GoKawiilThat tiny strip at the top of your Android phone is packed with information. With a bit of training, you should be able to immediately figure out exactly what your phone is trying to tell you about the network, calls, battery and more. If you want to be efficient, you need to understand what all (or most) of those symbols mean so you don't get confused and spend 20 minutes troubleshooting a problem that's not really there.
The small symbols at the top of your screen fall into roughly five main categories: network, battery, device status, sound, and call. You'll find these symbols in the status area on the right, while notifications from specific apps are grouped on the left. While the shape of the icons may vary a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer, they'll be more similar than different. But it's worth remembering that most Android manufacturers modify the phone's appearance a bit, so things might be a little different on your specific device. Let's break things down and help you figure out the most common Android status bar icons by category so you always know what your phone is trying to tell you.