. The dots are not related to network connectivity, despite their proximity to the cellular signal and Wi-Fi status indicators.

The LED light turns on to let users know when an application on the device is watching the camera feed. The LED experience has to be simulated through software because iPhones and iPads do not have physical LEDs.

What does the orange dot indicate?

The orange dot shows up when the microphone on your phone is being used by a particular application. In regular instances of using the microphone, like using Siri, the orange dot can just be ignored. The orange light will only appear when something you're doing requires the microphone. This will also help you identify if an app uses the microphone without your knowledge.

What does the green dot indicate?

The green dot appears when an application on your phone is using both the camera and the microphone. This dot will generally show up when you use your camera to take photos. However, it can also help you identify if applications are using your phone's camera system without your knowledge. iOS doesn't know why an app needs access to the camera hardware, so the best course of action would be contacting support in case of any suspicions. The green light only tells you that the app can access the camera feed; it does not know what the app is doing with data.

iOS 14.2 Beta Control Center Shazam Integration

Apple's latest iOS 14.2 beta update is also testing a new feature that gives users the ability to toggle Shazam's Music Recognition in the Control Center panel. This will allow users to access Shazam with a simple tap to listen and identify music. If you are running the beta version of iOS 14.2, the Shazam toggle in the Control Center can be accessed with a swipe and then all you'll need to do is press a button to listen and record.

Source