Do you constantly see a hollow arrow at the status bar of your iPhone? Are you bothered about why it is there as well as what you can do to get rid of it? If you answered yes to any of these, don’t worry and read through this article to know more about this hollow arrow as well as ways to disable it.
- Why Is There a Hollow Arrow on My iPhone?
- How to Get Rid of the Hollow Arrow on iPhone
- Do You Really Need to Get Rid of the Hollow Arrow on iPhone?
Why Is There a Hollow Arrow on My iPhone?
What does the triangle arrow mean on your iPhone? There are various arrows, each with a different meaning on your iPhone.
A grey solid arrow on your iPhone shows that an app or website has accessed your location in the last 24 hours.
A purple solid arrow signifies that your location services were recently accessed by an application on your iPhone.
A blue circle with a white arrow icon inside signifies that the application or website that you are currently using on your iPhone, is trying to know your location.
A hollow arrow is there to show you that some app may access your location information under certain conditions. Sometimes it gets activated when you visit a place where your iPhone has already set certain actions and events that will happen there.
How to Get Rid of the Hollow Arrow on iPhone
The methods below will help you to hide the arrow on your iPhone either temporarily or permanently.
#1. Temporarily hide the hollow arrow icon
Disable the status bar icon in the Settings app will hide the arrow icon on the top right corner of your iPhone. To set this feature, follow the steps below.
- Go to Settings.
- Click on Privacy.
- Go to Location Services.
- From the given list, select System Services.
- Scroll down and toggle off the Status Bar Icon.
This will help disable the status bar icon. However, this doesn’t always help. When some apps are using the location services, the hollow arrow will appear temporarily.
#2. Permanently get rid of the hollow arrow
To achieve this you will have to turn off location services. Some apps such as weather and maps use your location services on your iPhone and this is notified by the presence of the arrow. If you are not comfortable seeing this arrow on your status bar icon you can turn off location services by:
- Go to the Settings app.
- Click on the Privacy option.
- Click on Location Services.
- Then Toggle Off the Location Services button to prevent access to your location.
This procedure will help to disable the hollow arrow permanently, however, some apps that need your location services to function well will be negatively affected.
Do You Really Need to Get Rid of the Hollow Arrow on iPhone?
It is normal if it just appears sometimes when you are using some apps such as maps, Uber, and any other location-based apps. We recommend that you don’t turn off the location services.
If it keeps on appearing even after you disable the Status Bar Icon or when you are not using any location-based services, there might be some problems. To solve this problem, you can follow the tips below.
Tip 1. Force restart your iPhone
The procedure is used to help solve various iOS issues and problems such as an arrow icon appearing even after you disabled the status bar icons on your iPhone. It reboots and returns all software processes to normal. It differs from one model to another.
To force restart iPhone 8 and later models:
- Pin on the Volume Up button and release it quickly.
- Repeat the same for the Volume Down button.
- Press and maintain a hold on the Side button.
- Only let go of the button when the Apple logo appears.
To force restart iPhone 7:
- Simultaneously press the Volume Down button and the Sleep/Wake button.
- Release both buttons only on the appearance of the Apple logo.
To force restart iPhone 6s and the models before:
- Simultaneously press and maintain your hold on the Sleep/ Wake button as well as the Home button.
- Only release the buttons on the appearance of the Apple logo.
Tip 2. Reset all settings
Resetting all your settings is very important especially when you are experiencing settings issues that you are not able to get rid of, no matter what you do. To erase all settings on your iPhone and remain with default ones only, do the following.
- Open the Settings App.
- Go to General.
- Go to Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Click on Reset all Settings.
Please rest assured that only the settings will be changed back to the default settings. The other data on your iPhone won’t be influenced.
Tip 3. Uninstall the location-based apps to troubleshoot the problem
Some applications may be outdated, have malware or even be malfunctioning and this may cause glitches on your iPhone. So whenever you have recurring problems with a particular service on your iPhone, check the apps that constantly use that service to make sure they are not the ones causing problems.
Since the hollow arrow is prompted by the use of location services, uninstall each of the location-based apps such as weather, Uber, and many others. Check after removing each app to see if that particular app was the one causing problems.
Tip 4. Update iPhone software
If the problem still persists after trying all these, you might have to check if your iPhone is well updated. Sometimes an outdated iOS will cause the iPhone to malfunction. So if there is a new update available, make sure to update your iPhone. To successfully perform this method, do the following:
- Make sure you have an updated, well-functioning version of iTunes.
- Then using an original Apple USB cable, link your iPhone to your computer.
- Select your iPhone when the computer shows that it recognizes it.
- From the different options on the interface, click on Update.
- Then allow your computer to help download and install the updated iOS on your iPhone.
Instead of using iTunes, you can update your iPhone software over the air on your iPhone if you have a fast WiFi connection.
You can also switch on Automatic Updates so that your iPhone updates itself anytime a new update is available. To do that:
- Go to Settings.
- Click on General.
- Go to Software Updates.
- Click on Automatic Updates.
- Then switch on the Download iOS Updates and Install iOS Updates.
I hope this article helps you understand the meaning of the arrow on your iPhone as well as ways to get rid of it.
