Not knowing what a symbol on your status bar represents can be scary, but it’s rarely anything to worry about. For example, seeing a triangle symbol on your Samsung phone simply means that data saver is on. If you see a clock symbol on your status bar or when you scroll through the Quick Panel, it usually means one of two different things, depending on the specific icon.
The first is the alarm icon, depicted as a typical alarm clock with two bells on top (like the cover image of this article). This is the icon most people are used to, but it might not make sense to display it if you don’t have an upcoming alarm for the day. If the icon shows despite this, it’s probably because there will be an upcoming alarm tomorrow or in a few days, since One UI shows the icon regardless of how far ahead an alarm is – even if you have an alarm that won’t sound until a week later, the icon still appears in the status bar. To remove the clock icon, go to your Clock app and make sure all alarms are turned off.
The other clock icon looks like a square with rounded edges that contains a clock inside. This means that a new One UI update is available on your phone. To remove this clock symbol, simply update your Samsung phone to the latest version of One UI. At the time of writing, this would likely be One UI 8.5 for most non-foldable devices, but some Samsung phones will soon receive One UI 9. You can update the system by opening Settingsscroll down and select Software updatethen pressing Check for updates. This will download the update and after restarting your phone the symbol will disappear.
Other icons that may resemble a clock symbol
Ka Iki/Shutterstock
Samsung only has two distinct clock elements as part of its status bar UI, but some other icons may look similar. It’s possible that the clock symbol isn’t a clock at all, but rather the “Active Light Performance Profile” icon. This is a feature in modern Samsung flagships that increases your phone’s battery life by reducing performance. To disable this option, go to Settings > Device care > Performance profile. Skip to Standard to disable the feature, which will return performance to normal and remove the clock icon.
Users of older versions of One UI may also encounter the “Enhanced Processing” icon, which indicates that the device is prioritizing performance. This feature no longer exists in modern versions of the operating system. To turn it off, go to Settings > Battery > Device care > Batterythen press More battery settings. You will see the option to turn off enhanced processing here.
