Unknown icon in notification bar, and unable to turn "searching for service" off

**chewedpup** · 12-16-2012, 03:20 PM

I have just arrived in the UK for 6 weeks with my lovely Samsung SII (Sprint). I have noticed an unknown icon in the notification bar - it's a circle with a line through it, and when I pull the notification bar down, I see "searching for service". This is towards the top of the screen, but the actual circle with the line through it does not show up when I pull the notification bar, it still stays at the top on the right. As a result, my battery has gone from 100% to 75% in FIFTEEN minutes - obviously whatever it's doing is totally draining the battery. I have disabled the 3g Data box under MOBILE NETWORKS (network settings) - that doesn't do anything. I tried changing from sprint to automatic back to sprint (in roaming mode) - that does nothing (icon still there). The only time it will disappear is if I put on airplane mode - then it goes away but then I can't use wifi to send and receive emails - so that defeats the purpose. I have attached screenshots of both screens. Anybody know what this icon is? Anyone know how I can stop my phone from constantly searching for service while I'm in the UK, without putting it into airplane mode? THANK YOU

**ReDDevil2112** · 12-16-2012, 09:54 PM

"Circle with a line through it" means it's crossed out. You know, like the signs with a cigarette in a red circle with a line through it? That means "no smoking". In this case, that icon is where your reception is displayed. Meaning you have "no reception" or no service. That's why the icon changes into an airplane in airplane mode; it's not that there's no service, it's that you turned it off.

The reason your battery is dying so fast is because the phone works harder when the signal is weaker. With no signal, the phone is spending all is power searching. Airplane mode tells the phone to stop searching, so battery life is much improved.

You can still use wifi in airplane mode. Enable airplane mode, THEN turn on wifi.

Sent from my Galaxy S II

**chewedpup** · 12-17-2012, 07:05 PM

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! How thick am I that I never even tried that? I assumed wrongly that once in airplane mode, you could not get service OR connect to wifi, so I never even tried. I put it in AM, then clicked on wifi - and voila, there's no more searching for signal, that round circle with the line through it that means no service has gone, and my battery is now as good as gold, lasting for hours! THANK YOU THANK YOU. Just feel stoooopid now! such a simple solution.