What does the headphones icon in the top right corner of the phone mean?

The Bluetooth feature is turned on so a signal is constantly searching for a BT device which does drain down the battery life.

Turn off the BT feature if you don't use it to help conserve battery life.

It means you have bluetooth headphones or another bluetooth audio device connected.

Tim, I posted the same question about the headphone icon on my 6+ with iOS 10.2.

Bluetooth is always turned on in my phone settings.

I plug earbuds or headphones into audio port and headphone icon does not appear.

I pair my Motorola Bluetooth around the ear head set and the headphone icon does not appear, but the Bluetooth icon changes color from grey to blue.

I pair with a Bose Bluetooth speaker and the headphone icon replaces the Bluetooth icon. So I can no longer see if other Bluetooth devices are connected to phone, like the Bluetooth headset or the Apple Bluetooth keyboard.

Seems like this headphone icon just appeared. Previously, when I connected the Bose Bluetooth speaker, the Bluetooth icon just changed color, the same as it would for the keyboard and Motorola headset Bluetooth devices.

1. Seems like the headphone icon should be in a separate location on the status bar and not an overlay icon for Bluetooth icon, given multiple Bluetooth devices can be paired at the same time.

2. Seems a bug to not display the headphone icon when I plug earbuds or headphones into audio port. Should not be a Bluetooth only activated icon.

3. I see no mention of this icon in 10.2 user guide. Which supposedly covers the 6+ iPhone as well as the 7. If so it should cover audio port, lightning port, and Bluetooth paired audio devices.

4. Apparently there are bugs in detecting some Bluetooth audio devices to activate the icon. Because my Motorola Bluetooth audio headset does not cause the headphone icon to activate, just the Bluetooth icon to change color.

Just what I've determined so far.

Rick

This icon has been idle on my screen for months now and I haven't had any Bluetooth devices or headphone link to it. Currently I do not have anything linked to it i.e. Real time Picture below; so does that icon between my alarm and battery mean that or not?

Thanks so simple yet driving me crazy lol