SOLVED: The Complete Guide To Icons on Android Devices

Android cell phones, tablets and Chromebooks are now fully featured devices and they have a substantial number of sometimes confusing notification icons. We regularly receive requests from visitors about what the icons on their various Android devices mean so we invested a day researching all of the current Android icons we could track down.

For beginners, the single graphic below will explain most of the common icons.

However, there are a myriad of other Android icons that sit in the notification bar at the top of your screen and here is the most complete list of explanations we could create:

: Vo)) LTE – Voice over LTE instead of 3G Network

: Phone handset with 4G – Voice Traffice is going over 4G Network

: Vertical bars getting larger to the right – Cellular signal strength indicator

: Up arrow with horizontal line under it icon Something is being uploaded

: Down arrow with horizontal bar at he bottom – Cell is downloading something

: Horizontal Left and Right Arrows – Voice over LTE as opposed to voice going over a 3G network

: Screen with a down arrow inside icon – A system update is available

: Triangle with up and down arrows inside it – Some apps have restricted data usage aka Data Saver Mode

: Triangle with up and down arrows – Data limit has been reached according to your service provider

: Triangle pointing right icon – Music player is on

: Triangle icon – Cell is connected to a network different than your contracted company aka Roaming is enabled

: Thought bubble with C inside it – ChatOn app is active

: Tape icon – Voicemail has been received

: T with a curved top aka Tesla icon – Tesla app is active

: Steering Wheel aka Circle with three lines to center triangle icon – Driving mode aka hands free is enabled

: Square with number 1 icon – Scheduled item from calendar is happening now

: Square with M inside and second icon behind – Gmail has received more than one email

: Square with M inside – Gmail has received a single message

: Speaker with diagonal line through it and waves on each side – Notifications with vibrate but not provide audible alerts

: Speaker with a lin through it – No audible alerts aka Silent Mode

: SIM card with X in front – SIM card is not deteded

: SIM card with exclamation mark to the right – SIM card is not detected

: SIM card with exclamation mark in a circle – SIM card is not detected

: Shopping bags on angle icon – Samsung Apps have updates

: Shopping bag with right facing triangle inside icon – Google Play Store has updates to the apps installed on your cell

: Shopping bag with checkmark inside -Google PlayStore has successfully downloaded and installed an app

: Sheild icon with horizontal curved lines inside icon – aka lookout icon – a security notice has been received

: SD Card with exclamation mark icon – Something is wrong with your SD Memory Card

: SD Card with cog inside it icon – SD card is being prepared

: SD card icon – SD Memory card has been unmounted and is now safe to remove without needing to power down

: Satellite dish with Curves to the top right icon – Devices GPS is active

: S in oblong circle aka Samsung long – Notification about your Samsung Account has been received

: Rectangle with eye waves icon – Your screen is being duplicated on an external monitor or TV aka screen mirroring

: Rectangle with corner missing and red X in the middle – SIM Card missing – Used by Verizon

: Recangle with mountains inside – A screenshot has been captured

: R with an airplane icon – Cell is connected to a network different than your contraced company aka Roaming is enabled

: Printer icon – Print job is in process

: Pitch fork pointing up icon aka USB- Device it teathered using USB

: Phone handset with horizontal lines under it icon – Device is conencted to a TTY as an accesibility feature

: Phone handset on angle with two virtical bars icon – Call is on hold

: Phone handset on angle with right arrow icon – Call Forwarding is active

: Phone handset on angle with curved waves to the right icon – Call is on speakerphone

: Phone handset on angle with A and circle slash icon – All calls or calls from a Reject List are being automtically regected

: Phone handset on angle icon – Call is active

: Phone handset horizontal with bent arrow above it icon – You missed a call

: Phone handset horizontal icon – Call has ended

: Pencil icon – Samsung S Pen has been detected

: N icon – Near Field Communication NFC is enabled – this is used for Tap applications

: Microphone with slash through it icon – You microphone is set to mute

: Microphone inside box icon – Voice Recorder is recording

: Microphone icon – Voice input is enabled

: Mail envelope with right arrow icon – Email is being sent

: Mail envelope with circle and exclamation mark icon – Text MMS message failed to send

: Mail envelope icon – New message has been received

: Mail envelope with @ sign icon – Email has been received

: LTE Plus with up and down arrows under it icon – LTE plus data network is in use

: Lock with exclamation mark inside triange – Device lock has not been setup – like a password pin or face recognition

: Lock with door behind icon – Private Mode is enabled

: Lightening bolt icon – Download booster enabled – both Wifi and Cellular being used for Downloads

