Samsung Galaxy status bar icons and what they mean (One UI 8.5)
By Saadat Rafiq · 2 min read · 7 steps · Published 7 October 2026
The right of the status bar shows the phone's own state: sound mode, Mobile Hotspot, network, signal and battery. The left shows apps with notifications. When we tried it on One UI 8.5, Do not disturb and Airplane mode added an icon; Data saver, Power saving, NFC and alarms did not.
- Device
- Android
- Shown on
- Samsung Galaxy A57 5G (SM-A576B), One UI 8.5, Android 16
- App
- Settings
- Real screenshots
- 7 of 7 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 2 official, linked below
Step by step
Look at the top right of the screen
The phone's own icons sit at the top right of every screen. The time and the icons of apps with notifications waiting are on the left. Tap any picture below to see it full size.
Tap the picture to see it full size Speaker with a line through it and a wavy line: Vibrate
Our phone was on Vibrate. Mute shows the same speaker without the wavy line, and Sound shows no icon at all. You change it in Settings, Sounds and vibration, or in the quick panel.
Tap the picture to see it full size Circle with two arcs: Mobile Hotspot is on
Other devices can use your phone's mobile data while this icon shows. It went away the moment Mobile Hotspot was switched off.
Tap the picture to see it full size 5G, two arrows and the bars: the mobile network
5G is the network type, the bars are the signal strength. The small arrows under 5G light up when data is going down or up at that moment.
Tap the picture to see it full size Number with a shield: battery level and Battery protection
On One UI 8.5 the battery level is always a number inside the battery. The shield with a tick means a Battery protection option is on, so the phone stops charging before 100%.
Tap the picture to see it full size Minus in a circle: Do not disturb
It appeared as soon as we turned on Do not disturb and went away when we turned it off.
Tap the picture to see it full size Plane: Airplane mode
With Airplane mode on, 5G and the signal bars disappear because the mobile network is off.
About this guide
Samsung's help pages list status bar icons, but not which settings actually show one. So we switched the common quick settings on one at a time on our Galaxy and watched the status bar. Some settings that you might expect to show an icon showed nothing.
The screenshots are from a Samsung Galaxy A57 5G with One UI 8.5 and Android 16. We switched each setting on, took a screenshot of the status bar and switched it back at once.
Good to know
No icon on our phone: Data saver, Power saving, Wi-Fi switched on but not connected to a network, Bluetooth switched on or off with nothing connected, NFC switched on or off, and an alarm set for the next morning. Samsung's Data saver page says it shows an icon while on; on our One UI 8.5 phone it did not, so check the setting itself: how to turn on Data saver.
Hotspot icon gone? Turning on Data saver switched off Mobile Hotspot on our phone, and its icon went with it. If your hotspot keeps turning off, see Samsung Galaxy hotspot not working.
Want fewer or more icons on the left? Settings, Notifications, Status bar sets whether app icons, a dot or nothing shows: how to show battery percentage on One UI 8.5 covers that page.
Why the shield is there: Battery protection explained. Do not disturb icon showing when you did not turn it on: Do not disturb turning on by itself.
In short: Right: sound mode, Hotspot, 5G and signal, battery with Battery protection shield. Minus in a circle: Do not disturb. Plane: Airplane mode. Data saver, Power saving, NFC, alarms: no icon on One UI 8.5.
- Samsung US: Status bar issues on your Galaxy phone after the One UI 8.5 update
- Samsung US: Manage data usage on your Galaxy phone
Links checked in October 2026. Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.
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