What does the bed symbol mean on your Android phone?

Bedtime mode is part of Google’s Wellbeing initiative and toolset. You can check if you’ve set up bedtime mode correctly by seeing if your Android phone has the bed icon next to the battery and Wi-Fi indicators at the top of your phone. The icon indicates that bedtime mode is on and will disappear once you turn it off. Additionally, when using Bedtime mode, the display may change depending on the settings you have enabled to avoid distractions.

The idea behind configurable Bedtime Mode settings is to prevent you from being kept awake by using your smartphone while restrictions are in effect – or, at the very least, to improve the health of your eyes at night by forcing you to rest them. Features like gray leveling your screen, an alarm clock, Do Not Disturb mode, and a dark theme are available to help you reduce the time you spend looking at the screen.

You can enable each of them if it helps you put your phone away, or disable them if you don’t find them effective. Although the Google Pixel has a built-in bedtime mode, it’s actually available on any Android smartphone, including those with very custom UI skins like Samsung and OnePlus. You can either manually turn on bedtime mode or set it to use a set schedule so that it automatically starts at the time you set until you manually turn it off or remove the condition.

Google Pixel has two places where you can set up bedtime mode. The first is through “Digital Wellbeing” in the main settings: scroll down and the “Ways to unplug” heading will include a dedicated “Bedtime Mode” tile. Tap “Bedtime Mode,” then tap “Turn On Now” or scroll down to tap “Customize in Modes.” If you want to add a dark theme, dark wallpaper or grayscale, visit the “Customize in Modes” section or go directly to “Settings” > “Modes”, then select “Bedtime”. Turning it off is even easier, since you can do it through the “Modes” or “Digital Wellbeing” settings.

The “Digital Wellbeing” menu also lets you pause bedtime mode for 30 minutes instead of turning it off completely. If you want to disable it, choose “Disable for now”. Alternatively, you can open the notifications panel by swiping down from the top to access both options. Conversely, if you do this through the “Modes” menu, select the “Bedtime” tile and tap “Off.” Samsung phones equipped with the latest version of One UI will only have one reliable way to access bedtime mode and make relevant changes, as the “Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls” settings menu primarily focuses on screen time, app timers, and content restrictions.

So if you want to make changes to bedtime mode, or turn it on or off, go to “Modes & Routines”, scroll down to find “Sleep”, then tap “Enable” or make changes by tapping the “Other actions” section to include changes like dark mode or grayscale when bedtime mode is on. Finally, turning off the mode is even simpler: go back to “Modes and routines” > “Sleep” and tap “Turn off”.