Omron Blood Pressure Monitor Symbols

By the BP Monitor Lab editorial team · Written from manufacturer documentation and published guidance, not from our own device testing · Last checked: August 28, 2026

Something appeared on the display and the leaflet is long gone. Pick the shape below and you get what Omron's own manual says it means, what the manual tells you to do, and what it does not prove.

One warning before the grid, because it is the single most consequential thing on this page: the same picture does not mean the same thing on every Omron. The current Platinum BP5465 and Gold BP5360 have a symbol that specifically screens for atrial fibrillation. The models they replaced, the BP5450 and BP5350, have no such symbol anywhere in their manuals. Buying by name rather than by model number is how people end up believing their monitor does something it does not.

Every meaning below is quoted or paraphrased from the instruction manual for the specific model listed, and each manual is linked with its revision code at the bottom of the page. We do not test devices.

Which monitor do you have?

Tap whichever shape looks like the one on your display.

Nothing selected yet. Every symbol is also written out in full below, so you can read the whole set without tapping anything.

Every Symbol, in Full

The same information as the grid above, written out so it can be read, searched, or quoted without tapping anything.

Possible AFib detector symbol

Also searched as: afib symbol, atrial fibrillation icon, no reading shown, blank reading

What it means. It flashes when the monitor detects the possibility of atrial fibrillation during the measurement. The manual is blunt about the consequence: blood pressure and pulse measured during AFib are generally not reliable, so the monitor does not display the reading at all when it flags this.

What to do. Omron's instruction is to consult your physician if your results include this symbol.

What it does not establish. It is not a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, and BP Monitor Lab has not diagnosed anything. AFib is diagnosed from an ECG interpreted by a clinician. The symbol says the device saw a pattern it is trained to flag.

BP5465: Present. This is the current Platinum. The BP5450 it replaced has no AFib symbol anywhere in its manual, so a secondhand BP5450 will not do this.
BP5360: Present. This is the current Gold. As with the Platinum, the BP5350 it replaced does not have it.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360

How AFib screening differs from an irregular heartbeat flag

Irregular heartbeat symbol

Also searched as: heart with wavy line, irregular heartbeat icon, ihb, heart symbol

What it means. It appears when an irregular rhythm is detected two or more times during one measurement. Omron defines an irregular rhythm as one that is 25% less or 25% more than the average rhythm the monitor measured while taking that reading.

What to do. The manual says that if it continues to appear, it is recommended you consult with, and follow the directions of, your physician.

What it does not establish. It does not identify atrial fibrillation, and it does not distinguish a harmless extra beat from anything else. Omron's own manuals warn that this symbol may appear simply because the monitor detected arm movement.

BP5465: Counts them. The symbol appears with a number: one form for detected twice, another for three times or more.
BP5255: Also shows a count for two times versus three times.
BP7900: Not in this manual's symbol list. The Complete records a single-lead EKG instead, which is a different kind of evidence entirely.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP5255, BP5150, BP5000, BP7000, BP4350

What to do when the icon keeps appearing

Movement error symbol

Also searched as: body movement, moving icon, person symbol

What it means. It appears with your reading when your body was moving during the measurement.

What to do. Remove the arm cuff, wait, then reapply it, stay still and measure again. The wait differs by model: the BP5450 generation says 2 to 3 minutes, the BP5465 says about 1 minute, and the Evolv says 2 to 3 minutes.

What it does not establish. It says nothing about your heart. It is a quality flag on that one measurement.

BP5465: The manual notes this function is disabled when a possibility of AFib or an irregular heartbeat is detected during the measurement, so on this model the absence of a movement symbol does not prove you held still.
BP7000: On the Evolv there is no separate base unit, so 'remove the monitor' means taking the whole device off your arm.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP5255, BP5150, BP5000, BP7000, BP7900, BP4350

Technique that stops this appearing

Try again symbol

Also searched as: try again, repeat measurement icon

What it means. It appears after a measurement in which body movement was detected, to recommend that you take the measurement again.

What to do. Take another measurement, staying still.

What it does not establish. It is not an error code and not a fault. The reading you have is simply one the monitor does not trust.

BP5255: This is the only current model in our catalogue whose manual defines it. If you are looking for it on a Platinum or a Gold, it is not there.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5255

Cuff wrap guide symbol

Also searched as: cuff icon, cuff too loose, wrap guide

What it means. It appears if the wrist cuff was wrapped too loosely while the measurement was taken. It also appears against past readings in memory that were taken with a loose cuff.

