This symbol costs you data and power on your phone

Smartphones contain a wide range of status icons that provide information about active functions and connections.

However, not all symbols are easy to decipher and one particular icon, depending on whether you’re using Android or iPhone, may have a greater significance than it first appears.

This is the icon that shows that your phone’s internet connection is shared with other devices via a mobile hotspot.

The chain symbol on iPhone

On iPhones, the symbol with two linked links shows that the phone’s personal hotspot is active.

This means that other devices can use your phone as an internet access point.

This feature can be useful, but forgetting to turn it off again can have several consequences.

When the hotspot is on and other devices connect automatically, it can lead to significant data consumption.

This is especially true if, for example, a tablet or another phone keeps connecting without you realizing it.

At the same time, the feature has a negative impact on the phone’s power consumption as it requires constant wireless activity.

This causes the battery to discharge faster, and over time this can lead to more charging cycles and more wear and tear on the battery than necessary.

This can shorten battery life, which is a disadvantage as iPhones do not have a replaceable battery.

Some users also find that the phone gets hotter than usual when the hotspot is on for longer periods of time.

This is typically due to the device being used as a fixed internet source for computers, for example.

Hotspot icon on Android

On Android phones, a different icon appears in the status bar when the mobile hotspot feature is active.

It can vary from model to model, but often it is an icon with open circles and a dot in the middle.

Again, the phone acts as an internet connection for other devices.

If this feature is activated without the user’s attention, it can mean that previously connected devices will automatically reconnect.

Just like with the iPhone.

It is therefore recommended to check if the feature is turned on and disable it when not in use.

There is often an option to set a limit on data usage via the hotspot, but this does not necessarily prevent automatic reconnection from previously connected devices.

So both Android and Apple devices can act as mobile routers, but not without cost.

By keeping an eye on the small icons at the top of the screen, you can avoid unnecessary data usage and protect battery life.