Meaning of symbols on smartphones

These are certification marks, used by government agencies and regulators to confirm that a product meets safety standards and is allowed to be sold in certain countries and territories. You can find them on almost all consumer electronics.

These certification marks may disappear quickly. In November 2014, President Obama signed the E-Label Act, which allows the Federal Communications Commission to hide these symbols in operating system menus instead of physically printing them on devices.

Exclamation mark in a circle: Wi-Fi providers and services in different countries sometimes use different frequency bands. This symbol indicates that the frequency band used by the CE-certified device may not be legal in some European countries.

CE: Stands for Conformité Européenne, which certifies that a product meets the European Union's electromagnetic and safety standards. Products with this symbol are allowed to be sold in almost all of Europe.

FCC: Is certified by the Federal Communications Commission of the United States. This is the agency that regulates all US media activities (such as TV, cable, radio...).

UL: Abbreviation for Underwriters Laboratories, an organization that tests the safety of electronic equipment and materials. Products with this mark are approved by UL.

Circle with check mark: Known as Ctick, the symbol is used by the Australian Communications and Multimedia Authority to certify that a product meets electromagnetic standards and is approved for sale in Australia.

Bin with X: Symbol used by the European E-waste Agency to warn that the product may contain hazardous substances, and should be recycled properly.

NOM: Product certification that meets the Official Standards of Mexico.

NYCE: Often paired with the NOM mark, product certification is through the Mexican Electrotechnical Standards Authority, which regulates the safety of electronic, communications and IT equipment.

VCCI: Abbreviation for Voluntary Control Council for Interference by Information Technology Equipment, the Japanese agency that manages electromagnetic product standards.

Four-digit number: Usually found next to the CE mark, this number lists the components that have been independently certified and tested. Testing companies come from countries such as Germany, Denmark, Greece and Italy.

According to ICTNews