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All Apple Watch Icons and Symbols Meaning – Guide

by Gaurav Bidasaria
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Apple Watch has a lot of icons and symbols throughout the UI, many of which are not marked. Why? Because the screen size is small. Here is the definitive guide to all Apple Watch icons and symbols and their meaning and purpose. Let’s begin.

Update: We last updated this article with new icons and symbols on March 29th, 2025.

What Do Status and Control Center Icons n Symbols Mean on Apple Watch

Control Center Icons Meaning

Pressing the side button will open the Control Center on your Apple Watch, where you can quickly enable and disable features and settings like network, sound, modes, etc.

  1. Wi-Fi symbol: Enable or disable Wi-Fi. Long-press to choose a different Wi-Fi network.
  2. Find my phone: Pressing this will make your iPhone ring a sound, helping to locate it even in silent mode.
  3. Percentage: Apple Watch’s current battery charge level
  4. Bell icon: Enable/disable silent mode on your Watch. Long-press to select duration.
  5. 2 face masks: Enable theater mode, which will not only enable silent mode but also keep the screen dark until you press the digital crown button. Useful when you are watching a movie or in a meeting and don’t want to be disturbed.
  6. Circle in a square icon: Use walkie talkie feature.
  7. Half moon icon: Choose to enable DND (do not disturb) or sleep modes. Here are more tips and tricks on using focus modes on the iPhone.
  8. Water drop: Going for a swim? Use this to avoid unwanted taps due to water droplets on the screen and eject water from your Apple Watch using sound vibrations.
  9. Torch icon: Turns Watch screen completely white so you can use it as a torch. Swipe left to use it as a flash flashlight in emergencies.
  10. Airplane icon: Enable airplane mode when boarding a flight.
  11. Triangle with circles: That’s the AirPlay icon, which allows you to choose an audio output you want to use with Watch.
  12. Ear icon: Hearing Device icon will beep gently if the noise levels in your surroundings are above the accepted threshold such that your hearing could be impacted. You can also increase and decrease your connected AirPods or any headphone’s volume.

13. aA: Increase or decrease the font size in supported apps.

14. Person raising hand: Activates schooltime feature that will enable DND and block all apps and notifications except emergency services.

15. Bed icon: Sleep mode is activated.

Status Icons Meaning

These icons and symbols appear at the top of your Apple Watch’s home screen. They are tiny in size but intimate about what app is running or which option/feature has been enabled.

Here’s an example. The airplane icon appears in the status bar of my Watch. It means airplane mode is enabled. Let’s take a look at all possible icons and symbols you may see on your Apple Watch and their meanings.

  • Red lightning: It means Watch’s battery is low and needs to be charged.
  • Green lightning: That means Watch is currently being charged.

  • Red dot: You have unread notifications.
  • Yellow circle: Low power mode is enabled.

  • Pad lock icon: Watch is locked and needs a passcode to unlock.
  • Water drop: Water lock is enabled. Press and hold the crown button to release water and unlock Watch.

  • Half moon: DND mode is enabled so you won’t receive calls or other notifications. Screen will not light up. However, alarms will go off on time.
  • Purple man: Personal focus mode is enabled.

  • White man: Work mode is enabled.
  • Bed icon: Sleep mode is enabled. Press and hold the crown icon to use Watch.

  • Theater mode: Theater mode is enabled so screen won’t light up and no notifications will pass through.
  • Running man: A workout is in progress.

  • Red cross: Only on Apple Watch with cellular networks. This means the network is lost.
  • Red phone with bar: Watch is no longer paired with its iPhone. Reasons could include theft or iPhone being out of range.
  • Green phone: Watch is connected to the iPhone.
  • Mic icon: Microphone is on.

  • Arrow symbol: An app on your Apple Watch is using GPS.
  • Dots in a circle: Wireless activity is happening.

  • Green bars: Signal strength in a cellular Apple Watch.
  • Walkie Talkie: Walike Walkie is enabled and you can be reached.

  • Compass red arrow: You are using the Backtrack feature.
  • Arrow pointing right: A third-party app is being used to navigate.

You may see some app-specific icons in the status bar. For example, music streaming apps like Spotify or Apple Music, calling app when you are on a call, navigation app icons when you are using Apple or Google Maps, and so on.

  • Apple Sports (Sports Field/Court) Icon: Live Activity notification from the Apple Sports app of an ongoing sports event. Tapping this icon will typically take you directly to the Live Activity in the Apple Sports app for more details.
  • Now Playing Icon (Red Play Icon in White Circle): This icon indicates that media is currently playing on your paired iPhone. The Now Playing app on your Apple Watch allows you to control the audio playback.

