I have a strange 'binoculars' icon in my menu bar that disappears when I log in

Question

On the lock screen in the top right corner of my Mac, there is a strange icon that disappears when I enter my password and log in. It would be great if somebody could tell me what that icon is, because it is making me start to worry. It is the icon in the left of this screenshot - like a pair of binoculars.

Answer 1

The binoculars icon may be present after ending a screen sharing session using tools like Google Meet or Slack, if those tools do not correctly shut down the screen recording functionality.

To eliminate the binoculars icon, just quit Slack and Google Meet. Restarting the computer should also work to make the icon go away.

Source: Reddit.com

Answer 2

A Web search for macos app binoculars icon reveals this article:

• Binoculars Icon On Mac? What Does That Mean?

Binoculars Icon On Lock Screen

Did you see the binoculars icon on the Mac’s lock (or login screen)? And you were wondering what this icon meant?

This icon means that you are currently recording your screen meaning your Mac is creating a video of your screen.

Mac OS Mojave introduced new screen recording features and controls. To use this new feature, simply press the Shift-Command (⌘)-5 keys and click the recording icons

And while you are recording, if you lock or sleep your screen in macOS, you will see this binoculars icon indicating a recording is going on.

Answer 3

If you use a remote desktop application, yep you get the same binoculars icon while the remote connection is connected to you. (Catalina) This is not a correct/full answer, it's a context/comment ,but I'm not allowed to add a comment to a correct answer yet.