: Light Bulb icon – Camera LED light is on aka flashlight

: Left Pointing Arrow with Plus sign in the middle icon – More notifications available – too many to display here

: Keyboard icon – touch screen keyboard is on

: Horizontal Curves expanding upwards with question mark inside – a WiFi network has been detected but not connected to

: Horizontal Curves expanding upwards with question mark in circle icon – a WiFi network has been detected but not connected to

: Horizontal Curves expanding upwards with clock in circle icon – WiFi timer has been set

: Horizontal Curves expanding upwards with arrows on each side pointing in – WiFi is connecting to another device aka WiFi Direct mode

: Horizontal Curves expanding upwards icon with different background color – WiFi is active

: Horizontal Curves expanding upwards icon – Device is acting as a hotspot allowing other devices to use its internet connection

: Horizontal curved lines with up and down arrows to the right icon – Device is connected to WiFi and up and down arrows show upload and download usage

: Headphones icon – Earphones are connected

: Head with waves to the right icon – Voice Recorder is recording

: Hand icon – Device will voice what is on the screen aka Talk Back mode

: H with plus sign to the right icon – Device is connected to an enhanged 3G network

: Funnel with black circle aka Here icon – GPS is enabled

: Film with right facing triangle in the middle icon – Video is playing

: Eye icon – Smart Screen is enabled allowing the device to stay on when it thinks you are near – aka Smart Stay

: Circular arrows with an exclaimation mark inside the middle – Syncronization Error detected

: Circular arrows with an exclaimation mark inside a circle – Syncronization Error detected

: Circular arrows icon – Synchronization is working

: Circle with whole in it and small cirle to the left with exclamation mark to the right icon – your storage disk is full

: Circle with line up down right and left and circle in the middle – GPS is transmitting

: Circle with line up down right and left – GPS is acquiring a signal from satalites

: Circle with horizontal line icon -Blocking mode enabled – only calls from those on appoved list are allowed

: Circle with diagonal slash through it aka Do Not Enter icon – Your phone can not find a cellular signal to connect to

: Circle broken in top right with a plus sign in the middle icon – Data Saver is enabled

: Cell with curved arrow icon – Your cell is sha sharing media with nearby devices

: Cell phone with rectantgle behind it – Cell is connected to an external monitor or TV using HDMI

: Cell phone with exlaimation mark inside triangle – Your cell is in Safe Mode

: Cell phone inside round cicle on angle – You cell is using a docking station

: Book with arrows pointing left and right icon – Android Beam function is connected to other devices

: Bluetooth icon with triangle arrows – Bluetooth i communicating

: Bluetooth Icon- cell is tethered to a different device

: Battery with recycling icon – Power Saving is enabled

: Battery Red Exclaimation Mark icon – Battery has less than 5 percent charge

: Battery lightening bolt – Cell phone is charging

: Battery 100 icon – Battery is fully charged

: Alarm Clock icon – Pending Alarm has been set

: Airplane -Icon – Airplane mode – Cellular connections disabled

: 4GLTE up and down arrow icon – Using Data on 4G network

: 4G up and down arrow icon – Using Data on 4G network

: 3 Cell phones with arrows in middle – You cell has started or joined a Group play session

: Extra Dim on Android 12

: Fan / flower / 4 Blades – Google Photos app icon

: R Icon = Roaming – You are on a different carriers network

Categories: Mobile: Android Samsung LG...

26 Comments

Leigh · July 25, 2022 at 6:28 am

I have a white box with an R in the center of it. It appears on the top right hand corner next to signal strength vertical bars. I have a Mobicel R 1 Plus. Please help.

Ian Matthews · July 27, 2022 at 3:23 pm

Hi Leigh;

We sent you an email asking for screen shot so we can figure it out 🙂

Sgt. Ruben Rodriguez · February 1, 2022 at 10:29 am

My new Android Moto 5g Stylus has a mid-screen row of icons on swipe-down (before logging into home screen) (Extra “Notifications?”)
that always has “App,” “Capsule,” “Alarm,” “Clock,” “Wallpaper.” What is it, why is it there & how do we get rid of it? This has never appeared on any previous Samsung Android smartphones.

Ian Matthews · February 21, 2022 at 5:57 pm

Hi Ruben;

That is odd. We do not have access to a Moto 5G (nice device, we hear), but I found this which might help: https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/prod_answer_detail/a_id/160148

Jeremy · March 15, 2022 at 7:16 am

Little dot at top of screen is you are bugged!

