Android 16 QPR3 will introduce a subtle feature that reveals which app is accessing a user’s location at a given time. The update, which will roll out in March 2026 and is now available via beta, adds a blue dot to the status bar. The dot illuminates whenever an app uses location services, whether it’s active on the screen or running in the background.
When the blue dot appears, users can swipe down to view the notification shade and tap the icon to view more details. This opens a newly titled “Microphone, Camera & Location” menu that lists the specific apps using or checking location data. The best part is that users can immediately close any app that is tracking them. If an app uses location data alongside the camera or microphone, the system combines these alerts into a single green icon, 9to5Google reports.
Apple users will find this system familiar, as iOS has used similar status bar indicators for a few years. The iPhone currently uses a green dot for the camera, an orange dot for the microphone, and an arrow icon to indicate location use.
The blue location dot is now live on Pixel devices running Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1, with other Android manufacturers expected to enable the beta with forthcoming software updates. Google plans to release the stable version of Android 16 QPR3 next year.