The iPhone and iPad contain microphones that you can use for different purposes. From telephoning to the recording of a speech memos. iOS and iPados have built in options that can prevent apps from being able to listen in via the microphone.
You sometimes read stories that certain apps in the background like to use the microphone of your iPhone or iPad to listen to. Scrolly social media app in particular would do this to personalize advertisements. Whether this is true we leave in the middle, but that some apps in the background are happy to use your microphone is the case.
Warning with microphone use
To better guarantee the user’s privacy, Apple has added some functions that relate to the use of specific hardware components for iPhone and iPad.
For example, in the status bar at the top right of the screen, a ball can appear in two different colors. This ball is a privacy indicator and warns that an app uses the camera or microphone. With this new privacy function, Apple wants to prevent apps from secretly watching or listening in the background.
Every time the orange ball appears, an app uses the microphone of your iPhone or iPad. The ball appears, among other things, when recording a speech message in the Message app, or giving a Siri assignment.
Secure indicator light (SIL)
In contrast to the above software solution, the iPad Pro with M4 chip has a Secure Indicator Light (SIL) for the first time. This is a hardware solution that shows an indicator light when using the microphone or camera. Thanks to the new Secure Enclave in the M4 chip, access to this light is protected and the chance is smaller that malware can bypass this. This way the user always knows when the camera and/or microphone is used.
Limit access to microphone
- Open settings
- Navigate to ‘Privacy and Security’
- Tap ‘Microphone’
- Switch off the desired apps
In this way you can also change other privacy -sensitive settings, such as access to the camera, wallet, homekit, photos, health, etc. It is advisable to regularly check the overview for unjustified access.
If you deny an app access, it cannot use the part, so in our example that is the microphone.