Android 2.1 -- how to read icons on top bar?

M

mikka = )

New member
I'm a new Android user... (Sprint EVO with Android 2.1 with update 1)

I notice on the top of many of the screens is a bar that has different icons on it.. Digital time of day, battery status, network strength, 3G / 4G upload/download, Bluetooth on/ off, GPS on / off, ..

See attached photo...

I can figure out most of them. The ones I don't understand look like an upside down electrical ground symbol (a bunch of horizontal lines) with a check mark on top of them.


Anybody have a clue what these represent? Are these applications in active memory?

There is also a reel to reel thing, looks like the cartridge film they sold for compact cameras in the 70's. God I hate quick reminders that are not intuitive... Is that the icon that says "you are old, you suck, cartridge film is dead icon?"

Is there a guide anywhere to what all of the upper bar icons mean, why they are there, what good are they, etc?

(I have done some online searches, checked the FAQ, stickies, etc... nothing pops up that I can see... Apologies if this info is written down somewhere that I should have already seen...)

Many thanks for your replies,
zip.
 
The check marks are INSTALLED apps..

put finger above the screen and slide it down, this is you're notification tray. So there was arrors aiming down before, they were apps being downloaded from the market, and now they are finished so they are check marks.

the 2 circles. with line in middle is a Voicemail.. GPS and Bluetooth and 4G you can turn off unless you need them. I only have Wifi, or Bluetooth turned on if I really am using them at that time.. and 4G is sweet, but unless your browsing online, or watching live TV, or something I'd have it turned off, but if you get it most of the time where you drive and work then might as well leave it on.

You can slide from the top down, or hit menu and go to notifications and the top will come down and show you everything. Then in top right is a CLEAR button. The Android Notification tray is amazing. it will tell you what apps are downloaded, what need updated, how many missed calls you have, a voicemail, and how many emails you have. All at the same time up there. This is an amazing feature I'd severely miss with say an iphone.. so use it..
Also for a new user, have you owned a touchscreen phone before?
 
Gunther.. many thanx for quick reply. Is there a users guide written down anywhere that describes the tray? (Voice mail.. right, like that's intuitive...ugh...)


oops.. nevermind.. when you slide down the notifications they are spelled out.. ugh.

Again, thank you for the help...
zip...
 
Yup, slide it down and it tells ALL. You should be able to hide the icon in settings of GPS, I'm always clearing my icons up top with the clear button when you slide it down. I sync Bluetooth with my car when I get in so I have it on often, but if not I'd turn it off if I was you.

now you might have little icons all over one screen that say 4G, and Wifi, and bluetooth, and 3G and one touch turns them on or off. I'd get rid of all of those but the 4G one. and then Push and hold down anywhere on the screen, a menu will appear, go to Widgets and scroll down and choose Power Control. That is what I use for Sync, bluetooth, wifi, easily. As well as screen dimming. Make sure there's room on the screen for when you do this.

Have you owned a touchscreen phone before zip? One little tip for new phone owners. If there's Anything you can't figure out, Most likely you need to touch the screen, or hold down. Can't delete a Contact in your contacts, hold down on it and delete. Same thing for almost anything else, Holding down is something many people surprisingly don't think of when they get a device like yours.

Also out of the box those EVO's have stuff all over all the screens when you slide left and right. Any of them you wanna move you can touch and hold, when it vibrates slide it down to bottom and throw it away. Then you can touch and hold the screen and go to widgets and put whatever you want on the screen.
 
Have two applications just install,Bluetooth,voice message,ect.but you like to see better just touch the bar and slice down and you can see easy everything.
 
In terms of a user manual... I can't speak for the Evo, but the HTC Desire manual has like a hundred icons and what they mean. Of course, these only apply to Android notification icons, not ones coming from installed applications.
 
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