This is what that little hole near your iPhone camera is for

The iPhone is a complex piece of hardware that can do many things. Deep within the iPhone is a vast world of useful functions you may or may not know how to use. So if you’ve ever wondered what that tiny hole by your iPhone camera is actually for, we finally have the answer.

You know which hole we’re talking about, right?

Turn your phone over, so you’re looking at the back. See that tiny hole situated between the camera and the flash? It’s the one you’ve probably never thought twice about. In fact, you’ve probably never even noticed it. But, as it turns out, it has a function — a pretty important one, too.

It has nothing to do with the camera — rather, it’s a tiny microphone, and it exists to make life easier, and to make it sound a lot better. Seventeen dug up an old video of Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple, Phil Schiller, explaining its purpose.

Your iPhone has three microphones: one on the front, one on the bottom, and one on the back. Schiller noted that the one on the back is positioned to improve the overall sound quality when using apps like FaceTime or making videos. So, if you’re FaceTiming someone and holding your phone in an odd position, the mic will pick up your voice no matter what.

As long as you aren’t covering the microphone, that is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0lsV4be3UE?start=11&feature=oembed

The teeny tiny mic has been around since the introduction of the iPhone 5s — so like, a lifetime ago — but people are only discovering it now. Better late than never.