iPhone Mysterious Alert Symbols Explained Here

The success of the iPhone was mainly due to the easy-to-use operating system iOS. However, there are so many symbols on the iPhone’s top status bar, Control Center, and other default apps like Safari, Photos, etc.

Some of the symbols are easy to understand but some icons need you to look for the iPhone user manual or search in Google.

For example, do you know why there is a blue dot shown with the app name? The answer is, iOS will show you a blue dot whenever an app gets an update from App Store.

It helps you to know the update and check the history of the app in case of any problems. In this article, we will provide the meaning of iPhone symbols.

Ever wondered what the symbols on your iPhone screen mean?

Nestled at the top of the display next to the selfie camera, the icons are largely innocuous – but can alert you that you’re being watched or listened to by sneaky apps.

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Some of the emblems, such as the battery and cell signal indicators, are fairly self-explanatory.

For the uninitiated, they show how much power you have left and the strength of your reception, respectively.

However, there are dozens of other, little-known symbols that flag stuff you might otherwise not be aware of.

Take, for example, the location services indicator – a triangle-like shape that points northeast.

It indicates that your device’s GPS is activated, such as when an app is providing turn-by-turn directions.

It’s a handy symbol because it lets you know if you’ve left your navigation service on by mistake.

It can also alert you that your location is being tracked without your knowledge by a nefarious app.

Another useful alert is the recently introduced “warning dot” that alerts you whenever your microphone or camera is activated.

Following the release of iOS 14 in 2020, a green dot now appears in the upper right corner of your iPhone screen when the camera’s activated.

It lights up orange if the microphone is actively listening to you.

The update means that if an app is surreptitiously recording you, you’ll know about it.

iPhone Mysterious Alert Symbols Explained Here

Other symbols you might not know about aren’t as important to your safety but still provide a useful service.

Take, for instance, the portrait orientation lock indicator – which lets you know you’ve locked the screen so it can’t switch from portrait to landscape mode when the device is rotated.

The headphones symbol, unsurprisingly, indicates that you’re connected to a pair of headphones, while an alarm clock means you’ve got an alarm set in the Clock app.

Blue status bar       – Connected to the personal hotspot, screen mirroring, or using location services

Green status bar    – You are on a call

Red status bar         – Recording screen or call

Red Badge on the App Icon      – Indicates the unattended notifications or unread mails depending upon the app. You can see this on the individual app as well as on the folders.

Signal Bar:  Cellular signal bar that shows the strength of your current mobile network.

No Service:  Indicating there are currently no cellular network service signals detected. Here are tips to fix this now.

Dual Signal Bar:   Cellular signal bar that shows the strength of the mobile network for both SIM cards in your iPhone.

LTE Signal Bar: Shows you the signal bar strength of the connected carrier’s Long Term Evolution (LTE) or 4G internet data network.

5G Signal Bar: Shows you the signal bar strength of the connected carrier’s 5G internet data network which is 10 times faster than 4G network.

Wi-Fi calling: Wi-Fi calling allows your iPhone to make high-quality phone calls through the internet LTE data network or when you are connected to a Wi-Fi network as well automatically.

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You can enable/disable iPhone Wi-Fi calling as follows, Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling

Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Network Signal Bar: This Wi-Fi icon shows that your iPhone’s Wi-Fi is turned on and connected. The Wi-FI signal bar will show you how strong your Wi-Fi connection is from less bar (weak)  to full bar (strong) connection.

Connected to VPN:  VPN is a virtual private network which ensures all the data traveling to and from your iPhone will be encrypted from data snoopers and cybercriminals. If your iPhone has installed a VPN app, then enabling it will connect to a VPN server in the Setting > VPN.

Location service is turned on and an app is using it.

iPhone Mysterious Alert Symbols Explained Here

Settings > Privacy > Location Services

Location service is conditional or restricted, whereby you will only see this icon on the top right status bar when an app such as Maps is using it. You can enable or disable it as follows:

Settings > Privacy > Location Services.

A Purple Hollow arrow pointing right upper corner: A hollow arrow indicates that an item may receive your location under certain conditions.

A Purple Arrow pointing right upper corner:  A purple arrow indicates that an item has recently used your location.

A Gray Arrow pointing right upper corner: A gray arrow shows that an item has used your location in the last 24 hours.

Network activity shows that there’s network activity. Some third-party apps may also use it to show an active process.

(or)

Safari or Apps is connecting or processing a website.

The status bar on top of the screen will show you this loading icon whenever you’re opening a website in Safari which shows that the website is now loading, connecting or processing. This icon would appear as well if you are shutting down your iPhone.

You can read a full list of iPhone symbols and what they mean on Apple’s website.

SOURCES

Admin. (2022, March 13) 110+ iPhone All Symbols/Icons in Notification Bar, Control Center & Apps with Meaning & Settings To Enable/Disable. https://galaxymaniac.com/110-iphone-all-symbols-icons-in-notification-bar-control-center-apps-with-meaning-settings-to-enable-disable/

Your iPhone’s mysterious alert symbols explained – and when you need to worry. https://www.google.com/amp/s/vigourtimes.com/your-iphones-mysterious-alert-symbols-explained-and-when-you-need-to-worry/amp/