OnePlus 6 Notification Bar Icons Explained

In this guide we’ll explain what some of those weird notification bar icons are on your OnePlus 6 screen. Whether you see a circle with a line through it or three little dots, we’re here to help. We’re talking about those little symbols at the top of your screen near the time, date, and battery indicator.

If you find yourself wondering what the “R” is on the OnePlus 6 status bar this will tell you everything you need to know. We’ll also explain how to get rid of some of these too.

Read: 10 Common OnePlus 6 Problems & Quick Fixes

Most of the icons at the top of your screen are important. These let you know what settings or features are on or in use. They also display your 4G LTE data connection, 2G, 3G, roaming, WiFi, battery levels, and upcoming alarms, to name a few.

OnePlus 6 Notification Bar Icons Explained

Owners all over the OnePlus forum are asking questions about the status bar icons. You can spend a full night reading the OnePlus 6 user manual or browse the web and forum for hours, and get nowhere. It only explains a few icons, and the ones most people are curious about aren’t mentioned at all. So, here’s what you need to know.

Almost every icon you see at the top of the screen is there for a reason. If you turn something on, like WiFi or NFC, a new icon will pop up. If you have too many, the operating system will hide the status bar icons and put three little dots to indicate “more” even if it can’t show them.

Some of the OnePlus 6 notification bar icons may look slightly different from what’s shown above, but what each one means is the same. These appear when you have a missed call, new emails, messages, downloads, GPS, do-not-disturb, silent mode, or app updates. These are all pretty common, and most people understand what they mean.

All carriers and manufacturers have a different logo for 2G, 3G, 4G, H, H+, and 4G LTE. That’s the type of connection you have with AT&T or Verizon. These icons notify you that you have an active connection (cell service) and what type it is. You want 4G LTE everywhere.

With the OnePlus 6 you’ll likely see the 4G logo most of the time. This means you have a fast cell and internet connection. If you see an “R” as shown above, be careful. This stands for “roaming” and it means you’re using a different carrier for the connection. If you have AT&T but there’s only T-Mobile service in the area, your phone might pick up that T-Mobile signal. If it does, you’ll see the R. Use caution, as some carriers charge huge roaming fees.

If you didn’t find what you’re looking for above, here are a few other others you might see and won’t understand.

What Do These Weird OnePlus 6 Icons Mean?

The most common question we see about the OnePlus 6 notification bar icons is a small circle with a line through it. You might also see a half circle with a plus sign and have no clue how it got there.

If you see a circle with a line through it, this means your OnePlus 6 is on silent mode. This is similar to a “do not enter” sign and is alerting you that no sounds are allowed. Simply switch the alert slider all the way down, or turn up the volume, and this little circle will go away.

Next, that weird “B” stands for Bluetooth. If you’re connected to a stereo, headphones, or a car stereo, you’ll see the Bluetooth logo. What’s this “N” on my OnePlus 6 screen? That N-shaped icon stands for NFC, or Near Field Communications. Apps and services use NFC to quickly pair accessories, or Google Pay uses NFC too.

By the way, that half circle with a plus sign is for Data Saver. This cuts down on data usage by preventing certain apps from sending and receiving data in the background. If photos aren’t loading right in apps (like Facebook) it’s because of Data Saver. You probably turned it on somewhere at some point, and now see the icon on your screen. Go to Settings > Connections > Data usage > Data Saver > and turn it off.

And if you see a bullseye on your OnePlus phone, don’t worry, it’s only the GPS icon. If you’re using Google Maps or Navigation, you’ll see a bullseye icon.

Other OnePlus 6 Status Bar Icons

Airplane mode is another icon we get asked about often. If you see an airplane you likely pulled down the notification bar and accidentally turned on airplane mode. Incidentally, you probably have no internet or Bluetooth when you see this icon. Airplane mode turns off all the wireless signals inside your phone. Like WiFi, Bluetooth, 4G LTE, internet, etc. Some airports believe these signals can interfere with an aircraft, so they make you turn everything off while you fly. Hence the name, airplane mode.

The other notification bar icon we get asked about often is just the SIM card on the OnePlus 6. This phone can take two SIM cards, so you can have two phone numbers at the same time. When you don’t have a SIM card in the phone you’ll see the icons shown below.

When you add your SIM card to the phone these will go away. You can even customize the SIM card notifications in settings, if you’d like.

3 Dots in OnePlus 6 Notification Status Bar

And finally, we have to talk about the “3 dots in the corner of my screen” question we keep seeing. The OnePlus 6 has a notch in the screen for the sensors, and notification icons can only go so far. Otherwise, they’ll get cut-off by the notch. If you have a ton of apps, settings, alarms, silent mode, do-not-disturb and more enabled, you might see three dots in the notification bar.

This is to notify you that you have more icons and notifications than the system can display at the moment. So, it is telling you to swipe down to see the rest of your status bar icons. Personally, it looks like the phone could easily show at least two more, but the system hides them and puts those dots on the screen. Basically, the notch is getting in the way.

If you see three dots just swipe down to see the rest of your icons and notifications. You can also go to Settings > Status Bar > and customize what your phone displays.

Now that you know what most of the notification bar icons are on the OnePlus 6, you’re all set. Now, just use the phone like always and don’t worry about all those status bar icons. Before you go, take a peek at these 15 best OnePlus 6 cases. Or, read this guide on getting better battery life.