How do I get rid of the volume icon?
What is the Volume Icon?
The volume icon shows the current volume level on your device. It’s usually found in the status bar at the top of the screen. Tapping it opens the volume control slider.
The icon itself is a square with vertical lines inside representing the volume level – more lines means louder volume. On Android devices, the icon’s background color matches your system theme. On Samsung devices, the icon may show a speaker, bell, or TV symbol depending on what type of audio is playing.
The volume icon provides quick access to control the sound output on your phone or tablet. Whether adjusting ringtone volume, media volume, or call volume, the icon lets you easily change levels with a tap.
Why Remove the Volume Icon?
There are a few reasons you may want to remove the volume icon from your phone’s status bar:
– You may find it distracting or unnecessary. The volume icon popping up whenever you adjust the volume can be visually disruptive if you don’t really need the visual feedback. Some users prefer a clean look without any icons they don’t absolutely need.
– It takes up space in the status bar you’d rather use for notifications. On phones with notches or limited status bar space, you may want to maximize the area for notification icons instead of the volume icon.
– You want a cleaner, less cluttered status bar. The volume icon is one more icon alongside battery, signal, WiFi and others. Removing it simplifies the look of the status bar.
Temporarily Hiding the Icon
There are a few straightforward ways to temporarily hide the volume icon in Android without completely disabling it. One method is switching your phone to silent or vibrate mode by using the volume rocker or quick settings toggle. This will replace the volume icon with a silent/vibrate icon instead. See this SuperUser post for details.
Another option is using a full screen app or game that hides the status bar. As long as the app is open and in full screen mode, you won’t see the volume icon or any other status icons. Just be aware the icon will reappear when you exit the app. Lowering the volume all the way down to mute will also remove the icon temporarily until the volume is raised again.
While useful in some cases, these are just temporary solutions. The volume icon will come back when you switch out of silent/vibrate mode, exit full screen, or raise the volume again. But they can help hide the icon if you only need it gone briefly.
Disabling System Icons in Settings
One way to get rid of the volume icon is to disable system icons in your device’s Settings app. Here are the steps to try this method:
Open the Settings app and navigate to the Sound or Sound & Vibration section. This is usually found in the Device section or by searching for “sound.”
Look for an option to disable or reduce system icons. On some Samsung devices this is under “App icons” while on other devices it may be called “Status bar” or “Status icons.”
Find the toggle switch for the volume icon and turn it off. This will disable the icon from appearing in your status bar.
You may need to reboot your device to apply the change. After your device restarts, the volume icon should no longer be shown in your status bar.
If your device doesn’t have an option to specifically disable the volume icon, look for a general setting to reduce status bar icons. Toggling this on may also remove the volume icon.
For example, on a Google Pixel phone running Android 9 or later:
How to Disable All Those Annoying Android System Icons
Using a Custom Launcher
Many popular custom launchers for Android like Nova Launcher have advanced features that allow hiding specific system icons in the status bar. Launchers like Nova provide more customization options compared to the default launcher on many Android devices.
To hide the volume icon using Nova Launcher, first enable the Nova Labs module in the launcher settings. Then go to the Icon Hiding setting under Labs and select the volume icon. This will remove the icon from the status bar without disabling the volume controls.
As noted in this Reddit thread, Nova Launcher’s icon hiding is one of the simplest ways to remove the volume icon on Android. Just toggle the icon off and it will no longer be shown in the status bar.
The advantage of using a custom launcher like Nova is that it allows selectively hiding only certain icons like volume. The rest of the system UI remains unchanged. This provides more granular control over the status bar icons.
Using 3rd Party Apps
One way to hide the volume icon on Android is by using a third party app. Some apps like Hidey Hole (https://www.hideyholeapp.com) have specific options for hiding icons. To use Hidey Hole to remove the volume icon:
1. Download and install the Hidey Hole app from the Play Store.
2. Open the app and grant it the necessary permissions and accessibility access to hide icons.
3. In the Hidey Hole app, tap on “Icon Hider” and select the volume icon to hide it.
The main benefit of using a dedicated app like Hidey Hole is it provides an easy way to target only the volume icon. The app handles hiding the icon and you don’t have to dig into Android’s system settings. However, some users may not want to install another app just for hiding icons.
Drawbacks of Removing the Icon
While removing the volume icon may seem convenient, there are some drawbacks to consider:
You won’t be able to easily see the volume level at a glance. Without the icon, you’ll have to manually check the volume each time you want to know if it’s muted, low, medium or high. As one Quora user reported, their volume would increase unexpectedly because they couldn’t monitor it without the icon visible (Source).
You may forget to unmute when needed. If you mute your device and then can’t see the mute icon, you might miss important calls or notification sounds. As a Quora user pointed out, the icon serves as a useful reminder of your current mute status.
You won’t see notifications of volume changes. Without the visual icon, you won’t notice if your volume gets lowered or raised unexpectedly. This could lead to confusion if sounds seem quieter or louder for unclear reasons, as an Apple Support thread discussed (Source).
Overall, the volume icon provides helpful visual feedback that aids volume management. Removing it may lead to accidental muting, missed notifications, and difficulty monitoring your sound levels.
Workarounds
If you still want quick access to volume controls without the icon, there are some workaround options:
You can add a volume shortcut to your phone’s drop down menu for easy access. Go to Settings > Buttons & gestures > System navigation > More options, and enable “Volume panel”. Now when you swipe down from the top of any screen, you’ll see a volume slider in the Quick Settings panel.
Relying on your phone’s physical volume buttons is another option. Though not as convenient, pressing the up or down hardware keys will change the volume. You can also hold the power and volume up or down buttons to quickly mute.
If you don’t want to fully hide the icon, reducing its opacity is a compromise. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Visibility enhancements and lower the transparency. This makes the icon fainter but still visible if needed.
Re-Enabling the Icon
If you decide you want the volume icon to reappear after hiding it, you can reverse the steps you took to remove it in the first place:
To show system icons again after disabling them in Settings, go back to the System Icons menu and toggle them back on. The volume icon should reappear in your notification bar.
If you were using a custom launcher to hide the icon, switch back to the default launcher that comes with your Android version. The standard launcher will display the volume icon.
For any third party apps you may have used to remove the icon, uninstall or disable those apps to restore the icon. Go into your device’s Settings > Apps menu and select the app, then choose Uninstall or Disable.
In some cases, you may need to reboot your device or restart the System UI process to get the volume icon to show up again after re-enabling it. If it doesn’t appear right away, a quick reboot should bring it back.
The process to unhide the volume icon is straightforward since you just need to reverse or undo the steps you took to remove it. As long as you didn’t make any major system modifications, you should be able to get the icon back by returning to the original launcher and re-enabling system icons.
When Not Possible to Remove
On some phones, the volume icon cannot be disabled due to restrictions put in place by the device manufacturer or mobile carrier. For example, certain Samsung and Apple phones do not allow users to fully hide or remove the volume HUD icon. This limitation is hardcoded into the software by the manufacturer.
Likewise, some carriers who brand and sell phones directly to customers will lockdown certain settings to standardize the user experience across their network. If the volume icon cannot be disabled on your device, it’s likely due to these kinds of restrictions.
The only way around these limitations is to upgrade your device to a phone model that affords greater customization. Rooting or jailbreaking a device can sometimes bypass restrictions, but this comes with major security and warranty risks.