People Are Just Finding Out What That Tiny Hole Next To Your Phone Camera Actually Does

It's been staring at you this whole time, and once you know, you can't unsee it.

You've held your phone up for a thousand selfies and never once wondered about the little pinprick dot sitting right beside the lens. Turns out that speck is doing more work than most of the buttons on your device.

It's a microphone. Specifically, one of several scattered around the body of your phone that work together to cancel out background noise on calls and lock in cleaner audio when you record video.

That's why covering it with a thick case or a stray thumb during a video can make your clips sound muffled and far away, even when the picture looks crystal clear.

Next time your audio sounds off, check whether something's blocking that dot before you blame the whole phone. A quick wipe and a case with proper cutouts usually fixes it instantly.