Smartphone symbol

[mcx88]

Can anyone tell me, what does the symbol that looks like a serpentine refer to, located on the Xiaomi Redmi note 9 pro, at the top of the screen?
I tried doing a search but can't find it.

 

[AugieTN]

A picture of it would help

 

[Dannydet]

Without a screen shot or picture of it, we can't help you.

 

[mcx88]

yes of course, this is the symbol

 

[AugieTN]

That's a tough one. I did a Google image search and there were a lot of similar symbols, but nothing exact.

 

[mikedt]

yes of course, this is the symbol

It's rather small and fuzzy, but it looks like an NFC notification symbol.

 

[svim]

Try doing a long-press on your phone's Play Store app icon, tap on the resulting contextual link 'My apps', in the resulting page select the 'Manage' tab in the upper menu bar. That should show a listing of all your apps, with their names and respective icons. Scroll down through the list and hopefully that will show you which app relates to that icon in your Notifications bar.

 

[mcx88]

It's rather small and fuzzy, but it looks like an NFC notification symbol.

View attachment 167177

What is it about?

 

[Dannydet]

Near Field Communication (NFC) is a set of short-range wireless technologies, typically requiring a distance of 4cm or less to initiate a connection. NFC allows you to share small payloads of data between an NFC tag and an Android-powered device, or between two Android-powered devices.

 

[mikedt]

What is it about?

NFC(Near Field Communications), which is often used for contacteless payments. That notification icon just means the phones's NFC function has been turned on

Many Bluteooth headphones and speakers have an embedded NFC tag, sometimes marked with that stylised "N" symbol, which allow automatic pairing to a phone.

There's never been a single standard logo or symbol for NFC, unlike say Bluetooth. Which is probably why AF has had several posts before, all asking this same question.

 

[mcx88]

Perhaps that symbol does not refer to NFC, it is also displayed in airplane mode during which all wireless connections are deactivated so I assume NFC too.

 

[mikedt]

NFC stays on when a phone is put in flight mode. Which I demonstrate in this screen-shot from my Huawei phone. My Samsung phone doesn't show the "N" notification when NFC is ON.

NFC has a range of a couple of inches. The "N" does mean NEAR. So I'm pretty sure this wireless connection has absolutely no chance of interfering with aircraft systems.

 

[mikedt]

BTW I learned about NFC been on in airplane mode years ago. When I was on a flight and my phone started beeping, because I put my passport and phone in the same trouser pocket.

All passports have an NFC tag in them.

Usually I leave NFC turned off, and have only really used NFC back when I was a regular customer of the Beijing Subway.

 

[mcx88]

However beyond this aspect, the symbol I posted is different from the "N" of the NFC, don't you think?

 

[Dannydet]

Well it'll be good luck finding the correct one. There's literally thousands of apps out there, and without a clue as to what this icon is, we can only guess.
This is your best answer....

 

[svim]

It's likely to be an NFC icon, just Disable it to remove it from the upper Status bar to confirm. You might want to be sure to remember to Enable it again since it does have a purpose -- i.e. automatic contactless payments in some retail outlets and NFC tags. Or leave it off if you're more wary about any of the data mining issues that some NFC tags can include.
(Go into your Settings menu and if you can't find the NFC option, use Search for NFC and that should point its location in Settings)

 

[mikedt]

However beyond this aspect, the symbol I posted is different from the "N" of the NFC, don't you think?

It's not identical, but your stylised "N" does have the same distinguishing features of an NFC "N" icon. So I can't think of anything else that it could be. Problem with NFC, it's like the symbols and icons for it were never formally standardised and enforced, unlike say for Bluetooth, or Compact Disc, or DVD, or VHS, or Betamax, or SD cards, etc. which are always standard no matter the the manufacturer and product.

 

[mcx88]

Well it'll be good luck finding the correct one. There's literally thousands of apps out there, and without a clue as to what this icon is, we can only guess.
This is your best answer....

So you think it's an icon of an application installed on your smartphone and not an android icon?

 

[svim]

So you think it's an icon of an application installed on your smartphone and not an android icon?

So are we to assume that you did disable NFC in your Settings menu and that icon was still showing in the upper Status bar afterwards?

 

[mcx88]

The smartphone in airplane mode shows that icon, I haven't touched any settings for NFC

 

[mikedt]

The smartphone in airplane mode shows that icon, I haven't touched any settings for NFC

I did state previously that NFC usually does stay on when a phone put in flight mode. I'm certain that something with an RF range of 2 inches maximum, is NOT going to crash any aeroplanes.

 

[James_Watson]

I am sure that it is a NFC status icon as I happen to have a Xiaomi phone on hand.

 

[mcx88]

Could the NFC connection be dangerous from a security point of view? Ok, the devices must be very close, but could a device potentially delete or steal data by connecting via NFC?

 

[ocnbrze]

there is always potential for hacking or stealing personal data. the fact that nfc needs to be VERY close is itself a deterrent. the phones or phone and device would literally need to be touching. so unless you leave your phone alone unattended, you should be fine.

How secure is NFC tech?

Sharing photos or business cards by tapping phones together seems pretty nifty, but is this tech really safe? Find out in this article.

electronics.howstuffworks.com

 

[mcx88]

Ok thanks for the help