What to do. Rewrap the cuff snugly and measure again. Readings already marked with it were taken loose.

What it does not establish. It does not check that the cuff is the right size for you, only that this one was too slack. Fit and tightness are separate problems.

BP4350: This is a wrist monitor feature in our catalogue. The upper arm models do not carry a wrap guide symbol, which is one reason wrist units need more care to use correctly.

Defined in the manuals for: BP4350

Cuff sizing and placement

High symbol

Also searched as: high blood pressure icon, hypertension indicator, arrow up

What it means. It appears if your systolic reading is 130 mmHg or above, or your diastolic reading is 80 mmHg or above. Those are the AHA adult categories, which Omron reproduces in its manuals. The thresholds did not change when the 2025 guideline replaced the 2017 one in August 2025.

What to do. Nothing on its own. It is a threshold marker on a single reading, and a single reading is not how blood pressure is judged.

What it does not establish. It does not mean you have hypertension. Hypertension is a pattern over many readings, confirmed by a clinician, not one number crossing a line on one morning.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP5255, BP5150, BP4350

What the numbers mean, and the 7-day routine

High morning average symbol

Also searched as: morning hypertension indicator, morning high

What it means. It appears when your morning weekly average is 130/80 mmHg or above. It is an average across mornings, not a single reading.

What to do. Treat it as something to raise with your doctor, with the log to back it up.

What it does not establish. It is not a diagnosis, and it is not a claim about cardiovascular risk. It reports a threshold crossed by an average the device calculated.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP4350

TruRead symbol

Also searched as: truread, three readings, auto averaging

What it means. It appears when a measurement is taken with TruRead mode enabled. TruRead automatically takes 3 consecutive readings at an interval you set, and displays the average.

What to do. Nothing. If you want it on, it is enabled in the monitor's settings.

What it does not establish. It does not make one reading more accurate. It replaces one reading with an average of three, which is what published guidance asks for anyway.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465

Why averaging is the point

Average value symbol

Also searched as: average symbol, avg

What it means. It flashes while you are viewing the average of the last 2 or 3 readings taken within the most recent 10 minute window.

What to do. Nothing. It marks what you are looking at as an average, not a single reading.

What it does not establish. It is not the weekly average, which has its own symbol.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP4350

Morning average symbol

Also searched as: weekly morning average, morning avg

What it means. It appears when you are viewing weekly average readings taken in the morning over the past 7 weeks.

What to do. Nothing. It labels the view.

What it does not establish. Not the same as the high morning average symbol, which is a threshold flag.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP4350

Memory symbol

Also searched as: memory icon, stored readings, history

What it means. It appears when you are viewing readings stored in memory rather than taking a new one.

What to do. Nothing.

What it does not establish. It does not tell you the memory is full. That is what the sync symbol is for on the connected models.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP5255, BP5150, BP5000, BP7000, BP7900, BP4350

Sync symbol

Also searched as: sync icon, transfer data, memory full

What it means. It flashes or appears when your readings need transferring because the stored memory is almost, or completely, full. On the Platinum the monitor holds up to 100 readings per user.

What to do. Pair with your phone and transfer the readings before the monitor deletes the oldest one.

What it does not establish. It is not a fault. It is a storage warning, and ignoring it costs you the start of your history.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP5255, BP5150, BP7000, BP7900, BP4350

Getting readings out of the app

Bluetooth ON / OFF symbol

Also searched as: bluetooth icon, connection symbol, pairing

What it means. The ON symbol appears while readings are being transferred or Bluetooth is enabled; the OFF symbol appears when Bluetooth is disabled.

What to do. Nothing, unless you expected a transfer and it says OFF.

What it does not establish. It says nothing about whether the app actually received the data.

BP7000: The Evolv manual calls these Connection symbols rather than Bluetooth symbols, with separate Connection ON, Connection OFF, and a Connection symbol shown while transferring or pairing.
BP5000: Not applicable. The Iron has no radio at all, so it has no Bluetooth symbol.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP5255, BP5150, BP7000, BP7900, BP4350

OK symbol

Also searched as: ok icon, checkmark, connected

What it means. It flashes when the monitor is connected to your phone, or when readings have transferred successfully.

