With the System UI Tuner, you can remove(and add back again later) various icons in the Status Bar of Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
Yesterday I showed you how you can add, move and remove the Quick Settings tiles with the System UI Tuner. This will only work in Android 6.0 Marshmallow and up(unless they remove it in future versions) and today I’m going to show you another feature of the System UI Tuner. This one involves the icons that sit on the right side of your Status Bar and today’s tutorial will walk you through how to remove them from sight.
Thankfully though, there’s no need to fear about them being gone forever. If at any time you want to put them back where they were then you can go back in and enable them again.
I really, really love this feature and it’s something that I haven’t seen done in the multiple custom ROMs I have tried. I’m sure the functionality was out there somewhere though. . .I just hadn’t ever come across it before. This is unlike yesterdays tutorial as there have been multiple custom ROMs, and even Xposed Modules, that would let you add, move and remove Quick Settings tiles in Android. I’m a minimalist and the least number of icons that I see in the Status Bar the cleaner the UI looks to me. I don’t need to see things like WiFi signal strength, Airplane Mode icons, Do Not Disturb Mode icons or even Alarm icons.
Some people do, and that’s perfectly fine. I generally know what I have set up on my smartphone or tablet though and it’s just not needed for my personal use. So let’s get to it.
Remove Status Bar Icons
- Enable the System UI Tuner
- Go into the Settings App
- Tap on the ‘System UI Tuner’ Option
- Tap on the ‘Status Bar’ Option
- Toggle Off All the Icons You Don’t Want
Explanation
Just like before, we need to enable the System UI Tuner and then we need to go into that section of the Android settings. From here, you’ll see an option called Status Bar and then in there you’ll see a long list of various toggles. These are all the toggles you will see pop up in the top right of the Status Bar when they are in use/active. So, if you don’t need icons like Cellular Data, Airplane Mode, or WiFi, then simply toggle them off one at a time and you’ll see them disappear from your Status Bar.
As you can see now, the top right of my Status Bar is much cleaner than it was before. The icons you want to keep and the ones you want to remove will be entirely up to you. Removing an icon from the Status Bar does not disable the feature or the service in any way. For example, just because I removed the WiFi icon from my Status Bar, I am still connected to the WiFi router in my house. As the name mentions, changing things in the System UI Tuner will only have a visual effect on the User Interface of Android. It doesn’t disable the functionality of those features.
I’d love to hear which icons you want to remove from your Status Bar. Are you a minimalist and want to see the least number of icons there or do you like to be assured that everything is setup and working as it should be(keeping as many icons in the Status Bar as you can)? Let me know in the comments section below.
I would like to remove the battery icon from the status bar, but that is not possible on the Moto X Pure Edition with Android 6.0,even tho this article states that it is.
I don’t mention that you can do it with the battery icon in this article. You can do this with Android 7.0 Nougat (at least I can on the Pixel XL)
I accidentally fired up the alarm clock and couldn’t find a way to remove the icon from the status bar. While it didn’t impair the function of the device, it annoyed hell out of me. You made my day. Thank you.
Thank you for the kind words 🙂 I’m glad to see that it was helpful
I’ve been in IT for 23 years and do all my computing on a desktop. Only got an electronic pacifier because it’s necessary to be conversant with the technology. No cell service at home and only satellite for internet. When I go out and need a phone, I take my LG VX8300 flip phone to make and receive calls. I do, however, like to be the master of my tools, whatever they are and you are a valuable resource in directing my knowledge of modern digital tech so I’m not barking up wrong trees or spinning my wheels. Thank you again and have a Merry Christmas and Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year if I’m not back here by them.
Be sure to let me know if you ever need help with something in the future. Merry Christmas to you as well
Have you encountered contacts that show up on the home screen that can’t be removed by the tapplng and sliding to the top screen. The new phone I have is a motorola G6.
I don’t have the Moto G6 (please donate so that I can afford devices like this). But if you tap and hold on one of these contacts and then tap the i icon (with a circle around it) that should take you to the app details page that is responsible for it.
It may be some 3rd-party app or it could lead you to the contacts page where a setting could disable this feature