How can you tell if an app is using your microphone?

Check the indicator first, then the permission list. The indicator tells you the microphone is in use now, and the list tells you which apps are allowed to use it. The two checks answer different questions, so use both. On an iPhone the signal is an orange dot in the status bar. On a Mac it is the Recording Indicator in Control Center, which also shows recent use. On Windows 11 there is no single light to rely on, so the answer comes from the microphone switches in Privacy & security.

On iPhone, an orange indicator means the microphone is in use

On an iPhone running iOS 14 or later, Apple says an orange indicator in the status bar means an app is using the microphone ¹. If you have Differentiate Without Color turned on in Settings, under Accessibility, the same indicator appears as an orange square ². Either shape means the same thing. The dot reflects the microphone being used, so it is most useful while you are dictating, not afterward.

On a Mac, the Recording Indicator shows current and recent use

On a Mac, the Recording Indicator light in Control Center shows when the microphone is in use or has been used recently ³. The recent-use part is the one people miss. A light that is off now does not prove that no app recorded earlier. To review which apps are allowed to use the microphone, open the list in System Settings, Privacy & Security, then Microphone. Apple says you can decide which apps are allowed to use the microphone on a Mac ⁴.

On Windows 11, the microphone switches decide what can use it

On Windows, apps can use the microphone only when Microphone access is turned on under Privacy & security, App permissions, Microphone ⁵. Two more switches come after that. On Windows 11, you must also turn on Let apps access your microphone ⁶, and desktop apps have their own Let desktop apps access your microphone setting that must be on for them ⁷.

The sources we checked do not document a taskbar icon that shows when the microphone is in use, so do not rely on one. The switches are the reliable check.

It depends on the device, the app and when you look

The answer depends on what you see and when you look.

On Android, the sources we checked do not give one settings path for microphone indicators or app access, so look for the microphone permission in the app's own settings and in the phone's app permissions.

What to do

1. On iPhone, dictate once and watch the status bar for the orange indicator. If it appears when nothing is open, find the app responsible.
2. On a Mac, open Control Center after a session to see the Recording Indicator, then review the Microphone list under Privacy & Security.
3. On Windows 11, open Settings, Privacy & security, then Microphone, and check the three switches described above.
4. Turn off microphone access for any app you no longer use. Revoking it stops future access, not past recordings.

For the wider picture of app permissions, read our guide to dictation app permissions and our overview of voice privacy. Related questions: can third-party keyboards see what you type, why dictation apps need Accessibility access on a Mac and can apps read your clipboard. To see where your voice is processed once the microphone is on, read our guide to whether voice to text is safe.