Samsung Dryer Symbols Explained

Samsung Dryer Symbols Explained

Are you wondering what the little symbols on your Samsung dryer’s display mean but can’t find your manual anywhere?

Look no further; we’ve prepared a comprehensive guide for you to follow about what they mean and how they function.

What do the symbols on my Samsung dryer mean?

You can find a dozen symbols on the display screen of your Samsung dryer. They differ from error codes that appear when your dryer runs into problems.

The symbols’ designs may vary from model to model. You can find a description of these variations below.

SymbolMeaningFunction

Water droplet with wavelengths
Sensor DryThis symbol lights up when the Sensor Dry mode is activated.

Smiling child or a lock with a smiley face
Child LockWhen Child Lock is activated, only the Power button and the control knob can function.

Clock
Delay Start/EndWhen Delay Start/End is activated, the drying cycle will begin or end only at a preselected time.

Hourglass
Time RemainingThis symbol lights up when a timed cycle is in progress.

Gridded boxes or grid with a brush
Filter ReminderThis symbol lights up or blinks to remind you to check the lint filter.

Megaphone or bell on silent
Signal OffThe signal sounds after every cycle are turned off.

Shirt with a bell
Mixed Load BellWhen the Mixed Load Bell setting is activated, the dryer will signal you when 80% of the laundry load is dry.

Blocked off pipe
Vent CheckThis symbol will light up when 60% of the dryer’s exhaust vent is clogged.

Drizzling clouds or a cloud of smoke
SteamWhen Steam is activated, the dryer will spray water intermittently on the laundry to achieve a steam effect while heating.

A head and heart 
Smart CareWhen Smart Care is activated, you can use your mobile phone camera to determine the error code being displayed on the dryer’s LED screen.

Electronic device with wavelengths or wi-fi symbol
Smart ControlWhen Smart Control is activated, you can remotely control the dryer using your mobile device.

Wi-fi symbol
Wi-fiThis symbol lights up when the dryer is connected to a wireless network.

A plain shirt, a shirt with arrow waves, and a shirt with a clothes iron
Cycle ProgressThese symbols light up or blink during a drying cycle to indicate the current status of the laundry load.

Most of these symbols indicate settings that will make your drying cycle more convenient, but a couple of them are there to help you avoid encountering errors.

We’re diving into more detail about how these symbols can help you, so be sure to keep reading!

Sensor Dry

Sensor Dry

The Sensor Dry symbol can be identified by its water drop icon. When this lights up, it means that your dryer is in Sensor Dry mode, which is one of the three cycle settings on your Samsung dryer.

In this mode, the dryer detects the humidity inside the drum to estimate a drying time. It also prioritizes drying light items first, so it’s ideal for loads of the same items or weight.

Sensor Dry is available for the following cycle modes, which you can select next to the control knob:

  • Normal
  • Active Wear
  • Bedding
  • Delicates
  • Heavy Duty
  • Jeans
  • Perm Press
  • Sanitize
  • Towels
  • Wool

Furthermore, it also comes with a numerical Dry Level setting that you can adjust for each load. On some models, Dry Level settings are replaced with three categories, as follows:

  • Very Dry or More Dry: For complete dryness; ideal for large or bulky loads.
  • Normal Dry or Less Dry: For leaving some moisture on the clothes after a cycle; ideal for lightweight fabrics.
  • Damp Dry: For partial drying; ideal for loads to hang dry or lay flat.

How to activate or deactivate: Sensor Dry automatically activates when you choose a cycle from the bulleted list above. You can customize the temperature level or dry level for most of them.

You can deactivate the Sensor Dry setting by opting for a mode that doesn’t use it, such as Quick Dry, Time Dry, or Air Fluff.

Child Lock

Child Lock

The Child Lock symbol is recognizable by its smiling face. This setting disables all the buttons on your dryer except the Power button and the control knob.

This mode is ideal for households with children or pets that can compromise your drying cycle when unsupervised. 

For safety measurements, however, we recommend not letting your children play near — or pets climb on — the dryer while a drying cycle is in progress.

How to activate or deactivate: Press and hold the Temp. and Time buttons (or Dryness and Temp. for some models) for 3 seconds.

Note that restarting your dryer doesn’t deactivate Child Lock. When Child Lock is activated as your power off your dryer, it will retain the setting upon being powered back on.

Delay Start/End

Delay StartEnd

Delay Start/End is represented by a clock icon.

Most drying cycle modes on your Samsung dryer come with a default duration. With the Delay Start/End function, you can put your dryer on a specific schedule. 

Depending on the dryer’s model, you can choose to delay the start or end of a cycle anytime between 3 to 19 hours, with 1-hour adjustments.

