what does this symbol mean?

Phone status icons

The dots and icons in a phone’s status bar, and on Apple Watch and Android, and what each one means.

These five pages cover the dots and icons along the top of a phone or watch screen: the orange dot and green dot on an iPhone, the rest of the iPhone status bar, the icons on an Apple Watch face, and Android status icons. Apple explains the dots, the status bar and the watch in separate articles, and Google and Samsung each have their own. The pages bring them together, show where the same colour means different things on different systems, and note what Apple’s older list said that the current one doesn’t. Each gives the meanings as Apple’s, Google’s or Samsung’s help centre described them in September 2026, for iOS 27 and watchOS 27.

iPhone 3 symbols

Other devices 2 symbols

Orange, green and purple

Apple says that with iOS 14 or later an orange dot means an app is using the iPhone’s microphone, and a green dot means an app is using the camera, alone or with the microphone. With the Differentiate Without Color setting on, the orange dot is drawn as a square. 9to5Mac places the dots above the signal strength indicator on iPhones with a notch, and in the centre of the Dynamic Island on models that have one. Android uses one colour for both: Android Help says a green indicator shows at the top right of the screen when apps use the camera or the microphone. On a Mac, Apple’s Mac User Guide adds a purple dot, for system audio being recorded, and shows only one dot at a time. An Apple Watch shows an orange microphone icon.

Status bar icons that have changed

Apple’s iPhone User Guide sorts the status icons into groups, among them privacy indicators, battery, connectivity and active sessions. On an iPhone with Face ID, more status icons appear at the top of Control Center. A yellow battery means Low Power Mode is on, and a grey charging icon means charging is paused. Apple’s 2019 list gave two readings the current guide doesn’t: a red battery for less than 20% charge, and a hollow location arrow for an item that may receive the location under certain conditions. Before the iPhone X, AppleInsider counted the carrier name and 26 other kinds of icon in the status bar.

Watch faces and Android phones

On an Apple Watch, a red dot at the top of the face is an unread notification, which MacRumors compares to the badge on an iPhone app icon. Two orange masks mean Theater Mode, and a purple crescent moon means Do Not Disturb. Apple says the Walkie-Talkie app is no longer available with watchOS 27. On Android, Engadget’s 2026 guide says system icons sit on the right of the status bar and app notifications on the left, and that their shapes vary a bit from maker to maker; Pixel Help describes the signal icon as a triangle. The Wi-Fi, airplane mode and charging symbols in these lists have their own pages.

Sources

  1. About the orange and green indicators in your iPhone status bar, Apple Support article 108331, published 27 May 2026, Apple Support
  2. iPhone 14: What do the orange and green dots mean?, Benjamin Mayo, 19 September 2022, 9to5Mac
  3. Check if your Android camera or microphone is on or off, Google, Android Help
  4. Use Control Center on Mac, Mac User Guide, Apple, Privacy indicators
  5. Status icons and symbols on Apple Watch, Apple Support article 108038, published 15 September 2026, Apple Support
  6. Learn the meaning of iPhone status icons, iPhone User Guide, Apple
  7. Status icons and symbols on your iPhone (2019 edition), Apple Support article HT207354, as archived 26 August 2019, Apple Support (Internet Archive copy)
  8. How to find the iPhone status bar icons that Apple moved because of the notch, William Gallagher, 18 November 2018, AppleInsider
  9. Check the status of Apple Watch, Apple Watch User Guide, Apple
  10. Why There's a Red Dot on Apple Watch and How to Hide It, Tim Hardwick, 22 February 2022, MacRumors
  11. Here's what all of those Android status bar icons mean, Gabriela Vătu, 7 July 2026, Engadget
  12. Fix mobile connectivity issues, Google, Pixel Phone Help

Last reviewed September 30, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research