Green, red or blue bubble behind the time on an iPhone: what does it mean?
On an iPhone a coloured pill means something is running in the background: a call, FaceTime, screen recording, Personal Hotspot or navigation.
What Apple says
- iPhone (Apple) — Green, handset. Phone call: iPhone is on a phone call.
Source: Apple Support: Learn the meaning of iPhone status icons (iPhone User Guide) (checked 2026-09-29) - iPhone (Apple) — Green, video camera. FaceTime: iPhone is on a FaceTime call.
Source: Apple Support: Learn the meaning of iPhone status icons (iPhone User Guide) (checked 2026-09-29) - iPhone (Apple) — Green, two links. Personal Hotspot: iPhone is providing a Personal Hotspot.
Source: Apple Support: Learn the meaning of iPhone status icons (iPhone User Guide) (checked 2026-09-29) - iPhone (Apple) — Red, record circle. Screen recording: iPhone is recording your screen.
Source: Apple Support: Learn the meaning of iPhone status icons (iPhone User Guide) (checked 2026-09-29) - iPhone (Apple) — Blue, arrow. Navigation: iPhone is giving turn-by-turn directions.
Source: Apple Support: Learn the meaning of iPhone status icons (iPhone User Guide) (checked 2026-09-29)
- What it looks like
- The clock in the top left sits inside a rounded coloured capsule (green, red or blue), sometimes with a small picture in it.
- Shown by
- iPhone (Apple)
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.