TechTipADay

Which app used your mic at 2am? Your Android keeps a log

How to see which apps use your camera and microphone on Android

On a Pixel, open Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy dashboard. It shows which apps used your location, camera and microphone, and at what time. On a Samsung Galaxy, go to Settings > Security and privacy > Privacy and tap Permissions used in last 7 days.

How to do it

  1. On a Pixel, open Settings > Security & privacy and tap Privacy dashboard.

  2. Tap the three dots and choose Show 7 days if you want the whole week instead of the last 24 hours.

  3. Tap Microphone or Camera to see which app used it and when.

  4. Tap an app that shouldn't be there and set the permission to Don't allow.

  5. On a Samsung Galaxy, go to Settings > Security and privacy > Privacy > Permissions used in last 7 days, then tap Camera or Microphone.

Android has kept this log since Android 12. Most people never find it because it sits a few screens deep in Security & privacy, under a name that sounds like a chart nobody reads.

I went looking after the green dot popped up while I was just scrolling. It was a shopping app with a voice search button I had never used, and it had mic access from years ago. I set it to Don't allow and nothing broke.

Most of what you'll find is dull: the camera app, a video call, the keyboard's voice typing. You're looking for the app that had no reason to be on the list, especially at an hour when you were asleep.

Other ways to do it

  • Permission manager Built in

    Pick it if you want to go through every app that is allowed to use the mic, not just the ones that used it this week. On a Pixel it's Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy controls > Permission manager.

    Stick with this tip if you want to know what actually happened, with times, before you start changing things.

  • Camera and microphone access tiles Built in

    Pick it if you want both off for every app for a while, say during a meeting or at night. Flip the tiles in Quick Settings.

    Stick with this tip if you want to find the one app that's misbehaving and leave the rest alone.

Questions people ask

How far back does it go?

On a Pixel with Android 15 or newer, tap the three dots on the dashboard and choose Show 7 days. Otherwise you get the last 24 hours. Samsung shows the last 7 days straight away.

What does the green dot in the corner mean?

Something is using the camera or the microphone right now. Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the dot, and it tells you which app.

An app used the mic when I wasn't using it. Should I worry?

Look at what it is first. The keyboard's voice typing, Google and WhatsApp during a call show up a lot and are fine. A shopping or flashlight app at 2 am is not. Tap it and set Microphone to Don't allow.

Why are some apps missing from the list?

System apps are hidden by default. Tap the three dots and choose Show system to see everything.

Can I turn the camera and mic off for every app at once?

Yes. Pull down Quick Settings and use the Camera access and Microphone access tiles. If you don't see them, tap the pencil to edit the tiles and drag them in.

Find more by task

Related tips