What iPhone status icons mean

Friday October 9, 2026 9:22 pm EAT by Kevin Hollington

The icons in the status bar provide information about iPhone. On an iPhone with Face ID, there are additional status icons at the top of Control Center.

You’ll find icons for Privacy Indicators, Battery, Connectivity, Active Sessions, Media, and Accessibility, and the Camera In Use icon, for example, means an app is using your iPhone camera. When you have a Focus on, its icon appears in the status bar, too.

Note: Turn on a Focus, and its icon shows up in the status bar.

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.
	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.
	Location services. An app is using Location Services.
	Lock. iPhone is locked.

Battery

Status Icon	What it means
	Battery. Shows the iPhone battery level. When the icon is yellow, Low Power Mode is on.
	Battery charging. The iPhone battery is charging. When the icon is gray, charging is paused.
	Bluetooth battery. Shows the battery level of a paired Bluetooth device.

Connectivity

Status icon	What it means
	Wi-Fi. iPhone is connected to the internet over a Wi-Fi network.
	Cell signal. The number of bars indicates the signal strength of your cellular service. If there’s no signal, “No Service” appears.
	Dual cell signals. On models with Dual SIM, the upper row of bars indicates the signal strength of the line you use for cellular data. The lower row of bars indicates the signal strength of your other line. If there’s no signal, “No Service” appears. To see the status icons with their corresponding cellular plan labels and carrier names, open Control Center.
	Airplane Mode. Airplane Mode is on—you can’t make phone calls, and other wireless functions may be disabled.
	5G. Your carrier’s 5G network is available, and supported models 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. Supported models 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. Supported models 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. Supported models 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 iPhone can connect to the internet over that network (not available in all countries or regions).
	LTE. Your carrier’s LTE network is available, and iPhone can connect to the internet over that network (not available in all countries or regions).
	UMTS. Your carrier’s 4G UMTS (GSM) or LTE network (depending on the carrier) is available, and iPhone can connect to the internet over that network (not available in all countries or regions).
	UMTS/EV-DO. Your carrier’s 3G UMTS (GSM) or EV-DO (CDMA) network is available, and iPhone can connect to the internet over that network.
	EDGE. Your carrier’s EDGE (GSM) network is available, and iPhone can connect to the internet over that network.
	GPRS/1xRTT. Your carrier’s GPRS (GSM) or 1xRTT (CDMA) network is available, and iPhone can connect to the internet over that network.
	SOS only. Full service from your cellular provider isn’t available, but emergency calls may be possible through other carrier networks (not available in all countries or regions).
	Satellite features. Emergency SOS, Find My, Roadside Assistance, and Messages via satellite are available in your location (supported on iPhone 14 and later).
	Carrier satellite features. Your device is using a carrier-provided satellite feature.
	Wi-Fi calling. iPhone is set up for Wi-Fi calling (not available with all carriers or in all countries or regions). iPhone also displays a carrier name next to the icon.
	Personal Hotspot connection. iPhone is connected to the internet through the Personal Hotspot of another device.
	VPN. iPhone 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.
	Call forwarding. Call forwarding is set up.

Active Sessions

Status icon	What it means
	Phone call. iPhone is on a phone call.
	FaceTime. iPhone is on a FaceTime call.
	Screen recording. iPhone is recording your screen.
	Personal Hotspot. iPhone is providing a Personal Hotspot.
	Navigation. iPhone is providing turn-by-turn directions.
	CarPlay. iPhone is connected to CarPlay.
	Siri Eyes Free. You can ask a question or make a request to Siri in your car.
	Syncing. iPhone is syncing with your computer.
	Do Not Disturb. Do Not Disturb is turned on.
	Portrait orientation lock. The iPhone screen is locked in portrait orientation. To unlock your screen orientation, open Control Center and tap the Portrait Orientation Lock status icon.
	Alarm. An alarm is set.