Wondering what those tiny symbols at the top of your phone mean? Look them up here.
Showing 20 of 20 icons
What it means: Your phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network. The more curved lines you see filled in, the stronger the signal.
What to do: Nothing — this is a good sign. Means you are not using your cell data plan for internet.
What it means: Shows how strong your cell phone signal is. More bars (or dots) means better signal. No bars means you have no signal.
What to do: If you only have 1-2 bars and calls drop, try moving outside or to a window. If you regularly have weak signal at home, contact your carrier about a signal booster.
What it means: Shows how much power is left in your phone. When the icon turns red or yellow, your battery is low.
What to do: Plug in your phone when the battery drops below 20%. Letting it die completely shortens battery life over time.
What it means: Your phone is plugged in and charging.
What to do: Nothing. The bolt disappears once you unplug. Some phones also show a lightning bolt for "low power mode."
What it means: Bluetooth is turned on. Your phone can connect to wireless earbuds, hearing aids, smart watches, or your car.
What to do: Nothing — leave it on if you use wireless devices. Some seniors turn it off to save a tiny bit of battery, but the savings are minimal.
What it means: Your phone has shut off all wireless signals — no calls, no texts, no internet.
What to do: If you accidentally turned this on, calls and messages will not come through. Open Control Center (iPhone: swipe down from top-right; Android: pull down from top) and tap the airplane icon to turn it off.
What it means: Do Not Disturb is on. Calls, texts, and notifications will be silenced.
What to do: If you are not getting calls when you should be, this is the most likely cause. Swipe to open Control Center (iPhone) or Quick Settings (Android) and tap the moon icon to turn it off.
What it means: Notifications are silenced (similar to Do Not Disturb but milder). You may see this on Android phones.
What to do: Pull down notifications and tap the silenced bell to turn sounds back on.
What it means: Your phone is locked. Some phones also show a lock when screen rotation is locked.
What to do: Press the side button or front button (Home button on older iPhones) and use Face ID, fingerprint, or your passcode to unlock.
What it means: An app is using your location right now (GPS). Common with Maps, Uber, weather apps.
What to do: If you are not using a navigation or maps app and see this constantly, check Settings → Privacy → Location Services to see which apps have location access.
What it means: A call is in progress (in your status bar at the top of the screen).
What to do: Tap the green bar at the top to return to your call. Tap the red end-call button to hang up.
What it means: Your phone is connected to a fast 5G cellular network.
What to do: Nothing — 5G is faster than 4G LTE. Some phones automatically switch between 5G and LTE based on signal strength.
What it means: Your phone is connected to a 4G cellular network — slower than 5G but still fast for most things.
What to do: Nothing — most everyday phone use works fine on LTE. Streaming videos and downloads may be slightly slower than 5G.
What it means: Your phone has fallen back to a slower, older cellular network. Apps and websites may load slowly.
What to do: You probably have weak signal. Try moving to a different location or restarting your phone. If it persists at home, contact your cell carrier.
What it means: An app is using your microphone right now. Yellow/orange dot appears at the top right of your iPhone screen.
What to do: If you are not using a voice app, swipe down to see which app is using your mic. You can deny mic access in Settings → Privacy → Microphone.
What it means: An app is using your camera right now. Green dot appears at the top right of your iPhone screen.
What to do: If you are not using the Camera app, FaceTime, or another video app, this is suspicious. Swipe down to see which app is using your camera.
What it means: Your phone's ringer is on silent or vibrate only.
What to do: iPhone: flip the small switch on the left side of your phone — orange dot showing means silent. Android: turn up the ringer volume with the volume buttons.
What it means: Your phone is using a Virtual Private Network — your internet traffic is being routed through a different server for privacy.
What to do: If you set up a VPN intentionally, this is good. If you do not remember setting one up, check Settings → General → VPN (iPhone) or Settings → Connections → VPN (Android) and remove anything you do not recognize.
What it means: Headphones, AirPods, or wireless earbuds are connected to your phone.
What to do: Nothing. If you do not have anything connected and see this icon, your phone may think the headphone jack is being used. Try cleaning the headphone port or restarting.
What it means: Low Power Mode is on. Your iPhone is conserving battery by reducing some background activity.
What to do: Plug in your phone to charge. Once it reaches 80%, Low Power Mode turns off automatically.
Quick Tip: Pull down from the top of your screen at any time to see your phone\'s status icons up close, plus a label for each one.