Meaning of Galaxy Note 7 indicator icons in status bar

What are Galaxy Note 7 indicator icons in status bar?

Galaxy Note 7 indicator icons (aka, status icons) give you quick info on the status of system key features/services in Galaxy Note 7.  So, it is important to understand the meaning of Galaxy Note 7 indicator icons in status bar.

These indicator icons are always located in the right side of the stats bar in the top of the Galaxy Note 7 screen as shown below.

The left side of Galaxy Note 7 status bar is usually for notification icons associated with individual notifications.

Galaxy Note 7 status bar appears in all screens: home screen, apps screen, lock screen, individual apps.

The only exception is the notification panel (and quick setting buttons panel) where status bar is merged with notification panel without indicator icons.

Galaxy Note 7 status bar may be hidden when some apps are in immersive full-screen mode. In this case, you can still get status bar by swiping downwards from top of the screen to display status bar. You can then find Galaxy note 7 indicator icons in the status bar.

Meaning of commonly encountered Galaxy Note 7 indicator icons

In different regions, Galaxy Note 7 indicator icons may be slightly different.  In this page, I will try to only include the common ones.

 no signal

When you see this Galaxy Note 7 indicator icon in the staus bar, your Galaxy Note 7  is NOT registered with any mobile networks. There will be no cellular functions (voice or data).

Please check Galaxy Note 7 SIM card guide on how to use proper SIM card in Galaxy Note 7.

 Signal strength

This Galaxy Note 7 indicator icon shows you how strong the mobile network signal is in your area.

More bars mean stronger signal, and therefore, the connection is usually more stable. If you can only see one bar, voice or data connection may be interrupted frequently.

Because different phone manufacturers may use different ways to normalize the signal strength, it is meaningless to compare the number of bars on your Galaxy Note 7 with other phones. You can get accurate (and actual) signal strength in dBm in Settings–About device – Status — SIM card status — Signal strength.

Roaming

You will see this indicator icon in the status bar when you Galaxy Note 7 is registered in other carriers’ network, not in your carrier’s own mobile network.

Normally, when you travel to other countries, you will see this icon. Please note, you need enable roaming service before your travel.

 GPRS network connected

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is the slowest 2G mobile data connection.If there are no available 4G, 3G or Edge networks, mobile data in Galaxy Note 7 will fail back to GPRS.

When data are transmitted in Galaxy Note 7, the arrows in the indicator icon will flash or show different colors depending on regions.

In some regions, there are no arrows in the bottom of this status icon, i.e., it could be just a plain G.

If your mobile plan includes 3G data or 4G LTE data, you may check with your carrier on the 3G and 4G network coverage.

EDGE network connected

EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) is normally faster than GPRS.

But it is still a 2G connection, and it is too slow for downloading files.

If there are no available 4G or 3G  networks, mobile data in Galaxy Note 7 will fail back to EDGE. When data are transmitted, the arrows in the indicator icon will flash or show different colors.

In some regions, there are no arrows in the bottom of this status icon, i.e., it could be just a plain E.

If your mobile plan includes 3G data or 4G data, you may check with your carrier on the 3G and 4G network coverage.

3G network connected

For different carriers, the 3G indicator icon in Galaxy Note 7 can mean quite different things. This Galaxy Note 7 indicator icon usually means Galaxy Note 7 is connected to a  “normal” 3G network (i.e. UMTS network). If it is a HSPA or HSPA+ network, in most regions, different notification icons (see below) will be shown.

When data are transmitted, the arrows in the notification icon will flash or show different colors.

In some regions, there are no arrows in the bottom of this status icon, i.e., it could be just a plain 3G.

HSPA network connected

HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) is considered as mobile “broadband”. The typical speed is about a few Mbits per second. In some regions, it is stated as 3.5G network. In a few regions, it is just called 4G.

When you see this Galaxy Note 7 indicator icon, you can use your Galaxy |Note 7 for most online activities, including watching online videos.

When data are transmitted, the arrows in the notification icon will flash or show different colors.

In some regions, there are no arrows in the bottom of this status icon, i.e., it could be just a plain H.

HSPA+ network connected

HSPA+ (Evolved HSPA) is considered as the fastest 3G data connection you can get currently. In some regions, it is named as 3.75G or 4G. The typical speed of HSPA+ network is about 10-20 Mbits per second.

