Discord has slowly become the new way to communicate and interact with your friends on the internet, but do you know what all the symbols mean? If you are using Discord on your PC or even via the web, you will notice many icons at the top of your screen that have different meanings depending on the type of server you’re in and what game you’re playing. So what does the phone icon on Discord means?
The Phone icon that looks like an old-school phone handset probably doesn’t mean anything to you right now, but let us explain what it means and why it can be so important.
The Red Phone Icon
Everyone in your server can see what a phone call is about, and everyone will see when you pick up or ignore a call. Phone calls can be used to vote on something, such as a server-wide kick or ban. If someone isn’t responding to general messages or other chats, calling them allows everyone else on your server to make sure they’re okay.
The phone also shows people online who aren’t responding to private messages. If there’s an issue with one of your fellow servers that requires more attention than usual, a phone call could help resolve it quickly if everyone else is focused elsewhere.
You can only place a phone call from within voice chat, not from outside voice chat. It’ll show up under any open channels you have active at that time. For others to hear your conversation with another user (whether it’s audio or video), both users must be unmuted in Voice Settings. Otherwise, their side of the conversation will not play for anyone but themselves until either person unmutes.
The Blue Phone Icon
You’ll see it in two places: in every member’s username and in a thread called messages. This is to let you know that someone has voice chat enabled, meaning they can hear you when you start talking.
If their name has a phone icon (or if they are a Skype user), then they are currently connected via microphone so that you can talk to them directly through your computer. Clicking on a person’s phone icon on Discord will take you to their profile page where you can check out more information about them, including what game or apps they use most often.
If there isn’t a phone icon on Discord next to someone’s name, then either they don’t have voice chat enabled or aren’t using it at that moment. To enable voice chat with others who have Discord installed on their computers and smartphones.
What Are Voice Channels?
To facilitate a real-time conversation, it’s best to use a voice channel on Discord. Similar to text channels, you can talk about whatever with whomever you’d like. Voice channels have one big difference: They have dedicated audio feeds for talking only.
If you want privacy for your discussion, be sure to check out your settings and make sure that those who aren’t in your voice channel can’t hear you. There’s also a mute function if someone says something offensive or inappropriate. This way you can only communicate with like-minded people and ignore all the negativity that you might be facing.
Once you’re in a voice channel, click on Voice Activity to see who else is present. You’ll see their avatar along with how long they’ve been active.
Hover over their name to view their status message (i.e., Playing video games). Clicking on an avatar will bring up more information such as their profile picture and social media links (if applicable).
Overlay Channels
Using an overlay channel on Discord means you’ll be able to share your screen with others but only for a temporary period. This can be incredibly useful for demonstrations since everyone in your voice channel will be able to see what you’re sharing and how.
To set one up, go to User Settings > Appearance > Change Overlay Theme and select Add new theme. Here you can create or upload a custom image (e.g., a screenshot or logo) that will appear as an overlay over whatever is going on in your voice channel whenever it is activated.
Make sure you turn on Viewer Visibility before activating it by clicking Go Live when ready! When done, click Exit Overlay or Stop Sharing to finish up. This is an excellent feature if you want to overlay something on your live video.
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Audio Channels
When you create a new channel in Discord, it will appear as just a box with an A inside. You can right-click on your channel and select Edit Channel to configure options like channel name, channel logo, and whether or not members of your server can broadcast messages to your channel.
In some cases, channels will have phone icons next to them. There are two different types of phone icons: incoming calls and outbound calls. If there is an incoming call notification, then someone has invited you to their voice chat via a voice call or push-to-talk (PTT) system.
You can just accept the call from the notification that pops on the screen and enjoy the call with your Discord members without any problem or complications.
Video Channels
On Discord’s desktop client, channels have a little phone icon on Discord next to them that you can click to open up your video channel. On mobile, you can simply tap and hold a channel name to open it. The same thing goes for people’s names; tap and hold their names to view their profile.Â
As well as going straight from an alert back into voice chat, these two gestures allow users to stay in touch with what’s happening on Discord even when they’re not actively using their app or computer.
Linking profiles and activities together in an intuitive way makes it easier for users to engage with one another. And it provides more opportunities for engagement overall.
Private Message (phone calls only)
If you see a phone icon next to a user’s name, it means they’re currently available for private calls only. Private calls allow you to speak directly with someone without anyone else in your channel hearing what you’re saying.
Calls can only be made one-on-one, so if there are three users in a channel, each will need to make separate calls instead of joining them together. You can call private numbers from either your computer or your phone, depending on what app you use for voice calls.
If using an app like Skype or Google Hangouts, make sure that you download it onto your computer and that you have an internet connection through Wi-Fi or 4G LTE before attempting to call. Otherwise, you might run into some trouble!
What Do The Discord Symbols Mean?
The words and symbols of Discord can be confusing to navigate. Most notably, what do these mean: (+) and (-)? When you’re in a voice channel, your avatar will have an icon next to it that indicates if you’re talking or not.
If there is no phone symbol, then you are not speaking. Moreover, if there is a phone symbol, then you are speaking (and others may hear you). If there is a microphone with two lines through it, then everyone else in that voice channel can hear each other but no one else will hear them.
And finally, if there is a microphone with only one line through it, then everyone else in that voice channel can hear each other. But they cannot be heard by anyone outside of their group chat room.
What Does The Green Phone Symbol Mean Discord?
The green phone symbol indicates that someone wants to talk to you. They have added you to their list of People You Can Talk To. This is a role you can assign yourself or give to others in your channel, when necessary.
But that’s not all it does! If a person who can chat with you sets their status as Available. Then that means they are actively logged into Discord and ready to chat with you.
How Do You Know If Someone Is Talking On Discord?
If someone has an arrow by their name, it means they are talking on Discord. The number next to that arrow indicates how many times they have used voice chat during a game. If there is a phone icon (which looks like two speech bubbles) in place of their voice status, it means they are currently calling you.
To talk back to them, just tap or click that symbol and press talk. You can also use your microphone if your settings are set up for that. Otherwise, click Start call to talk through your computer’s speakers.
Can You Go Idle In A Discord Call?
Sometimes you want to call a friend but only talk when they can listen. An idle state means you can talk and your friends will hear you, even if they’re not in front of their computers. This is helpful for two reasons:
- It ensures that everyone is always paying attention. And it allows you to communicate with people who may not be available right now or are at work or something like that.
- You can use it if you have family members spread out around the world, or if someone works different hours than your other friends.
- The best part about an idle call is that nobody has to constantly stare at their phone while they’re waiting for someone else to talk!
Conclusion
The phone icon on Discord is your connection to other users. If you have a question or you need help with something that they can assist with, they will be available. You can also use it if you want to talk privately and directly with them.
It is recommended to use it only for serious reasons as it can disrupt others in your group conversations. If someone types /phone into their message box, yours will ring, notifying you of their private message.
So, make sure to check back periodically or keep an eye out for notifications so that you don’t miss any important messages! You might even get a call from one of your friends telling you about their day.
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