The status bar on our Android phones has so many icons these days that it’s hard to know what’s going on. Today we tell you what are arrows (or triangles) that appear on some Android phones right next to the WiFi, Bluetooth, or data icons.
Although most experienced Android users surely know what it is, the little arrows can be a puzzle to those who don’t have much experience with the technology and in some cases they can be used to diagnose the problems we have with the mobile and its connectivity.
The little arrows of WiFi and data
Wi-Fi icon with a down arrow
Let’s start at the beginning: what little arrows are we talking about exactly? We refer to up and down arrows, usually very small and located next to another more visible icon, such as the WiFi or coverage/data icon. Keep in mind that these arrows are not part of the standard Android design and will therefore only appear in certain customization layers.
As it is not standard, its appearance may change but the truth is that in most cases they are small arrows next to the icon, either to the right or to the left, and can point to up or down.
The 4G+ icon with the up and down arrows
In WiFi and data connection, these arrows show the data path: arrow top for data download and bottom for download. That is, if we are watching something on YouTube, the normal thing will be that the down arrow remains lit because the streaming video data is being downloaded. In any case, the most common is that both arrows light up at the same time, because to download data you also need to communicate with the server from time to time and vice versa.
In addition to indicating whether there are active data transfers, these arrows They are used to indicate that there is connectivity. This is especially important in the data (or coverage) icon, because if we have connectivity we will see the arrows, even if they are off, but if there is no connectivity there is no will have no arrows. It will then be time to try common solutions when you don’t have data on your mobile.
Bluetooth arrows
On the WiFi and Bluetooth icons, it’s pretty clear that the arrows indicate whether there is a download or an upload, but those accompanying the Bluetooth icon may be different, at least in some layers. The normal thing when we use Bluetooth with headphones or a smart watch is that the connection is constant, so highlighting download or upload transfers does not make as much sense.
The Bluetooth icon with the up and down arrows and the 4G+ icon with both arrows turned off
Instead, some layers choose to display both arrows are lit when connected to a Bluetooth device. Although Android shows (unless you hide it) the Bluetooth icon in the status bar when you have it active, these arrows help you know whether a device is connected or not.
This way they will help you identify that your headphones have lost connection as soon as you see that the Bluetooth icon no longer has arrows. On the other hand, you can also find out if the system shows you the battery of connected devices in the status bar, which is quite common these days.
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