The orange light (or orange dot) on your iPhone indicates that an app is currently using your iPhone’s microphone. This feature was introduced with iOS 14 as a privacy measure to alert you whenever the microphone is active, such as when you are recording audio, using Siri, or in a voice call

. If the indicator turns green instead, it means your iPhone’s camera is being used by an app, or both the camera and microphone are in use (for example, during a FaceTime call)

. To find out which app is using the microphone when the orange dot appears, you can swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to open the Control Center. The name of the app using the microphone will be displayed at the top

. If you see the orange dot unexpectedly (for example, when you are not actively using any app that requires the microphone), it is advisable to check your app permissions in Settings under Privacy & Security and restrict or disable microphone access for apps that shouldn't be using it

. In summary:

• Orange dot: Microphone is being used by an app.
• Green dot: Camera is being used by an app (or both camera and microphone).
• You can identify the app via Control Center.
• Check app permissions if the dot appears unexpectedly.

This feature is designed to protect your privacy by making you aware of when your microphone or camera is active

. No connection to hardware issues or viruses-it's a built-in privacy indicator in iOS 14 and later versions