Android alerts when microphone or camera accessed

We recently published a tip on the iPhone’s status lights indicating if your microphone (orange dot) or camera (green dot) is being accessed.

Google’s I/O Conference (18-20 May) announced yesterday an update to Android 12, planned for Autumn 2021. As well as having a new look this edition includes a new suite of privacy controls, possibly intended to address concerns that personal data is collected too liberally to promote advertising.

One option to be included is status indicators to let users know when the microphone and camera are being accessed.

If you don’t want to wait for the update, this can be done now but requires the use of a Beta app called Access Dots:

• Access Dots can be downloaded from the Google Play Store
• On installation you will have to enable it, using the toggle button.
• This will take you to Android’s Accessibility settings. From here you can allow or stop “Use Access Dots”.
• Once confirmed you can return to the app itself and use the Gear icon to:
  • Position the indicators on your screen.
  • Re-size them.
  • Use the clock icon to view the log of apps that have recently accessed the microphone or camera.