When data are transmitted, the arrows in this indicator icon will flash or show different colors.

In some regions, there are no arrows in the bottom of this status icon, i.e., it could be just a plain H+.

4G  LTE network connected

LTE (Long-Term Evolution) is usually called 4G in  most regions. Of course, there is a even faster LTE+ in some regions. You will see an additional + sign on the top right.

Unlike 3G, HSPA, and HSPA+, the frequency of 4G LTE in different regions (and different carriers) differs dramatically (bands). When you travel to other regions, you may find out your Galaxy Note 7 is limited to 3G or HSPA or HSPA+ network. This is normal because the radio frequency used in that region for LTE may be not activated in your Galaxy Note 7.

In some regions, the indicator icon in Galaxy Note 7 may be slightly different.

WiFi activated and connected

This Galaxy Note 7 indicator icon indicates WiFi connection is activated and Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is successfully connected to an access point.

When data are transmitted, the arrows in the indicator icon in Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will flash or show different colors.

Bluetooth enabled

The indicator icon itself does not mean Galaxy Note 7 is connected to any Bluetooth devices. You can check the quick setting buttons to know whether there are any Bluetooth devices connected to Galaxy Note 7.

Location service (GPS) enabled

When this Galaxy Note 7 indicator icon is shown in the status bar, it means some apps are requesting location info, which is usually provided by GPS.

You can globally turn off location service if you don’t want to use it (to save battery as well). But this affect some functions of some apps.

Call in progress

When you are engaged in a call, you will see this indicator icon in Galaxy Note 7 status bar.

Missed call

The notification icon in Galaxy Note 7 indicates that there are one or more missed calls.

You can check the call log or notification area to see the caller number.

New text message or MMS message

You will see this notification icon in  Galaxy Note 7 status bar when new message arrives.

In the notification panel, you can tap the message to preview or go to the messaging app.

Alarm activated

The indicator icon tell you that there is one or more alarm events in the future.

Please note alarm will NOT work if you shutdown your Galaxy Note 7, just like in any other smartphones.

Silent mode (or mute mode) activated

This indicator icon in Galaxy Note 7 will be shown when the phone is under mute (silent) mode.

Once this Galaxy Note 7 indicator icon is shown, it will neither ring nor vibrate for incoming calls and notifications.

But this does not affect alarms in Galaxy Note 7. Media player is also not affected.

Vibrate mode activated.

When Galaxy Note 7 is in vibrate mode, you will see this icon.

Airplane mode (flight mode) activated

Airplane mode simply disables any network connections. You cannot send or receive calls. You cannot send or receive sms. You cannot use mobile data. However, it is possible to manually enable WiFi and Bluetooth after airplane mode is activated.

When this Galaxy Note 7 indicator icon is showing in the status bar, you cannot enable mobile data or voice.  If mobile data or voice is enabled, this indicator icon should disappear.

Error occurred

When you see this indicator icon in Galaxy Note 7 status bar, you should check the notification message.

It usually indicates a system error. Sometimes, you can reboot your Galaxy Note 7 to see whether it helps.

Reverse charging

If you connect Galaxy Note 7 to other mobile devices with the USB cable, you may use your Galaxy Note 7 battery to charge the other mobile device.

This is a new feature thanks to the USB Type-C.

 Battery being charged

You may read this guide on how to charge and maintain Galaxy Note 7 battery.

I got Galaxy Note 7 indicator icons that are not listed here, what do they mean?

There are some other Galaxy Note 7 indicator icons that are not included in the list.

If the indicator icon is in the left side of Galaxy Note 7 status bar, it is very likely a notification icon associated with notification messages or some apps.

Anyway, if you cannot figure out the meaning of such Galaxy Note 7 indicator icons, you can take a screenshot and share it in our Facebook page.

Do you have any questions on the meaning of Galaxy Note 7 indicator icons in status bar?

If you have any questions on the meaning of Galaxy Note 7 indicator icons, please let us know in the comment box below.

The community will try to help you.

You can get the official Samsung Galaxy Note 7 user manual (user guide) in your local language in Galaxy Note 7 user manuals page.

For other detailed Galaxy S7 how-t0 guides, please check Galaxy Note 7 guides page.