Eastcider · May 22, 2022 at 3:16 pm

The white dot on the left is when you have a pending voicemail, clear your voice mailbox to clear the dot. Feel free to test this when you see the dot, clear and properly exit your voicemail to see it disappear.

The white dot on the right comes on when you turn on mobile data. This can be turned on and off in the drag down notification thingy. Feel free to test it on and off to see that it dictaes if the white dot comes on or not.

I discovered these once and for all by turning off things one by one, until they vanished. Then I turned the same ones back on to see if the dot comes back.

Tried and tested,

Left white dot = V. mail pending

Right white dot = Mobile data (on)

Peter · January 26, 2022 at 1:01 am

My RedMi Note 10S today shows a compass like arrow (triangle shaped arrow with indented base) pointing to north east next to the bluetooth icon. I have closed all running apps and removed them from memory. The pull down menu doesn’t show anything about this arrow either. If you know what this icon means please add it to your list.

Ian Matthews · January 29, 2022 at 12:35 pm

Hi Peter;

We don’t know that icon, but if you send us a screen shot, we will look into it 🙂

Vern · January 25, 2022 at 10:54 am

NORD Android-10. What is, from left side sound button, square box with 2 lines and a slash?

Ian Matthews · January 29, 2022 at 12:36 pm

Hi Vern;

I don’t know but if you send us a screen shot, we will look into it 🙂

Sheeri · January 21, 2022 at 10:13 am

Hello. I have a black dot on my status bar a I have searched Google and cannot find an explanation for it. My daughter (who has the same phone as I do) and me husband both do not have it. Am I being spied on?
I have a Moto G Stylus through Google Fi.
Thank you in advance.

Ian Matthews · January 29, 2022 at 12:41 pm

Hi Sheeri;

Can you send us a screen shot? Our email address is on the CONTACT page.

Thanks

Tom Guthrie · January 11, 2022 at 12:18 pm

I have an icon which looks like a cloud and another which looks like a ship’s propeller. What are they?

Ian Matthews · January 29, 2022 at 12:42 pm

Hi Tom;

If you can send us a screenshot, we will look into it 🙂

Toni Loppie · December 28, 2021 at 8:03 am

I keep getting a solid black icon in my status bar, it comes and goes periodically. Can you please tell me what it is? I can’t find it anywhere. Thanks.

Ian Matthews · January 6, 2022 at 7:13 pm

A black square? If so is it full size (i.e. same size as the other icons)?

Jonathan · November 14, 2021 at 11:15 pm

This is a wonderfull chart. I thought learning to read chinese was hard. These icons are frustrating to those of us who are inexperienced. Some of the descriptions are as inegmatic as the icons. You might add explanations of the descriptions.

Ian Matthews · November 17, 2021 at 11:48 am

Thanks for the kind words and suggestion Jonathan. There are so many, I needed to keep it brief.

Melanie · June 15, 2021 at 11:13 pm

Hi Ian
What is two circles with arrow through?
I’ve checked your contact page on where to send screenshots – On site support does not give any contact information?

Ian Matthews · June 17, 2021 at 2:55 pm

Hi Melanie;

In your private message to me, you identified that icon as an app named “Reface”. We are putting this comment through to help others with similar questions.

Thanks.

Jenny · May 5, 2021 at 11:40 am

What is a phone handset on angle with a plus sign?

Ian Matthews · May 10, 2021 at 9:44 am

Hi Jenny;

If you can send me a screenshot of that icon (see our CONTACT PAGE) I will dig into it further, but it sounds like (pun intended) it might be to add more callers to a conference call.

wolf · September 23, 2021 at 2:01 pm

my girl told me her phone is not working i see faded white bars all of them are faded and then next to that full WiFi bar all solid white no arrows up and down just the bars so what could be the problem? philippines use load to use a phone and sim cards she did buy a new sim card but still did not work she then tried the card oh her sisters phone and it worked do u have any idea what it could be also what does that mean to have all WiFi bard are full solid white but the signal bars are faded meaning no signal

Ian Matthews · September 28, 2021 at 9:59 am

Hi Wolf;

A few questions may help: Is there any damage on the device? Was it dropped in water? What is the make and model? What is the version of Android?

I have not seen the icons you describe, but if they are faded IT people would likely call that “greyed out” and likely means that the WiFi is down. What I have seen is icons with a circle and a line through them to indicate a problem, which is not the icon you describe. I would take the device to a retail store or kiosk that supports the brand you have and ask them. As a guess I would suggest that the WiFi has failed (i.e. internal antenna has come loose).

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Published by Ian Matthews on August 27, 2020August 27, 2020