How to activate or deactivate: After putting the laundry load in the drum and setting your preferred cycle, press the Delay Start/End button. On some models, you will find an Adjust Time button instead.

To set a schedule, press the Delay Start/End button or Adjust Time repeatedly until the hour reaches your chosen time. Press the Start/Pause button to confirm.

When the clock icon blinks, this means that the dryer is counting down to its schedule.

To deactivate this, power off your dryer and then power it back on.

Time Remaining

Time Remaining

When you put on a dry cycle, you’ll notice an hourglass symbol lighting up. This indicates that your drying cycle is timed, and the number next to this symbol tells you the remaining minutes.

How to activate or deactivate: All cycle modes have a default time setting. 

While Sensor Dry or Steam Cycle settings don’t have customizable time schedules, they display an estimated duration, so you will still see the Time Remaining symbol light up with every load.

This symbol cannot be turned off. However, some models don’t have it and simply just display the remaining minutes instead.

Filter Reminder

Filter Reminder

After every cycle, you may notice a gridded box icon blinking. That’s the lint filter reminder, and it’s there to remind you to clean your dryer’s lint filter.

The lint filter is prone to moisture buildup because this is where moisture first passes through as it escapes the dryer’s drum.

A clogged lint filter can result in longer drying times, the dryer overheating, or other similar errors. 

The filter reminder symbol lights up after each drying cycle to help you prevent this from happening.

How to activate or deactivate: After every load, remove the lint filter from its housing and wash it under cold water with no soap. Dry it thoroughly before returning it to the dryer.

Signal Off

Signal Off

Your Samsung dryer comes with a signature 15-second jingle that signals you when a cycle is done.

While this is helpful, especially when you’re multitasking, some people might find all the constant noise inconvenient. 

The good news is that you have the option to turn this alarm off, so you can enjoy the rest of your day in peace.

How to activate or deactivate: Press the Sound button beside the Start/Pause button on the control panel.

On models where the Sound button isn’t present, you can press and hold one of the following buttons for 3 seconds or until the bell symbol lights up:

  • Drum Light
  • Super Speed
  • Mixed Load Bell

Furthermore, on some models, you can find an Alarm Off label under one of the buttons near the Start/Pause button. Press and hold that label to turn your dryer’s sounds off.

Mixed Load Bell

Mixed Load Bell

The Mixed Load Bell is a complimentary function to the Sensor Dry setting. You can recognize this symbol by the shirt and bell illustration.

As we’ve mentioned, Sensor Dry uses the dryer’s sensors to detect the moisture level inside the dryer and determine whether it’s up to par with the Dry Level setting you’ve set.

That is why Sensor Dry works best with loads with similar items. On the other hand, that means you’ll have to run more cycles.

But don’t worry; your Samsung dryer can still wash mixed loads on Sensor Dry via the Mixed Load Bell.

Once activated, the bell will sound off when the load inside the dryer reaches damp levels or is 80% dried. 

That will let you retrieve the items in the drum that are already completely dry, while the rest of the load completes its cycle.

The Mixed Load Bell feature is available for all Sensor Dry cycle modes except for Wool, Activewear, and Steam Sanitize.

How to activate or deactivate: Press the Mixed Load Bell button found on your dryer’s control panel until the Mixed Load symbol lights up.

On some models, this is also known as Damp Alert.

Vent Check

Vent Check

Much like the dryer’s lint filter, the vent pipe is where moisture from clothes escapes during a drying cycle. That’s why it’s also prone to lint and debris buildup, though not as fast as the lint filter.

Over time, however, your dryer’s vent pipe will encounter clogging as well, and you’ll notice a blocked pipe symbol lighting up on the dryer’s control panel.

That means your dryer’s vent pipe is at least 60% clogged and needs to be cleaned soon.

When the icon blinks nonstop after a cycle, it means the vent pipe clogging is already at 80%.

How to activate or deactivate: Regularly clean the vent pipe once or twice a year to ensure that lint buildup won’t reach drastic levels.

Steam

Steam

A Steam cycle is one of the three drying settings on your Samsung dryer, and it’s depicted with a cloud of smoke or drizzling symbol.

In a Steam cycle, the dryer sprays water into the drum during a cycle to achieve a steaming effect. This deodorizes the clothes and reduces wrinkles and static electricity on them.

Most models have three Steam cycle modes, which are as follows:

  • Refresh: Ideal for smoothing out wrinkles and reducing odor from loads mixed with dry items.
  • Wrinkle Care (or Wrinkle Away): Ideal for smoothing out wrinkles on items that are already dry, such as items stacked in a closet or suitcase. For best results, limit the load for each cycle to three items only.
  • Steam Sanitize: This cycle uses steam and high temperatures to sanitize the load and reduce odors. It’s ideal for loads that are still partially wet.

