Small dot at the top of a Samsung phone: what does it mean?
On a Samsung Galaxy with One UI 7 or later it means a notification is waiting.
What Samsung says
- Samsung Galaxy — Pending notification (One UI 7). A notification is available. On One UI 7 or later a dot may show in the status bar instead of a notification icon; it disappears when you open the notification panel.
Source: Samsung Canada support: Identify and understand the icons displayed in the top right corner of your Samsung Galaxy (checked 2026-09-29)
- What it looks like
- One small dot in the status bar, where notification icons would be; the colour of the text, not green or orange.
- Shown by
- Samsung Galaxy
Telling it apart
A coloured dot (green or orange) at the top right is a camera or microphone indicator 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.
- Samsung Galaxy — Samsung Canada support: Identify and understand the icons displayed in the top right corner of your Samsung Galaxy. OS: One UI; some icons marked One UI 7; last updated 4 September 2026. Checked 2026-09-29.