Black dot appeared at top of screen

[Driverbrown85]

 hi I have small black dot that kept appearing then disappearing but now it's always there even when reseting to factory settings. I read it could be someone tracking my device. Is that true or does anyone know what is it? I have a samsung a21s. 

Tia

[Richmar83]

It's the Notifications overflow indicator, nothing sinister.

By default then handsets show the icons of the 3 most recent notifications in the notification bar. If say you have 5 notifications then the first 3 followed by a ⚫️ to show there are further notifications which are not shown. Swiping down from the top will show all the pending notifications. When you clear the notifications to 3 or less then the dot will disappear.
If you look under settings-> Notifications -> Advanced -> Show notification icons then there's options in there to change it from 3 to 'all'.

[Members_kMPbKDm]

I have this on mine and it is absolutely not what you have said. I have had my s22 for 2 days and this has appeared, and i have no notifications

[Roni]

Thank you thank you! I have been so suspicious of this black dot ever since it showed up about 6 mos ago. Nobody could tell me what it was, and then I read this! So simple I feel silly, had to laugh at myself. Thank you!

[Lisa365]

I agree, it has nothing to do with notifications, and it is always on my screen.  Please provide a legitimate explanation and how to remove it.

[AntS]

Hi guys,

As far as I can tell, Richmar83 is correct - at least as regards the OP's screenshot. It's the Notification overflow indicator.

Some screenshots from when I adjusted the options in my UK S10's Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings > Status bar > Show notification icons:

'3 most recent':

'All notifications':

'Number of notifications only':

'None':

That dot on the top left only appears for me when '3 most recent' is selected. (It's white in my case because I have my phone in Dark Mode.)

Try adjusting those options, and share if they have an effect on the dot or not for you.

[Holds333]

I don't know whats happened to mine but a black circle in the top centre of my Samsung s21 after a year has suddenly appeared. Nothing to do with notification setting I've tried everything. I'm finding it a bit unsettling and i can't find any answers. Can't even screenshot it as it doesn't show when I do.

[AntS]

Hi @Holds333 ,

In the Phone dialer dial *#0*# using the keypad. Should bring up a Test screen with various hardware test options. Does the black circle appear when you tap into the Red, Green, or Blue?

(Press the back button twice to exit the Test screen to get back to the dialer, and exit from there as normal. You can also test the touch screen through the Members app > Support > Phone diagnostics > Touch screen.)

[Holds333]

Hi, thanks for replying. I tried all three colours and it's still there. It's so strange.

[Holds333]

Hi. I've tried this and it's still there