09-05-2025
iOS 18—Here's Why There's A New Black Dot On Your iPhone
Since upgrading to iOS 18.4, have you noticed a black dot at the top of your iPhone? You're not alone — and rest assured, it's nothing to worry about. The new black dot is part of Apple's iOS 18.4 update.
In a post on Reddit, also reported by Unilad, one user posted a picture of the mystery dot, which had appeared on their iPhone 16 after upgrading to iOS 18.4, to the right of the Dynamic Island.
Many people thought it was a bug since upgrading to iOS 18, with others joking about the new black dot. 'Your Dynamic Island had a baby. Congrats!!!' one Reddit user wrote.
'They changed it so now when there's an active activity on the dynamic island the privacy indicator moves to the side,' another Reddit user replied. And they're right.
The dot — or privacy indicator — is an intentional feature added by Apple in iOS 18.4, but the dots have been there in general since iOS 14. The orange dot on your iPhone reveals that the camera is in use, in case an app or service is using it without your knowledge.
The dot can also appear if someone has activated the camera intentionally during a cyberattack, for example using spyware. Meanwhile, the green dot will light up when your iPhone microphone is in use, so don't be surprised if this happens when you are on a call.
In iOS 18.4, a black outline has been added to the orange and green dots to make them more obvious. This was reported on Mar.21 by Apple-focused website MacRumors. 'The small dots that show up on the iPhone's menu bar when the camera or microphone is in use have been moved to the left and are now more apparent thanks to a black background,' the site writes.
So there you have it. The black dot on your iPhone after upgrading to iOS 18.4 is not a bug at all. It's a privacy enhancement that helps keep your iPhone safe.
If you haven't upgraded your iPhone yet, now is the time to do it, because iOS 18.4 and the latest version iOS 18.4.1 include important security features too. Go to Settings > General > Security Update and upgrade your iPhone when you can.
