Transparent microphone icon permanently on my screen - what is it?

[ntsn]

Hello!

I recently noticed an overlay of a "microphone button", which is permanently on the top right corner of my screen. It's there no matter which app I have open, and it's back again after a restart.

I have a Huawei P20 Pro.

It does not appear on screenshots, so I had to take a picture with another phone, attached. I had to turn up the contrast of the photo in order to have it visible better.

Does anyone know what this could be? How could I test this?

Or could it simply be a defect of the screen, can those screens even have such a thing as a 'burn-in'? It's already there on the PIN entering screen. I can't say if it's visible during boot, since the background is black and it's not visible by the eye on a dark background.



Thanks for any help or hints.

 

[Mooncatt]

Or could it simply be a defect of the screen, can those screens even have such a thing as a 'burn-in'? It's already there on the PIN entering screen. I can't say if it's visible during boot, since the background is black and it's not visible by the eye on a dark background.

This is exactly what it is, burn in. I can also see a couple other icons starting to show below the mic in your photo. This can happen with any AMOLED screen, and the only remedy is a screen replacement.

 

[ntsn]

Thank you @Mooncatt! That is very helpful. I was already slightly worried, hence the post on the security board ;-)

It's almost invisible so I'm not even looking for a screen replacement at this point.

 

[Mooncatt]

Thank you @Mooncatt! That is very helpful. I was already slightly worried, hence the post on the security board ;-)

It's almost invisible so I'm not even looking for a screen replacement at this point.

You're welcome. Guessing you use GPS a lot, because it looks like the mic, search, and other Maps icons on screen when it's running. I would suggest keeping the screen off during familiar stretches or long stretches with no turns. If you are in the app with GPS running, you can turn off and lock the screen, then turn it back on as needed to check the route without having to unlock the phone (it's locked to the app and trying to go direct to the home screen requires entering the lock screen password or whatever you have set). That will limit the damage while still allowing quick access if needed.

 

[ntsn]

And you just saved me the search for the app that's causing this. That's 100% it, the icons fit perfectly. Thanks @Mooncatt!

 

[Mooncatt]

And you just saved me the search for the app that's causing this. That's 100% it, the icons fit perfectly. Thanks @Mooncatt!

Huzzah!