How to Get iPhone Like Orange / Green Dot Indicator On Android Status Bar.
iOS14 has a new privacy feature that flashes green when the app is using the iPhone’s camera, or orange when the app is using a microphone in the background. Unfortunately, there is no such feature in Android. However, a third-party Android app called “Hotspots” mimics the same functionality of iOS 14 and alerts users if the app is using a microphone or camera in the background. This is how you use it.
Before we start
It’s worth noting that Android 11 has largely addressed this issue by completely eliminating background access to location, camera, and microphone. Simply put, applications cannot ask for these three permissions while running in the background. Likewise, in Android 10, if an app is using a location in the background, you are notified with the location pin in the upper right corner. With that out of the way, let’s see how to get started with Access Dot.
How can you limit the use of the camera and microphone in the background
Speaking of the app, the Access Dots App is made by the maker of the popular Energy Bar, Energy Ring, and more. The app displays a small green and orange dot when your camera or microphone is accessed. Let’s see how to set it up.
First of all, download the Access Dots app from the Play Store. The app is practically free with in-app purchases. When you first open the app, click on the switch next to Hotspots. This will take you to the accessibility settings. In accessibility settings, click Installed Services.
Then click on “Access Points” and on the next screen, turn on the switch under the access points.
After that, Access Dots by default show a green dot and an orange dot in the upper right corner when accessing a camera or microphone, respectively. If you are using a notch camera or a perforated display, a notification dot will appear next to the notch. It automatically detects the type of device. For example, I tried it on both Galaxy Note 9 and Nokia 6.1 Plus. The Samsung device has a regular display with bezels, while the Nokia has a notched display. You can see the position of the access point on both displays.
If you use an application that accesses both the camera and the microphone, that is, video, the access points become two-color. An orange dot with green streaks indicates camera and microphone use.
By comparison, the Android app’s hotspots are slightly larger than the iOS 14 hotspots. The app provides the ability to scale the hotspot size. However, it is behind a paywall, and speaking of that, let’s take a look at the additional features in the Access Dots app.
The app has pretty limited free settings. First of all, you can change the color of the access points in the settings menu. Then you can change the position of the access points to – Top-Left, Top-Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right. There’s also a custom coordinate option, but that’s behind the paywall. As for paid access, it is quite flexible. You can donate between $ 2.50 and $ 27.
The premium options block additional features such as ad-free, hotspot size customization, and more.
Similar options
There is no alternative to third-party app access points. However, some OEM skins like Color OS, MIUI 12 provide this feature natively. You get a camera and microphone icon at the top when the app uses it. But for everyone else, you have access points.
If you have further problems or questions, let me know in the comments below.
Also Read: Add Google Assistant Shortcuts To Home Screen Using This App