MILLIONS of Android phones have special warning signs you may have missed.
It’s important to keep your eyes peeled – they might reveal if something very dangerous is happening on your Android phone.
Watch out for Google’s privacy indicators – they could signal imminent dangerCredit: Google/Android
At some point, most smartphone owners will have wondered if an app could spy on them.
It’s a common fear that apps might be listening in through your microphone or watching through the camera.
A rogue app operated by cyber crooks could very easily use your device as a spy tool.
That’s why Google has built special ads into your Android phone to warn you when this might happen.
They were added back in Android 12, so check your settings to make sure you’re running at least that – or later.
They are displayed in the top right corner of the screen (usually in green).
They appear as either a small microphone icon or a camera icon — and sometimes both.
This indicates that an app is currently using either your microphone or camera.
And you can tap the icon to get more information.
It’s all part of the privacy dashboard.
This is a quick and easy way to see which apps have been using your private data.
And you can revoke access at any time.
So if you suspect an app has committed foul play, you can easily block the app’s access to your camera or microphone in seconds.
“With the new privacy dashboard, users have a simple and clear timeline view of the last 24-hour accesses to location, microphone and camera,” explains Google.
Some apps should use your camera or microphone.
For example, you may see one of the icons when you take a picture on Instagram or record a voice message on WhatsApp.
But if you see the alert icon at odd times, or are linked to an app that doesn’t quite feel right, you might be experiencing dangerous snooping.
In this case, it’s important to deny app access permissions and investigate what might be going on.
Golden Apple
If these ads look familiar to every iPhone owner, it’s because Apple offers a similar feature.
In fact, Apple added these microphone and camera indicators first.
They were bundled into iOS 14, which was released to the public in September 2020.
These notifications appear as tiny dots in the upper-right corner of iOS.
If you see a green dot, it means the iPhone camera is in use.
And when the dot is orange, it means the microphone is in use.
You can always check the points and find out which app is using them.
And if it seems suspicious, just go into settings and deny camera or microphone permissions for the app in question.
