Usually, when we want to know what the download and upload speed our Android smartphones are getting, two common choices are Ookla’s SpeedTest and Fast.com by Netflix. But those two need you to visit their website or open their app to measure your Internet speeds. What if you’d like your real-time speeds displayed all the time on your status bar?
The answer to that question is: the vanilla Android OS doesn’t have a built-in feature that you can simply turn on so that download and upload speeds will appear on the status bar. You’ll need an app to achieve the effect.
Now there are several choices for speed measuring apps you can download on Google Play Store. Simply search for “internet speed meter”, “speed indicator” or similar terms and you’ll get plenty of results. Just steer clear of any suspicious or intrusive apps.
Most are free and work as intended—providing a real-time speed indicator in the status bar. Some may also provide daily statistics, separate monitoring activity for Wi-Fi and mobile connections, and appearance customizations. Paid versions are also available for an ad-free experience along with advanced features.
Don’t trust these apps? See if your phone’s custom Android skins may have the setting to show your speeds on the status bar. In Xiaomi’s MIUI for example, open the Settings app, go to Notifications & Status Bar, and toggle Show Connection Speed.
Other Android skins may have the feature under a different name. Search for something similar; it could be Real-Time Network Speed, Display Network Speed, or simply Network Speed.