What to do. Nothing.

What it does not establish. It confirms a transfer, not the quality of the reading that was transferred.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP5150, BP7900, BP4350

User ID symbol

Also searched as: user 1, user 2, guest mode, person icon

What it means. It shows which user slot the reading will be saved to. On the Platinum and Gold there are two stored users plus a guest slot, shown as G.

What to do. Select the right user before you press start, or the reading lands in someone else's history.

What it does not establish. Guest mode does not store the reading. It is for one-off measurements by somebody who is not one of the two users.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP4350

Monitors for more than one person

Low battery and depleted battery symbols

Also searched as: battery icon, low battery, flashing battery

What it means. The low battery symbol flashes when the batteries are low. The depleted battery symbol appears when they are done.

What to do. Replace all four AA batteries at once.

What it does not establish. A low battery does not make readings inaccurate on its own, but a monitor that cannot complete an inflation will not give you a reading at all.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP5255, BP5150, BP5000, BP7000, BP7900, BP4350

Heartbeat symbol

Also searched as: flashing heart, pulse icon

What it means. It flashes while a measurement is being taken.

What to do. Nothing. Stay still while it is flashing.

What it does not establish. This is the most commonly misread symbol on the display. A flashing heart during measurement is normal operation, not an irregular heartbeat warning.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP5255, BP5150, BP5000, BP7000, BP7900, BP4350

Deflation symbol

Also searched as: deflating, air release

What it means. It appears while the cuff is deflating.

What to do. Nothing.

What it does not establish. Nothing about the reading.

Defined in the manuals for: BP5465, BP5360, BP5255, BP5150, BP5000, BP7000, BP7900, BP4350

Which Models Have Which Symbols

The rows that matter most are the top two. AFib screening is the feature people most often assume they have.

Which Omron display symbols appear on which current models
Symbol	PlatinumBP5465	GoldBP5360	SilverBP5255	BronzeBP5150	IronBP5000	EvolvBP7000	Complete 2-in-1BP7900	Gold WristBP4350
afib symbol	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	no	no
heart with wavy line	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes
body movement	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
try again	no	no	yes	no	no	no	no	no
cuff icon	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	yes
high blood pressure icon	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	no	yes
morning hypertension indicator	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	no	yes
truread	yes	no	no	no	no	no	no	no
average symbol	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	no	yes
weekly morning average	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	no	yes
memory icon	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
sync icon	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes
bluetooth icon	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes
ok icon	yes	yes	no	yes	no	no	yes	yes
user 1	yes	yes	no	no	no	no	no	yes
battery icon	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
flashing heart	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
deflating	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes

Omron Error Codes

Omron identifies several faults with a picture of the display rather than a letter code. Those are listed here by what actually happens, because inventing a code for them would be worse than describing the symptom.

Omron error codes, causes and remedies
Code	Cause	What the manual says to do
E2	Moving or talking during the measurement stopped the cuff inflating far enough. It also appears when systolic pressure is above 210 mmHg and a measurement cannot be taken.	Stay still and silent and measure again. Omron's manual says that if E2 keeps appearing, inflate the cuff manually until it is 30 to 40 mmHg above your usual systolic reading.
Er	The monitor has malfunctioned.	Press the START/STOP button again. If Er is still there, Omron says to contact customer service rather than keep using it.
Err	The monitor cannot connect to your phone, or cannot transmit data correctly.	Follow the instructions in the OMRON connect app. If Err persists after that, contact customer service.
Cuff will not inflate	The START button was pressed with no cuff on, the air plug is not fully seated, the cuff is applied incorrectly, or air is leaking from the cuff.	Seat the air plug firmly, reapply the cuff correctly, and try again. A cuff that leaks needs replacing.
Pressure exceeded maximum	The cuff inflated past the maximum allowable pressure.	Do not touch the cuff or bend the air tube while a measurement is running.
Pulse not detected	The pulse rate was not detected correctly.	Reapply the cuff correctly, sit properly, stay still, and measure again.

Omron's troubleshooting section opens with a step people skip: check that no other electrical device is within 12 inches of the monitor before you conclude anything is wrong with it.

No symbol on this page is a diagnosis

Every indicator here reports something the device measured during one reading. None of them identifies a condition, and none of them is a substitute for a clinician looking at an ECG or at a week of your readings. If a symbol keeps appearing, take the log to your doctor. If a reading comes with chest pain, breathlessness, fainting, weakness or trouble speaking, treat that as an emergency and call 911.

