Here’s what that tiny hole next to your iPhone camera actually does

It all makes sense now

Words by Jadie Troy-Pryde

Even if you've been a loyal iPhone fan since the very first one was brought out in 2007, the chances are that you're still learning about some of the nifty phone hacks that come with it. Only recently we found out why you should never charge your phone overnight, and that there is one app that's pretty much zapping your mobile of its battery every day.

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But have you ever spotted that tiny little hole right next to the camera on the iPhone and wondered what the hell it does?

Because we have. Several times. But then it's so easy to get distracted by Gifs of dancing cats and forget to Google exactly what it is.

However, now we've finally decided to find out, and it's actually a pretty important part of your phone. Although the tiny holes are right next to both the back and front facing cameras, they're nothing to do with your photos. In fact, it's a mini microphone.

It might seem bizarre to have a microphone at the top of your phone, but apparently it has been put on the back and front of the iPhone to improve the quality of apps like FaceTime. When using the app, you may hold the phone at a funny angle or end up inadvertently covering the main microphone at the bottom. Therefore, these added microphones pick up more sound and make it clearer.

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The mastermind designers over at Apple have actually been installing this three microphone system since the iPhone 5 model, meaning that they've been around for quite a while.

We're amazed it's taken us this long to figure out what they're for. Better late than never, right?

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