Black dots on Android screens aren’t usually a mystery and could be anything from a notification to a camera lens, or even a group of dead pixels.
From bulky constructions capable of only making phone calls, or sending texts if you’re lucky, to giant screens that connect you to the internet — the transformation of cell phones is an exciting technological feat. Both Android and iOS devices now do a lot more, with new features being showcased like clockwork every iteration. With so much happening on the screen, the various symbols and icons on your Android phone’s screen can be a quick and easy way to tell which app or system notifications are waiting for you.
These indicators are often miniature versions of the app icons themselves — so if you receive a text on WhatsApp, you’ll see the app’s tiny icon on your status bar. Certain symbols, like the key icon on Android, indicate other features of your device, such as VPN, network, or battery status. You will also notice an occasional green dot in the status bar — this denotes active camera or microphone use by an app or service.
However, a black dot is usually not a software element of any toggle on Android. It could always be a possibility that a poorly optimized app hasn’t yet crafted a unique symbol and is instead just displaying a black dot in place of a notification. This should be easy enough to confirm — just swipe down to access your notifications and clear them all.
