Android 101: What Do the Status and Notification Icons on Your Phone Mean
Are you wondering what the glyph icons are on the notification or status bar of your Android smartphone and why they are there? You're not alone! nextpit shares the different statuses and notification icons on Android and what their meanings are.
Icons appearing on the status or notification bar on your phone can differ for each brand or the Android version it runs on while those devices on stock Android would likely share the same icon designs. Regardless of how they look, though, the meaning and functions are likely the same.
Keep in mind that the location of these icons may also vary between manufacturers. Some symbols for services and features may appear on the status bar while others are on the notification bar.
Status bar vs. Notification Bar vs. Quick Settings
Before diving into those glyph icons, it is appropriate to know the difference between the status bar and notifications bar on your Android system since those icons will be shown and grouped depending on their type.
Status Bar
The status bar and the notification bar differ in their position. The status bar is located at the top-right of the display. This is where you will see the current time, battery status, and connections. See the usual list of status icons you can find on the status bar:
Common symbols and icons on the Android status bar
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Battery | Shows battery level or percentage and charging status |
| Airplane Mode | Indicates airplane mode is enabled |
| Wi-Fi | Shows Wi-Fi connection status |
| Bluetooth | Indicates Bluetooth connection status |
| Mobile Data (5G, 4G, LTE, H+, 3G) | Shows mobile data connection status |
| Modes or profile | Indicates which mode or profile is active |
| Location or GPS | Shows location services are enabled |
| Battery saver | Battery saver icon |
| Rotation Lock | Indicates screen rotation is locked |
| VPN | Shows VPN connection status |
| Screen Cast | Indicates screen casting is active |
| Alarm | Shows active alarms |
| Headset | Indicates a headset is connected |
| Hotspot | Indicates mobile hotspot is active |
| Data Saver | Shows Data Saver mode is active |
| System Update | Indicates a system or security update is available |
| Airplane Mode | Indicates airplane mode is enabled |
Notification Bar
Meanwhile, the Notification bar is located on the upper left side, where you'll find app icons to alert you to new messages, updates to the Play Store, current tracks being played, and other notifications.
Common icons appearing on the notification bar
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Clock | Current time |
| Apps | App-specific icons (e.g. Facebook, Google) |
| Envelope icon or custom email app icon | |
| Messages | Chat bubble icon |
| Calls | Missed calls, diverted, etc. |
| DND | Do Not Disturb icon |
| Voicemail | Tape reel icon |
| Calendar | Calendar page icon |
| Media Controls | Playback controls (e.g. play, pause, skip) |
| Navigation | Turn-by-turn directions and location pin icon |
| Weather | Cloud, sun, or weather-specic icon |
| App Downloads | Download arrow or app icon |
| Software Installation | Software update status |
| Screenshots | Camera shutting or photo icon |
| File Transfers | Up/down arrows showing transfer status |
| Screen recorder | Recorder icon |
| Crisis Alerts | Shows emergency alerts are enabled |
The notification bar also contains notifications, which you can open with a swipe-down gesture. This gesture reveals a lot of information–examples of which include recent screenshots, a WhatsApp message, Facebook notifications, and email alerts. For multiple notifications, the number of icons appearing is limited to 3 to 4 and will show the latest.
Quick Settings Panel
Another set of important things you can access from this swipe-down gesture is the quick settings panel. From here, you can quickly turn on/off features or controls without having to go to the settings menu.
From here, you can enable and disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other connections, turn on/off the hotspot, toggle the auto-rotate option, and switch on the flashlight, among others. If you press and hold down an icon, you will enter the settings for this function. If enabled, most of these toggle icons will appear on the status bar.
- Connectivity toggles
- Tool shortcuts
- Modes
- Brightness slider
- Profiles
- SIM manager
- Controllers
Most manufacturers also customize the quick settings themselves. Therefore, there are always several options here. Fortunately, the selection can be personalized to your tastes and habits, so you always have access to the most essential settings for you.
Also, you can always disable annoying or uninteresting notifications just by long-pressing an alert. This will open a small menu where you can choose how you want to be notified by the app.
Most common notification and status icons by manufacturers
Let's dive into the most commonly used notification and status icons you'll encounter on your smartphone. We've covered major smartphone brands and their custom Android skins. While these customizations don't drastically alter the icons' appearance or behavior, they can include unique features exclusive to your software.
Samsung (One UI)
Samsung's user manual includes a list of symbols that are usually displayed on the notification and status bars on Galaxy smartphones and tablets. You can find unique additions to these symbols such as for S Pen usage status and Samsung DeX. Check the image below to see the most important ones.
Xiaomi/ Redmi/ Poco
Here are the most commonly used status icons on Xiaomi smartphones. These icons will be seen on almost all devices from the company that runs HyperOS (how to customize). This includes sub-brands like Poco and Redmi.
HyperOS also uses a custom Android skin, so you will see that these icons look differently from other skinned Android user interfaces.
OnePlus / Oppo
These are the icons you will encounter while using OnePlus or Oppo smartphones that run the company's own Android skin operating system – ColorOS.
Huawei / Honor (HarmonyOS, EMUI, and MagicUI)
Honor might have separated from Huawei, but many of the statuses and notifications on Honor devices that run MagicUI are inspired by Huawei's HarmonyOS.
Motorola (Stock Android)
As for Motorola devices, they run on a custom Android, but the overall look of the icons is similar or doesn't differ from the pure Android OS. At the same time, there are a few touches on how the glyph icons on their status bar appear.
Stock Android (Google, HMD, Sony, HMD, and Asus)
If you happen to be an Android purist who prefers the stock Android experience, chances are high that you would own either a Google Pixel smartphone or one of the many devices that offer the stock Android experience. These brands that offer stock Android experience include HMD, Sony, and Asus.
Some of the icons that you will encounter on stock Android are listed in the image below. While these icons are from Android 11, most of these have remained unchanged on the latest version of Android.
In case the icon that you are looking for isn't listed above, Google has a comprehensive list of icons that are part of Android 11 on its Fonts portal. This page lists all the icons that you will encounter on your Android phone. It is divided into multiple sections, some of which are listed below.
Since then, these icons haven't vastly changed even in the latest Android 15, which you can check from the below screenshots.
Have you ever seen a notification or an icon that you just can't figure out the meaning of? Describe it in the comments, and let us know what type of phone you have!
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