If you have a mysterious dot on your iPhone 13, Beware!

The iPhone 13 and other models sometimes display a mysterious green dot on the top-right corner of the screen. This iOS feature is very important! Find out what it means

The green dot notification on iPhone 13 and other devices is an addition that allows users to know when they are being stalked. Check out the details of this iOS feature (Unsplash)

You may have noticed a mysterious green dot appearing sometimes on the top right part of your iPhone 13 and would have wondered what it was all about. The green dot was an addition by Apple in its 2020 iOS update. It is an alert feature. This iPhone security feature tracks an app that may be using the phone's camera. Notably, an orange dot appears if an app is using the microphone. While they are helpful tools to let the user know whenever an app such as Google Meet or Zoom is on and they are visible on screen, it helps in another very crucial way too. It helps users in finding out if an app is secretly recording them. In short, this iPhone feature can really save you from being stalked.

The feature is added in iOS 14 and 15, so any Apple devices that currently run these updates are eligible for this feature. The features were added in 2020 after various issues were reported in the Zoom app, where it was still recording users even when not in use. That means, even if the app was active in the background without any meeting taking place, it would still record the user which is very scary.

The green dot iPhone feature can save you from getting stalked

Now, this iPhone 13 feature, which is also operable in older devices with iOS 14 and 15 sends an alert in the form of a green or orange dot to let users know that an app is recording them secretly. This will now allow the user to close that app, or in case it is a malicious application, delete and report it.

"Privacy is a fundamental human right and at the core of everything we do. That's why with iOS 14, we're giving you more control over the data you share and more transparency into how it's used. An indicator appears at the top of your screen whenever an app is using your microphone or camera. And in Control Center, you can see if an app has used them recently,” Apple explained when the update was first released.

This feature is part of Apple's security and privacy driven updates that it has been adding for users for a long time. With the rising cases of scams and security breaches, it has become important for users to stay alert and not fall for any such malicious activity which can end up getting stalked. So, any iPhone user should be aware about that little green or orange dot on their screen, and if you see one while not intending its use, immediately check the background apps for malicious behavior. We would recommend you to delete any such apps till the issue is fixed to protect yourself.