What iPad status icons mean

Thursday October 15, 2026 9:53 pm EAT by Abigail Shilets

The icons in the status bar at the top of the screen provide information about iPad. When Stage Manager or Windowed Apps is on, you’ll see additional icons in the menu bar. They cover privacy indicators, battery, connectivity, active sessions, and Stage Manager and multitasking.

An icon can tell you that an app is using your camera or microphone, that the iPad battery is charging, or that iPad is recording your screen. The more Wi-Fi bars, the stronger the connection, and when the battery icon is yellow, Low Power Mode is on.

Note: If you turn on a Focus, the status bar shows its icon.

Privacy Indicators

Status icon	What it means
	Camera in use. An app is using your camera. If you’re not actively using a camera, check which app is running. See Control which apps have access to the camera and microphone.
	Microphone in use. An app is using your microphone. If you’re not expecting an app to use your microphone, check which app is running. See Control which apps have access to the camera and microphone.
	Location services. An app is using Location Services. See Control which apps can use the location.
	Lock. iPad is locked. See Wake, unlock, and lock iPad.

Battery

Status Icon	What it means
	Battery. Shows the iPad battery level. When the icon is yellow, Low Power Mode is on. See Show the iPad battery percentage.
	Battery charging. The iPad battery is charging. When the icon is gray, charging is paused. See Charge the iPad battery.
	Bluetooth battery. Shows the battery level of a paired Bluetooth device. See Connect iPad to Bluetooth accessories.

Connectivity

Status icon	What it means
	Wi-Fi. iPad has connected to the internet over a Wi-Fi network. The more bars, the stronger the connection. See Connect iPad to the internet.
	Cell signal. iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models) is in range of the cellular network. If there’s no signal, “No service” appears.
	Airplane Mode. Airplane Mode is on. Nonwireless features are available, but wireless functions may be disabled. See Choose iPad settings for travel.
	5G. Your carrier’s 5G network is available, and Models that support 5G can connect to the internet over that network (not available in all countries or regions).
	5G UC. Your carrier’s 5G UC network is available, which can include your carrier’s higher frequency version of 5G. Models that support 5G can connect to the internet over that network (not available in all countries or regions).
	5G+. Your carrier’s 5G+ network is available, which can include your carrier’s higher frequency version of 5G. Models that support 5G can connect to the internet over that network (not available in all countries or regions).
	5G UW. Your carrier’s 5G UW network is available, which can include your carrier’s higher frequency version of 5G. Models that support 5G can connect to the internet over that network (not available in all countries or regions).
	5G E. Your carrier’s 5G E network is available, and Models that support 5G can connect to the internet over that network (not available in all countries or regions). See View or change cellular data settings on iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models).
	LTE. iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models) is connected to the internet over a 4G LTE network (not available in all countries or regions). See View or change cellular data settings on iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models).
	4G. iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models) is connected to the internet over a 4G network (not available in all countries or regions). See View or change cellular data settings on iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models).
	3G. iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models) is connected to the internet over a 3G network. See View or change cellular data settings on iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models).
	EDGE. iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models) is connected to the internet over an EDGE network. See View or change cellular data settings on iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models).
	GPRS. iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models) is connected to the internet over a GPRS network. See View or change cellular data settings on iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular models).
	Personal Hotspot connection. iPad is connected to the internet through the Personal Hotspot of another device. See Join a Personal Hotspot.
	VPN. iPad is connected to a network using VPN.
	Network activity. Shows that there’s network activity. Some third-party apps may also use it to show an active process. See Connect to the internet.

Active Sessions

Status icon	What it means
	Phone call. iPad is on a phone call. See Make calls using Wi-Fi.
	FaceTime. iPad is on a FaceTime call. See Make FaceTime calls.
	Screen recording. iPad is recording your screen. See Take a screen recording.
	Personal Hotspot. iPad is providing a Personal Hotspot. See Share your internet connection from your iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular) with Personal Hotspot.
	Navigation. iPad is providing turn-by-turn directions. See Get driving directions in Maps.
	Syncing. iPad is syncing with your computer. See Transfer files between your iPad and other devices.
	Do Not Disturb. Do Not Disturb is turned on. See Turn on or schedule a Focus.
	Orientation lock. The screen orientation is locked. To unlock your screen orientation, open Control Center and tap the Portrait Orientation Lock status icon. See Rotate your iPad screen.
	Alarm. An alarm is set. See Set an alarm.

Stage Manager and Multitasking

Status icon	What it means
	Stage Manager. Stage Manager is on. Apps appear in windows you can resize and overlap.
	Windowed Apps/menu bar. Windowed Apps or Stage Manager is on and a menu bar is available at the top of the screen.

Media

Status icon	What it means
	Headphones connected. iPad is paired with Bluetooth® headphones that are turned on and within Bluetooth range. See Connect iPad to Bluetooth accessories.
	AirPlay. AirPlay is on. See Wirelessly stream videos and photos to Apple TV 4K or a smart TV.