Sources

One manual per model, with the revision code printed on the document. If your monitor is not on this list it is not a model we currently cover, and the safest move is to read its own manual rather than assume a sibling model matches.

Omron Platinum BP5465 instruction manualrevision 3146838-2D· specs in our comparison
Omron Gold BP5360 instruction manualrevision 3146816-1D· specs in our comparison
Omron Silver BP5255 instruction manualrevision 3144689-3B· specs in our comparison
Omron Bronze BP5150 instruction manualrevision 3145953-7A· specs in our comparison
Omron Iron BP5000 instruction manualrevision 3145996-0B· specs in our comparison
Omron Evolv BP7000 instruction manualrevision 03022020· specs in our comparison
Omron Complete 2-in-1 BP7900 instruction manualrevision 4602711-0E· specs in our comparison
Omron Gold Wrist BP4350 instruction manualrevision 2829250-8D· specs in our comparison
Omron clinical validation listing for which models are validated against which protocol.

Where this comes from

Guideline and evidence last checked: 2026-08-31. We publish what these sources say. Where they decline to give a rule, we say that instead of inventing one.

•2025 AHA/ACC Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults — American Heart Association / American College of Cardiology, 2025-08-14
•Home Blood Pressure Monitoring — American Heart Association

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the heart symbol on an Omron blood pressure monitor mean?

There are two different heart symbols and they mean opposite things. A heart that flashes while the cuff is inflating is the heartbeat symbol, and it is normal operation. A heart shown with a wavy or irregular line after the reading is the irregular heartbeat symbol, which appears when the monitor detected an irregular rhythm two or more times during that measurement.

What does the irregular heartbeat symbol mean on an Omron monitor?

Omron's manuals define it as appearing when an irregular rhythm is detected two or more times during a single measurement, where an irregular rhythm is one that is 25 percent less or 25 percent more than the average rhythm measured during that reading. The manual recommends consulting your physician if it keeps appearing. It does not identify atrial fibrillation, and Omron warns it can also appear simply because the monitor detected arm movement.

Why does my Omron monitor show no blood pressure reading at all?

On the Platinum BP5465 and Gold BP5360, which screen for atrial fibrillation, the monitor deliberately withholds the reading when it detects a possibility of AFib. The manual explains that blood pressure and pulse measured during AFib are generally unreliable, so it shows the Possible AFib detector symbol instead of numbers. That is the device working as designed, not a fault.

Which Omron monitors actually screen for AFib?

In the current line we cover, only the Platinum BP5465 and the Gold BP5360 define a Possible AFib detector symbol in their manuals. The models they replaced, the BP5450 and BP5350, do not have that symbol anywhere in their manuals. The Silver BP5255, Bronze BP5150, Iron BP5000, Evolv BP7000 and Gold Wrist BP4350 flag an irregular heartbeat only, which is a different and broader signal.

What does E2 mean on an Omron blood pressure monitor?

E2 means moving or talking during the measurement stopped the cuff inflating far enough. It also appears when systolic pressure is above 210 mmHg and a measurement cannot be taken. Omron's fix is to stay still and silent and try again, and if E2 keeps appearing, to inflate the cuff manually until it is 30 to 40 mmHg above your usual systolic reading.

What is the difference between Er and Err on an Omron monitor?

Er means the monitor itself has malfunctioned. Press the START/STOP button again, and if it persists, Omron says to contact customer service. Err is a connection problem: the monitor cannot reach your phone or cannot transmit data correctly. Follow the instructions in the OMRON connect app first.

What does the cuff symbol on my Omron wrist monitor mean?

On the Gold Wrist BP4350 that is the cuff wrap guide symbol. It appears when the wrist cuff was wrapped too loosely during the measurement, and it also stays attached to past readings in memory that were taken with a loose cuff. The upper arm models in our catalogue do not have this symbol.

Does the HIGH symbol mean I have high blood pressure?

No. The high symbol appears when a single reading has a systolic value of 130 mmHg or above, or a diastolic value of 80 mmHg or above. Those are the AHA adult categories. High blood pressure is a pattern across many readings confirmed by a clinician, not one number crossing a line on one morning.

Medical Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making health decisions.