Two arrows in a circle at the top of an iPhone: what does it mean?
On an iPhone it means the phone is syncing with your computer.
What Apple says
- iPhone (Apple) — Syncing. iPhone is syncing with your computer.
Source: Apple Support: Learn the meaning of iPhone status icons (iPhone User Guide) (checked 2026-09-29)
- What it looks like
- Two curved arrows forming a circle, each pointing at the other’s tail.
- Shown by
- iPhone (Apple)
Telling it apart
If the circular arrow has a padlock inside it, it is the portrait orientation lock instead.
Icons to compare
Sources
Each meaning above is taken from the maker’s own support page, fetched and read on the date shown. The drawing is ours; the real icon on your phone may be drawn a little differently and can change with software updates.
- iPhone (Apple) — Apple Support: Learn the meaning of iPhone status icons (iPhone User Guide). OS: iOS 27, the version the guide opened on; not dated on the page. Checked 2026-09-29.