What does that Globe icon mean on my Windows Phone?

News
By Daniel Rubino
published

Every once in a while we like to step back and answer questions you may have about Windows Phone and things about it. Some questions are obvious, but others may leave you scratching your head or maybe you just didn’t feel like asking.

For example, when you swipe to the right to bring up your apps, and you tap on a letter, you get the Roman alphabet jump-list to find something specific.

Question: What is that Globe icon thingamajig at the end?

The answer may be obvious for some of you, but for many, that icon will forever remain unlit by the OS.

Globe icon Windows Phone

Answer: Apps with non-Roman letters!

As an example, I downloaded a non-English (Taiwanese) app to my Windows Phone, and that’s where it goes. Sure, you may not ever use it, but at least now you know why.

How many of you knew this little oddity? How many didn’t? And what else about the OS has you wondering? Comment away!

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.