5 Ways to Remove Key Icon on Android Phone

Quick Tips

• The key icon often indicates an active VPN. Go to your VPN app and disconnect it to remove the icon.
• A simple restart might resolve the issue, and the key icon might be removed from your status bar.
• If the key icon is related to a data saver feature, navigate to your phone’s settings and disable Data Saver.

Preliminary Fixes

• Toggle off VPN: The key icon on your Android phone often indicates that a VPN is active. Tap on the active VPN and select Disconnect or toggle off the VPN switch. The key icon should disappear immediately.
• Restart Your Android Device: Sometimes, the key icon might persist even after turning off the VPN due to a glitch or temporary system bug. Restarting your device can help clear the icon.
• Uninstall Apps From Malicious Sites: Some apps downloaded from untrusted sources might automatically activate a VPN or proxy, causing the key icon to appear. Removing these apps can resolve the issue.
• Update Your Phone: An outdated operating system might have bugs that cause icons like the key to stick around even when they shouldn’t. Updating your Android phone can fix these bugs.

1. Enable and Disable Airplane Mode

Even if you turn off the VPN, it might not remove the key icon from the status bar. So, let’s turn on Airplane (flight) mode on Android, as it will turn off all the networks, including VPN.

Step 1: Open the notification panel and tap Airplane mode.

Step 2: Wait for a few seconds and tap the Airplane mode button again to disable it.

If you can’t find the Airplane mode icon, you can also enable Airplane mode from Settings.

Step 1: Open Settings and tap Network and Internet.

Step 2: Toggle on Airplane mode.

Step 3: Wait for a few seconds and toggle off Airplane mode.

Depending on the Android OEMs, the steps might differ. Hence, you can use the search feature inside Settings to find Airplane mode.

2. Clear VPN App Cache

Cache files can help an app or service to work without any issues. However, over time, these files accumulate over the old ones and might affect the smooth operation of the app.

In that case, the best solution is to clear the VPN app cache to remove the key symbol bug on Samsung or other Android phones. You can also Force-stop the VPN app from the same page.

Also read: Clear cache in Samsung Galaxy phones

3. Remove VPN From Connections

Even after turning off the VPN, you might be unable to remove the key icon from the Android status bar. This might be because the service is still connected to the device connections. Hence, the solution is to remove it from establishing connections. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Settings > tap Network and Internet and choose VPN.

Step 2: Tap the settings button next to the VPN service you want to disable.

Step 3: Choose Forget VPN and tap Forget to confirm.

4. Reset Network Settings

Resetting network settings on Android includes restoring all the network-related settings to default. This includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, VPN, and cellular connections. However, it won’t delete any media files.

When you reset the network settings, it erases any customizations or changes you made to these settings and returns them to their default values. This might also help you remove the key icon (VPN symbol) from the Android status bar. So, try doing that.

5. Enable Demo Mode

Demo mode allows users to set the status bar to a fixed state, where you won’t see any notifications or other icons. This feature can help you remove key icons on your Android phone. To enable Demo mode on Android, you need first to enable Developer mode and then follow the below steps:

Step 1: Open Settings > tap Additional settings and choose Developer options.

Step 2: Toggle on Demo mode and tap Turn on to confirm.

You can follow the same steps to turn it off and see if you still see the issue.

Note: Keep in mind you won’t see any new icons as well as the time will be constant.

FAQs on Removing Key Icon on Android