An important note to remember is to never use dryer sheets during a Steam cycle. A water line must be connected to the dryer instead.

How to activate or deactivate: Steam automatically activates on Refresh, Wrinkle Away, or Steam Sanitize modes. These cycles are not customizable.

Smart Care

Smart Care

When an error code appears on your dryer’s display screen and your manual is nowhere to be found, there’s still a way for you to decipher the code: the Smart Care setting!

Samsung dryers come with a downloadable Samsung Smart Washer/Dryer app that can help you diagnose an issue your dryer may be facing and offer suggestions to fix it. 

In turn, Smart Care reorganizes these codes into an image that the Samsung Smart Washer/Dryer app can understand so it can assist you with the problem. 

All you need is a back camera — no Wi-fi needed!

But while Smart Care doesn’t use Wi-fi to recognize an error code, all other functions found on the Samsung Smart Washer/Dryer app still require Wi-fi compatibility with your dryer.

How to activate or deactivate: To use the Smart Care setting, download the Samsung Smart Washer/Dryer app from Play Store for Android devices or the App Store for iOS devices.

Afterward, conduct the following steps:

  • Step 1: Press the Smart Care button on your dryer’s control panel to activate Smart Care.

On some models, the Smart Care label can be found under another button. In this case, press and hold that button for 3 seconds.

Once Smart Care is activated, the error code on your display panel will turn into a series of lines. 

  • Step 2: Open the Samsung Smart Washer/Dryer app and go to the Smart Care tab. You can find the button below your screen.
  • Step 3: Read the on-screen instructions and then tap next.
  • Step 4: Point your back camera towards the error code on your dryer’s display panel.

The app will ask you to confirm that the image on your dryer’s display panel and the image on your phone screen match.

Once you confirm the match, it will decipher the code.

Smart Control

Smart Control

Your dryer makes tasks more convenient by allowing remote-controlled operations to be possible via the SmartThings app.

And by remote-controlled, we mean even if you’re out of the house, you can leave your dryer running and still be able to check on it!

You can even save a customized drying cycle on it that you can run by default next time. You can also download new cycle settings and receive notifications about your current cycle’s progress.

However, note that this only works on models that are compatible with your home Wi-fi.

How to activate or deactivate: Download the SmartThings app from Play Store on Android devices or the App Store on iOS devices. 

Afterward, follow these steps for setting up your dryer:

  • Step 1: Open the SmartThings app and tap on the Devices tab. Tap on the Home icon and select your desired location for the dryer.
  • Step 2: Tap on the plus sign (Add) and choose Add Device. 
  • Step 3: Tap on Dryer, and add it to the location you previously selected. Afterward, hit Save.
  • Step 4: Power on your dryer and press and hold the Smart Control button for 3 seconds or until “AP” appears on the display screen.

Once it connects, select your Wi-fi network and input the password.

  • Step 5: Tap Done or Start and follow the instructions that will appear on your screen as you finish the setup.
  • Step 6: Once your dryer has been added, go to Menu and then Settings.
  • Step 7: Go to Notifications and toggle the switch beside your dryer to turn on notifications.

Wi-fi

Wi-fi

Once you add your dryer to the SmartThings app, you will notice a Wi-fi symbol light up on the display panel. That means you can now control your Samsung dryer from anywhere inside the house and even receive notifications once you’re outside.

Do note that to be able to control your dryer remotely, the Smart Control function must be activated. 

You can still receive notifications on the SmartThings app even when Smart Control is off, but your dryer won’t be able to receive commands from the app.

How to activate or deactivate: Make sure your dryer is added to the SmartThings app on your phone. Then, press the Smart Control button on your dryer. 

Ensure that notifications are toggled on.

To deactivate this setting, simply press the Smart Control button again until it is no longer lit up or until the Wi-fi symbol on the display screen disappears.

Cycle Progress

Cycle Progress

Some Samsung dryers feature an illustration of the drying cycle progress. The cycle is often depicted with a shirt icon, although different models use different designs.

These icons will light up or blink to indicate which part of the drying cycle the load is currently in. You can also check this update in percentage via the SmartThings app.

How to activate or deactivate: These icons will automatically light up when you start a drying cycle. It can’t be reset unless you stop the drying cycle and restart the dryer.


The symbols on your Samsung dryer’s display screen don’t always indicate an error. Most of them point to a convenient setting that can increase the efficiency of your drying cycles!

That said, always remember to double-check which symbols are active so you won’t run into problems. Leaving certain drying modes on for too long, for example, may lead to other errors.

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