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Google has added a handy indicator to its Android OS to let you know when the camera and microphone are in use. If you’ve updated to the latest version of Android, which came out in October 2021, you may spot it. The green indicator appears in the top right corner of your phone’s display and is activated when an app is using either the camera or the mic. It serves as a warning to users to be mindful of what parts of the phone an app has access to. Apple introduced a similar indicator to iOS last year. If you want to dig further into what apps are doing in the background, you can look at a new Privacy Dashboard in your phone’s Settings menu. And if you’d rather disable access to the microphone and camera on your phone, you can do that too via the Quick Settings. ‘The new OS includes a Privacy Dashboard where you will see a timeline of when apps accessed your camera, microphone, or device location,’ Google announced earlier this year. ‘We’ve also added indicators that show when your camera or microphone are in use, as well as easy toggles to disable access to both across your device. And you can now choose to share your approximate location with an app instead of a precise one.’ Of course, just because the indicators are lit up on your phone screen, it doesn’t necessarily mean anything bad is happening. It just serves as a reminder that something or someone is watching and listening to you at that moment.
When Google announced Android 12 back in the summer, the company called it ‘the biggest design change in Android’s history’. Alongside the aforementioned privacy changes, much of the differences focus on ‘personalisation’ and a slicker user interface. You’ll find new animations and greater customisation tools available to users from the get go. The only drawback is that the fragmentation of Android means not all phones will have access to Android 12 yet. The likes of Google’s Pixel phones should have it, as well as some devices made by Samsung, OnePlus and Oppo. MORE : Google Pixel 6 review: a different beast entirely MORE : Microsoft warns billions of Google Chrome users to stop using it now MORE : What do the different lights on your phone mean? Green, orange and other lights explained Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Share your views in the comments below Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more
If you’ve upgraded your iPhone to iOS 14 already, you may have noticed a little green dot at the top of your screen when using certain apps. It’s a new security feature Apple came up with to help you have peace of mind about your camera privacy. What is the Green Dot on My iPhone?When you see the little green dot, that means that there’s an app that’s actively using your iPhone’s camera. If you see an orange dot, that means an app is using your microphone. “An indicator appears at the top of your screen whenever an app is using your microphone or camera,” Apple says. “And in Control Center, you can see if an app has used them recently.” What this means is that if you see a green dot but aren’t aware of any app needing your camera, there may be an app secretly accessing the camera to spy on you. Swiping down to open your control center will show you exactly which app was responsible for the camera use. How Do I Block Apps from Using My Camera?If you find an app abusing your camera, you can revoke its camera permissions in your Settings app to make sure it doesn’t happen again (assuming you don’t want to delete the app entirely). This change is part of a push by Apple to give users more confidence about their privacy through transparency. MacBooks have long had a green light next to the webcam that turns on with the camera, and now iPhones have a digital version of that same indicator. In July of this year, Instagram was found to turn on the iPhone’s “camera on” indicator even when users weren’t taking photos. This week, an Instagram user based in New Jersey filed a lawsuit against Facebook in federal court in San Francisco, accusing Instagram of intentionally and secretly using the camera to collect “lucrative and valuable data on its users that it would not otherwise have access to.” The complaint says that by “obtaining extremely private and intimate personal data on their users, including in the privacy of their own homes,” Instagram and Facebook collect “valuable insights and market research.” Facebook has stated that the “camera on” notification was simply a software bug that triggered a false notification when the camera wasn’t actually being accessed or used. Apple’s new iOS 14 camera notification dot should help ease iPhone users’ fears of this type of privacy issue. Related Articles
How do you know if a camera is recording you?How do you know if a security camera is recording? Security cameras are recording if they have a light blinking. This is usually red, but may also be green, orange, or some other color. The light is known as a 'status LED'.
Why does my camera show a green light?A green dot will appear in the upper right corner of the screen when any app is using the camera or microphone. You can also use quick panel controls to temporarily block all apps from using the camera or microphone Follow the below guide for step-by-step instructions.
Does green light on Mac mean its recording?A little green light indicates that your Mac's built-in camera is active when using certain apps like FaceTime or Bluetooth. It can be worrying if that light stays on continuously or appears when you're not using any apps.
Are security cameras recording if they have no lights?While most modern CCTVs allow for remote viewing even when the network is closed, some people are curious to know whether the cameras will work even if there is no electricity. The short answer is no.
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Does a green light mean recording?
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