It may seem that you know everything about your smartphone: all its knacks, glitches,
and icons.
But occasionally, especially if you're an Android owner, or if you have just had a software
update or installed a new, unfamiliar app, your cell phone might surprise you.
You unlock it and - ta-da! - there is an eye, staring at you from the top of the screen!
Has CBS taken over your phone?
Well here’s how to decode those icons on your screen.
- If your phone shows you two horizontal arrows, one over the other and pointing in the opposite
directions, it means that your network is testing (or has already launched) Voice-over-LTE
service.
In short, before, you used a 4G signal only for browsing the Internet.
But once the arrow sign appears on your screen, it means that you can use a 4G signal to make
phone calls!
Good news because it results in calls of higher quality and better coverage - especially if
you're indoors.
- Show me a person who doesn't know the meaning of a small radar sign at the top of the screen!
Yep, that's the famous Wi-Fi symbol, loved by many!
It appears when you connect to Wi-Fi networks at home, in a coffee shop, or at an airport.
But what if a symbol has the same shape as the Wi-Fi icon but is black and has an exclamation
mark on it?
It means you’ve gone to the Wi-Fi Dark Side, and there’s Darth Flip Phone … nah…
it only means that the Wi-Fi connection has been lost but your phone's working hard, trying
to solve the problem.
To do so, your gadget uses the Smart Network Switching option.
It automatically switches your phone back to your mobile network if Wi-Fi stops working
or if its signal becomes too weak.
- On most phones, you'll sooner or later spot two vertical arrows facing opposite directions
under or next to the Wi-Fi symbol.
It means that your phone is using a Wi-Fi network at the moment.
And if the arrows flash, the connection is working correctly.
- One day, you may see the capital letter "R" appear next to your phone's signal bars.
It means that your device has managed to connect to a different network - not its regular one.
It mostly happens when you go abroad; without the roaming mode, you can't use the Internet
or make calls on your phone.
That's why if you want to use your device to the fullest when you're out of the country,
remember to turn on the roaming feature in your phone's settings.
At the same time, keep in mind that surfing the Internet or calling while abroad can cost
you a fortune!
- Your Android phone of an older model may also start to show you a little triangle next
to the signal bars.
This geometric figure has the same function as the letter "R" - it informs you that your
phone is in the roaming mode.
- A star symbol means that you've enabled "Do not disturb" mode on your phone.
Instead of a star, there might be a no-entry sign on your gadget.
In any case, when this mode is on, you won't get messages, calls, and other notifications
unless you've added the sender in a special priority list in advance.
- A tiny telephone with a keyboard next to it means that you have activated TTY, which
stands for teletypewriter.
Thanks to this feature, instead of talking, you can type your messages, which makes communication
easier for people who have issues with speaking or hearing.
However, you can only use Teletypewriter if your network provider supports this feature.
- Also, if you see an icon with an ear that seems to be crossed and a tiny capital letter
"T" next to it, you've switched on the hearing aid mode.
This feature was designed for people wearing a hearing aid.
And when you have this symbol on the screen, it means that your phone is ready to transmit
audio directly to the hearing aid.
Thanks to this option, hearing aid users can hear everything much more clearly than they
would otherwise.
- When you see a symbol that resembles a curvy capital letter N on the screen, your NFC (which
stands for Near Field Communication) is switched on.
With this option on, your gadget can interact with another device that's not further than
a few inches away.
This way, you can transfer small amounts of data or even photos by keeping two phones
together.
- An upside-down teardrop at the top of your phone's screen not only indicates that your
GPS is turned on but also informs you that one of your applications is using your current
location at the moment.
But in fact, you usually need this only when you use your phone for navigation.
In any other case, you'd better switch this feature off because, otherwise, it will drain
your gadget's battery with lightning speed.
Another icon for the turned-on GPS looks like a satellite with two lines coming off it.
- If you're an Android owner and have noticed a plus inside a circle (which actually looks
like a 75% of a circle), you have the Data Saver mode on.
This function helps you to reduce the amount of data you use by optimizing the pages you
visit and the apps you use.
You can turn this mode on and off whenever you need it in your Data Usage settings.
Plus, you can tune particular apps for no-data or low-data access.
- Another sign an Android device owner may once see at the top of the screen is a rectangle
with three curved lines.
This is the "Cast Screen" icon.
It means that your phone is connected to your TV (or, in some cases, another device), beaming
photos and videos from your gadget to a bigger screen.
If you want to disable this mode, go to Settings and switch off Screen Casting.
- If you're an owner of a Samsung device, one day, you might notice an eye, which might
be surrounded by eyelashes or not, staring back at you from the top of the screen.
It means that the Smart Stay feature is enabled on your phone.
When this function is turned on, the screen of your gadget won't switch off until you
look away from it.
Smart Stay uses a sensor on the front side of your cell phone.
As soon as this sensor detects your face, it keeps checking whether your eyes are still
on the page.
If not, the screen will darken to save battery.
To switch this function on, go to the Settings menu and choose "Display."
Scroll through your option and choose "Smart Stay."
Congrats, from now on, you can easily switch the flashing eye icon on and off.
But if this feature doesn't seem particularly entertaining to you, you can easily disable
it the same way.
- If you see a Wi-Fi symbol coming out of a phone receiver, it means that your phone
is ready to use Wi-Fi calling.
It's a relatively new feature that allows you to have a better quality of calls.
For example, if your phone can't find good reception indoors, you can make calls with
the help of any available Wi-Fi network.
- A square with some mountains inside informs you about a successfully made screenshot.
In most smartphones, to make a screenshot, you need to hold the home button and the power
button at the same time.
As soon as you hear a camera's shutter noise, the screenshot is taken!
- But then, what’s this icon that has the symbol of a screenshot with an exclamation
mark on it?
This sign warns you that your phone hasn't been able to save the image.
The reasons may be different.
For example, your device may not have enough memory or the application itself doesn't allow
you to take a screenshot (just as it may happen with some banking apps).
- A small arrow at the top of the screen on Apple phones means that you're using location
services.
Most often, you'll see this arrow when you have an app with maps open on your device.
If you notice it too often to your liking, open Settings - Privacy - Location Services.
There, you'll see which apps have recently used your location.
If you don't want some of them to know where you are at the moment, simply switch off their
access to the location services.
Oh, and by the way, all these icons may look slightly different, depending on your device
and its manufacturer.
But in general, they're supposed to look similar to the ones I've told you about.
Hey, if you learned something new today, then give the video a like and share it with a
friend!
And here are some other videos I think you'll enjoy.
Just click to the left or right, and stay on the Bright Side of life!