The green dot you must NEVER ignore on your Android’s screen – and what to do if you see it

If you’ve ever seen a green dot at the top of your Android phone’s screen, it could be a warning that someone is watching or listening to you.

The dot is an indicator that an app is using the sensors on your Android phone, either the microphone or the camera.

It is possible to appear for completely innocent reasons, such as if you are using a voice recorder app or making a call.

But if you see the green dot and don’t know why it’s there, it could be a sign of “spyware” apps on your phone.

DailyMail.com has detailed how a similar warning sign sometimes appears on iPhones.

Jamie Akhtar, CEO and co-founder of CyberSmart (Cybersmart)

Fortunately, it’s easy to find out which app is using your microphone (the privacy indicator dot was added to every Android phone in the Android 12 update and will be there whether you’re using a Samsung, Pixel, or another brand).

Usually, the green dot is nothing to worry about, but if you suspect you’re being spied on, you need to act quickly, said Jamie Akhtar, CEO and co-founder of CyberSmart in a conversation with DailyMail.com.

Akhtar said, “Usually, seeing a green on your Android screen isn’t something to worry about. In most cases, this simply means that an app is using your device’s microphone (or camera).

This could be caused by a third-party app or a basic feature of your device, such as a voice assistant.

Generally, these are apps that you’ve given permission to use these features, but if you see an orange or green dot even if you’re not using any apps, it’s time to investigate.

The most likely cause is simply that you gave an app permission to access your camera or microphone, even when it’s not in use. Check this in the ‘permissions’ section of your device’s settings.

“If not, it could mean your phone has been hacked and is using spyware to track what you’re doing.”

If you suspect spyware installed on your phone, Akhtar recommends running a malware scan (open Play Store, then tap your profile, then Play Protect, then Scan.

Akhtar recommends changing your passwords (especially important ones like email passwords), but not doing so on the affected device, and then factory reset the device.

If you see the green dot, it’s pretty easy to figure out which app triggered it.

Swipe down from the top of the screen when you see the green dot and you will see either a microphone or a camera to show which sensor is being used.

Tap the icon and you’ll see which app it’s using.

From that screen, you can revoke the app’s permissions to use the microphone or camera (although if an app uses either of those unexpectedly, it might be better to uninstall the app altogether).

You can also see a clear overview of which apps have used which sensor, minute by minute.

From this screen, tap on the app that used your microphone or camera and you will see a full list of the sensors that the app has used.

Tap the dot and you’ll see which apps are using the sensors (Google)

You can see a timeline of which apps used the sensor and when (Google)

Slide down from the top of the screen, then tap the microphone or camera icon that appears (Google)

You can view your device’s privacy settings and revoke app permissions (Google)

From here you can revoke the permissions (although it’s worth noting that some apps need permissions to work, i.e. a voice recorder isn’t much use without access to the microphone).

If you’re concerned about which apps have accessed the sensors in your phone, Google also introduced a new Privacy Dashboard feature in the same Android update.

This provides an overview of which apps have accessed your device’s sensors, as well as private information such as call logs and contacts.

To access it, open the Settings app, tap Security & Privacy or Privacy.

To find the privacy dashboard, you may need to tap Privacy again.

Tap Privacy Dashboard.

To change the app permissions, just tap on permissions like Location, Microphone, Calendar, Call Logs, Contacts from the list.

You can allow apps to use the sensors all the time, only when they are open, or never.