IPHONE users have been left perplexed after spotting a hidden red light when using Face ID.
Several iPhone owners shared on social media that they spotted a red light coming from their devices at night.
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“I now noticed a little red ‘reflection’ on the top of the screen (left side of the connection bars),” one person wrote on Reddit.
“I’m wondering whether my eyes are tricking me or if this is something common and well-known,” they added.
“Omfg so I was laying down and looking on my phone & I noticed a faint red light coming from inside of my camera,” another person shared on Twitter.
“Have y’all ever noticed when you turn on your iPhone in a really dark room you can see a little red light in the camera that’s trying to scan your face for Face ID?” a third person asked on Twitter.
What is this?
If you have seen this before, don’t fear that someone is spying on you.
This is actually one of many sensors needed to make Face ID on iPhones functional.
Face ID is a powerful tool and requires a number of sensors, like an infrared illuminator, to work.
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When it’s low-light conditions, like nighttime, it is normal and common to see it.
In some other cases, it could be Face ID’s infrared proximity sensor that you are seeing.
These sensors capture and analyze more than 50 different facial muscle movements.
They also enable users to use emoji characters such as a panda or a unicorn on FaceTime.
One user on Reddit explained further: “Nothing is a perfect light source.
“Since the Face ID sensor projects infrared light onto your face to map it and since infrared is right next to red on the light spectrum, slight irregularities in the LEDs can make it possible for some of the light emitted by the sensor to be closer to the visible red than the invisible infrared, and therefore visible in low light settings.”
How to spot this
If you’re interested in seeing this, simply head to a dark room in your home like a closet (or wait until nighttime), and try using your Face ID.
Although, it’s important to note that not everyone will be able to see this light, as some people’s eyes are more sensitive to it.
For those concerned with spying
Many have expressed fear that this red light means someone is spying on them.
However, in the highly unlikely scenario that someone is accessing your iPhone’s camera, your iPhone will tell you.
iPhones have a tool that lets users know when their camera or microphone or both are being accessed.
It does this by displaying either an orange dot (for the microphone) or a green dot (for the camera) on the top right of your screen.
