What started as a feature on Apple devices a couple of years ago has made its way onto certain Android devices as well – a blue dot suddenly appearing next to certain applications that are installed on your smartphone or tablet.
But what exactly is this blue circle, what does it represent, and can you get rid of it? Here are some answers that might help:
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What exactly does the blue dot mean?
A blue circle can appear on your mobile device either when a new application is downloaded or when a new update is installed for a specific app.
Whether the updates are set to download automatically, or you decide to do so manually, a blue dot tends to show up right next to the application’s name (underneath its icon) to let you know that the app in question is now upgraded to the latest version.
This will continue to happen after each new update, as a form of indication that the upgrading process has been completed.
Can you get rid of the blue circle?
Yes, simply by opening the application that has the blue circle indicator, you can get rid of the dot that shows up on your home screen or in the app drawer.
Remember that you don’t have to do anything special within the app; simply opening and closing the application will help get rid of the blue dot.
Some users have also reported that the blue circle will go away on its own after a couple of days, even if you haven’t loaded the app where it first appeared.
Can you disable this feature?
No. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent the blue circle from appearing after updates, as of yet.
What you can do instead is turn off automatic updates on your mobile device. This will prevent your phone from upgrading any applications, and thus showing a blue circle each time.
To achieve this, simply go to your device’s Settings, and search for the Applications/App Store section. Here, you will see the specific option to disable automatic updates on your phone or tablet.
Keep in mind that the blue circle will still appear beside your applications when you update them manually, as there’s no way to turn this feature off. What’s more, it’s important to remember that some apps might not function properly if you decide to stop updating them altogether.
And that’s it! Although quite annoying at times, the blue circle next to your applications can only be removed temporarily, and not permanently, as it represents a form of notification that indicates new updates.