Home Screen Icons

The icons you see on the home screen of the Apple Watch will largely depend on the chosen watch face with the set of complications. Let’s go through some common and basic ones that most people use to track their health metrics as an example.

  1. Cloud or sun icon: That’s the weather icon. Tap on it to see a detailed weather report.
  2. Green man running: Workout icon. Tap on it to choose a workout to measure before starting.
  3. Three rings: It shows how active you are. Tap on it to open the Fitness app, which is also installed on your iPhone.

Other Icons:

Some other icons that you may or may not encounter depending on your usage.

1.remote icon on apple watchWe have not seen this icon, but Apple Support thread has a theory. This icon means that Watch was unable to find a heartbeat. Causes may include loose worn Watch, water or sweat, or dust. Please tighten the strap after cleaning the sensor and hand and try again.
2.announce with siri icon on apple watchIf you own iPhone and AirPods along with Apple Watch, you can announce calls and notifications using the Announce with Siri feature. You can listen to and respond to these notifications using Siri.
3.Heart with an arrow through itWe have not seen this icon but Apple Support thread has a theory. This icon means that Watch was unable to find a heartbeat. Causes may include loose worn Watch, water or sweat, or dust. Please tighten the strap after cleaning the sensor and hand and try again.

Found an icon on your Apple Watch that you don’t know the meaning of? Reach out to us on X (formerly Twitter), and we will update the list.

Two Watch Coming Together – Apple Watch NameDrop Icon

NameDrop is a feature that allows you to quickly share contact information between Apple devices. When you bring two Apple Watches or an iPhone and an Apple Watch close to each other, a specific icon appears to showcase this process.

Apple Watch Charging Symbols

When you connect your Apple Watch to its charging cable and a power source, it displays various symbols to indicate its charging status. Understanding these symbols can help you ensure your watch is charging correctly.

Charging Confirmation (Green Lightning Bolt) Icon: A green lightning bolt icon will appear on the Apple Watch screen. This indicates that the watch is receiving power and beginning to charge.

Low Power Mode Charging (Yellow Icons): Your Apple Watch is running watchOS 9 or later and is in Low Power Mode while charging. All displayed icons, time, and day will appear in yellow.

Low Battery Warning (Red Lightning Bolt) Icon: This icon appears when your Apple Watch has a critically low battery level. You may need to press the side button to wake the screen and view this icon.

Charging in Progress (Red Lightning Bolt in Ring): When the watch is charging from a low battery state, the red lightning bolt will appear inside a ring. This means that the watch is currently charging.

Battery Discharged/Initial Charging (Charging Cable) Icon: If your Apple Watch screen is blank due to:

  • Completely discharged.
  • Has been left uncharged for an extended period.
  • Being charged for the first time during setup.

A charging cable icon will appear. In this case, it is recommended to charge your watch for at least 30 minutes to ensure it receives sufficient power. You might see one of these three icons below:

Hand Gesture Icon on Apple Watch

Hand Gesture (Pinching Finger) Icon: This icon depicts a pinching finger, which is a visual indicator related to the Apple Watch’s double-tap gesture functionality. It appears in specific scenarios to provide feedback to the user.

This icon appears when a user attempts to perform the double-tap gesture on an Apple Watch screen where the gesture is not supported.

Apple Watch Face Icons (Complications Menu)

Apple Watch faces are highly customizable, allowing you to display various icons and information directly on the watch face. These elements, known as “complications,” provide quick access to data and apps. Here’s how to understand the icons you see on your watch face:

Variety of Icons: Apple Watch faces can display a wide range of icons, depending on the chosen watch face and the complications you’ve added. These icons can represent:

  • Weather conditions (sun, clouds, rain)
  • Activity progress (rings, steps)
  • Calendar events
  • Battery level
  • Heart rate and much more

Finding Icon Meanings in the Apple Watch App:

To understand the meaning of specific icons on your watch face, you can use the Apple Watch app on your paired iPhone:

  1. Open the Apple Watch App
  2. Tap on the Watch Faces tab at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Choose the watch face that you are currently using or want to customize.
  4. There you will see the “Complications” section with icons’ meaning.

Focus Mode Icons

You might have noticed a blue smiley face or any different color icon on the status bar of your Apple Watch. Lets explore what this icon and other similar icons mean:

Blue Smiley Face Icon: It indicates that Focus Mode is active on your Apple Watch. Focus Modes help minimize distractions by filtering notifications and calls.

Similarly, you may see other focus mode icons that you may have running like gaming (blue rocket) or driving mode (car). Take a look at different focus modes on your iPhone’s Settings > Focus and then tap on the Plus + icon.

And that’s it, folks.

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