Meaning of Galaxy S8 status icons and notification icons in Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

This Galaxy S8 status icon means Galaxy S8 is NOT registered with any mobile networks.  The possible causes of this issue include:

• there is no mobile network signal coverage from your carrier in the specific location at that time; or
• SIM card has not been activated yet.

You have to work with your carrier to solve the issue.

When this status icon appears,  you cannot receive or make calls, or use mobile data in Galaxy S8 0r S8+. But you can still use other functions that do not require a mobile network.

This Galaxy S8 status icon indicates the strength of the mobile signal in your area. More bars mean a stronger signal.

You can get accurate (and actual) signal strength in dBm in Settings–About phone –Status –SIM card status.

This Galaxy S8 status icon tells you that your Galaxy S8 or S8+  is registered in other carriers’ network, not your own carrier’s.  This means you are roaming to another carrier now.

It is normal to see this icon when you are visiting other countries. Some Galaxy S8 or S8 owners who live close to the border may roam to another carrier inadvertently.  In this case, you probably should check with your carrier and disable auto roaming.

The roaming charges are usually higher than using your own carrier’s network.

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), which is the slowest 2G mobile data connection, will be used only if there are no available 4G, 3G or Edge networks.

In some regions, some carriers already retired 2G network.

If your mobile plan includes 3G data or 4G LTE data, but you often get this Galaxy S8 status icon, you may check with your carrier on the 3G and 4G network coverage in your area.

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 your mobile plan includes 3G data or 4G LTE data, but you often get this Galaxy S8 status icon, you may check with your carrier on the 3G and 4G network coverage in your area.

This Galaxy S8 status icon is a bit confusing.  For different carriers, the 3G status icon may mean quite different things. Normally, it refers to 3G network excluding HSPA or HSPA+ (read on).

When data are transmitted, the arrows in the status icon will flash or show different colours. In some regions, there are no arrows in the bottom of this status icon, i.e., it could be just a plain 3G.

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 a 3.5G network.

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

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

HSPA+ (Evolved HSPA) is 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.

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

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

This Galaxy S8 status icon is very confusing, because it may mean different things in different regions. Often, it means it is a 4G /LTE network (see below). But occasionally, it may refer to HSPA+, which was called as 4G by some carriers.

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

Unlike 3G, HSPA, and HSPA+, the frequency (band) of 4G LTE in different regions (and different carriers) differs dramatically. When you travel to other areas, you may find your Galaxy S8 or S8+ 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 S8 or S8+.

Voice over LTE (VoLTE) uses a 4G LTE network to transmit voice.  You can expect better voice quality and faster connecting compared to 2G voice.

Some carriers may brand VoLTE as HD voice or Crystal voice.

You need to enable aeroplane mode when a mobile network connection is not allowed.

By default, when you enable aeroplane mode (flight mode), all radios are turned off, including WiFi and Bluetooth. If you know it is allowed to use WiFi or Bluetooth in that location; you can manually enable them when the flight mode status icon is shown. But you cannot enable mobile data or voice as long as you have this status icon.  If mobile data or voice is enabled, this status icon should disappear.

This Galaxy S8 status icon was deprecated in most regions.

Mobile hotspot allows you to share your mobile data connection in Galaxy S8 or S8+ with other devices.  Other devices can connect to your Galaxy S8 or S8+ as if your Galaxy S8 or S8+ is a normal wireless router.

The battery can be drained very fast when the mobile hotspot is activated and being used.

This Galaxy S8 status icon indicates data saver feature is turned on.

You can enable or disable data saver in Settings— Connections —Data usage—Data saver.

In Android Oreo update for Galaxy S8 and S8+, the data saver icon was changed to the second one as explained in this guide.

You can set up and enable do not disturb mode to minimise distractions from calls and notifications without missing important calls and notifications.

Please refer to this guide on how to use the do not disturb (DnD) feature.

When you are in a call, and you minimize the phone app, you will then see this Galaxy S8 notification icon in status bar.

This notification icon tells you there is a call on hold.  It is a carrier-dependent feature.

If you choose to always forward all calls to other number or voicemail, you may find this notification icon.

The Galaxy S8 notification icon informs you missed calls. You can check the call log in the phone app to see the caller number.

During a call, you can tap the mute button to mute your mic without ending the call. If you tap the mute button again, it will be unmuted.

In most regions, this Galaxy S8 notification icon was deprecated. In this case, you have to check the colour of the mute button to determine whether the microphone is muted or not.

You can transfer the call to the speaker instead of on the earpiece.

Again, in most regions, this Galaxy S8 notification icon was deprecated. You have to check the colour of the speaker icon in phone app during a call to find out the current status.

There are 3 sound modes for ringtones and notification tones in Galaxy S8 and S8+: sound (normal), mute and vibrate.

This Galaxy S8 status icon means Galaxy S8 or S8+ is in silent mode. When someone calls you, Galaxy S8 will not ring or vibrate.

This Galaxy S8 status icon indicates S8 is in vibrate mode, i.e., the ringtone is muted, and Galaxy S8 or S8+ vibrates only.

This Galaxy S8 status icon indicates WiFi connection is activated and Galaxy S8 is successfully connected to an access point.

When data are transmitted, the arrows in the Galaxy S8 status icon will flash or show different colours.

The question mark in this Galaxy S8 status icon means that WiFi is enabled, but not connected.

The Galaxy S8 status icon indicates  WiFi Direct is enabled. WiFi Direct allows two devices to connect to each other without through a wireless router.

Download booster allows you to combine 4G LTE connection and WiFi connection in Galaxy S8 or S8+ to download a single file.

This Galaxy S8 notification icon indicates files are being downloaded in the background.

If the downloading is in progress, the arrow is usually animated downwards. In some regions, the colour may also change.

Similar to file download notification icon.

NFC (near field communication) provides a  fast way to share small files and mobile payment.

In some regions, this Galaxy S8 status icon will not be shown even NFC is enabled.

By default, Galaxy S8 or S8+ will not show this status icon when location service is enabled. It is shown only when location service is accessed.

You can enable battery percentage next to battery icon in Settings — Device maintenance — Battery –-Menu key —Advanced settings — Percentage on status bar.

When Galaxy S8 battery has less than 5% capacity left, this status icon will replace normal battery level icon.

Once this Galaxy S8 status icon is shown, Galaxy S8 will automatically adjust some settings, for example, the brightness of the screen will be automatically dimmed, and you cannot adjust it.

When you charge Galaxy S8 battery, you should see this status icon.

This Galaxy S8 status icon indicates Galaxy S8 or S8+ is charging other devices connected to it.

Reverse charging is a special feature of phones with USB type C.

When you enable power saving, this Galaxy S8 status icon will be shown in the status bar.

You can enable or disable Galaxy S8 power saving mode in Settings — Device maintenance — Battery.

Galaxy S8 allows you to set the phone in one of the 4 modes: Optimized (default), game, entertainment and high performance.

You may refer to this guide on the differences of these performance modes.

As in other smartphones, the alarm will NOT work if you power off Galaxy S8.

When you take a screenshot on Galaxy S8 or S8+, it allows you to edit it discard it before it is saved. But the duration is very short. After the screenshot is saved, you will see this notification icon.

This is the email app notification icon.

This Galaxy S8 notification icon indicates new voice mail messages.  You need check with your carrier on how to manage your voice mailbox. By default, in the dial keypad, long tapping “1” will connect you to your voice mailbox if it is configured by your carrier.

Please note, voice mail is provided by your carrier, and all voicemail messages are saved on their servers, not on your Galaxy S8 or S8+.