Devices and electronics
The symbols on devices, chargers, ports and controls, and what each one means.
The small icons on websites and apps, from the hamburger menu to the share and save icons: what each one does, and where it came from.
What the symbols on a multimeter’s dial, jacks and display mean, from V and Ω to the continuity beeper, CAT ratings and OL.
The dots and icons in a phone’s status bar, and on Apple Watch and Android, and what each one means.
The power, connection, media and status symbols on devices and remote controls, and what each one means.
What the colored bands on a resistor mean under the IEC 60062 color code, and the number codes printed on surface mount resistors.
The AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR and XNOR gate symbols in both standard shapes, with each gate’s truth table and Boolean notation.
About devices and electronics
Symbols on devices, chargers, ports and controls, and what each one means. The power and media symbols on equipment are largely international standards: IEC 60417, the International Electrotechnical Commission’s graphical symbols for use on equipment, also published as ISO 7000. Others, like the USB trident and the Bluetooth rune, belong to the industry groups behind the technology, and phone and computer makers such as Apple, Google and Microsoft each draw their own status icons for Wi-Fi, charging and airplane mode.
Sources
- Proposal to Include IEC Power Symbols, Unicode document L2/14-009 (Terence Eden, Joe Loughry and Bruce Nordman), 23 January 2014, Unicode Consortium document register, section 1
- USB-IF frequently asked questions, USB Implementers Forum
- Bluetooth: origin of the name, Bluetooth Special Interest Group
- Learn the meaning of iPhone status icons, iPhone User Guide, Apple, Connectivity
- Connect to Wi-Fi networks on your Pixel phone, Google, Pixel Phone Help
- Segoe Fluent Icons font, Windows apps design documentation, Microsoft Learn, e701
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 25, 2026. How we research