How to Read the MT4 Mobile Chart

A chart is the central interface for most technical analysis, and the MetaTrader 4 mobile app makes the same chart data available on a phone or tablet as you would see on the desktop terminal. Reading the chart correctly is the foundation of every trade decision that follows: identifying the current price, understanding what each bar represents, spotting the bid-ask spread, and interpreting indicator readings.

This guide walks through the structure of the MT4 mobile chart, the three chart types available, how to read candlesticks, where to find bid and ask prices, the way 5-digit pricing works on most pairs, and how to inspect specific price values on any bar. It applies to both iOS and Android, with minor differences noted where relevant.

Chart Anatomy: What You Are Looking At

When you open the Charts tab in the MT4 mobile app, the chart fills most of the screen. There are a few standard elements to identify before reading any of the price action.

The vertical axis on the right side of the chart is the price scale. Prices are stacked vertically, with smaller values toward the bottom of the chart and larger values toward the top, and the current price is marked by a horizontal line that updates in real time. The horizontal axis at the bottom is the time scale, showing the date and time of each bar from left (oldest) to right (newest). The most recent bar sits on the right and updates with every tick until the current period closes.

The chart's symbol and current timeframe are usually shown at the top, often as a tappable label. The timeframe label (M1, M5, H1, H4, D1 and so on) determines what each bar represents in time. A bar on an M15 chart covers 15 minutes; a bar on D1 covers a trading day. Switching timeframe changes the bar set entirely but keeps the same symbol and chart settings.

The Three Chart Types on MT4 Mobile

MT4 mobile supports three chart types: bars, candlesticks, and line. Each presents the same underlying price data in a different visual style.

The bar chart draws a vertical line for each period, with a small horizontal tick on the left side marking the opening price and a tick on the right marking the closing price. The vertical span of the line shows the high and low for that period. Bar charts are compact and useful when you want to see a long time range in a single view.

The candlestick chart is the most widely-used form for technical analysis. Each candlestick has a body and two wicks (also called shadows). The body represents the open-to-close range, and the wicks extend to the high and low of the period. The colour of the body tells you whether the bar closed up or down (green or hollow for a bull bar where close is above open; red or filled for a bear bar where close is below open). Candlesticks are easier to read at a glance than bars and are the default in most setups.

The line chart connects the closing prices of each period with a continuous line. It removes the open, high, and low information, leaving only the close-to-close trajectory. Line charts are sometimes used for higher-timeframe trend views where the noise of bar-by-bar action is more distracting than informative.

To switch chart type on mobile, open the chart settings (usually accessible from a settings icon on the chart screen or via a long-press on the chart). The exact path varies between iOS and Android builds.

Reading Candlestick Anatomy

Because candlesticks are the most common chart type, it is worth being precise about what each part means.

The body of the candle is the rectangular section between the opening price and the closing price. If the candle is green or hollow, the close is above the open and the body extends upward from open at the bottom to close at the top. If the candle is red or filled, the close is below the open and the body extends downward from open at the top to close at the bottom.

The upper wick extends from the top of the body to the high of the period. If the high equals the open or close (whichever is at the top of the body), there is no upper wick. The lower wick extends from the bottom of the body to the low of the period; again, if the low equals the lower edge of the body, there is no lower wick.

A long body with short wicks indicates strong directional movement during the period. A small body with long wicks indicates indecision: price moved significantly in both directions but closed near where it opened. The specific patterns of multiple candles together form the basis of candlestick analysis, but each individual candle already tells you four pieces of information at a glance: open, high, low, and close.

Bid, Ask, and the Spread

Most charts in MT4 display the bid price by default. The bid is the price at which you can sell, and the ask is the price at which you can buy. The difference between them is the spread.

On the mobile chart, the current bid price is typically shown as a horizontal label on the right side of the chart, often coloured to match the bid line. The ask price can be shown as a second line, slightly above the bid, if you enable the option in chart settings. The gap between the two lines is the visible spread for that symbol at that moment.

Spreads are variable and are typically higher than minimum figures shown. They tend to widen during low-liquidity periods (such as the rollover at 22:00 GMT for forex), around high-impact news events, and at market open and close for instruments with defined trading hours. On a mobile chart, you can see the spread change in real time as the bid and ask labels update.

The Quotes tab (in the bottom navigation) shows bid and ask side by side for every symbol you watch, which is sometimes faster than reading them off a chart label.

5-Digit and 3-Digit Pricing

Most forex pairs at TIOmarkets are quoted using 5-digit pricing, which means the smallest visible price increment is the fifth decimal place. For example, EURUSD might display as 1.08506. The fourth decimal is the pip; the fifth decimal is one tenth of a pip, often called a point. On a 5-digit pair, 1 pip equals 10 points.

JPY-quoted pairs use 3-digit pricing instead, with the second decimal being the pip and the third decimal being one tenth of a pip. For example, USDJPY might display as 150.503. The smallest visible increment is one point.

This matters when reading prices on the chart and when setting stop loss, take profit, or pending order levels. A 30-pip stop on EURUSD at 1.0850 is 1.0820, not 1.08470 or some other value. A 30-pip stop on USDJPY at 150.00 is 149.70.

Inspecting Price Values on Specific Bars

To see the open, high, low, and close of any bar on the chart, the mobile app offers a crosshair or inspect gesture. The exact gesture varies by build, but the most common is to tap and hold on the chart, then drag the crosshair to the bar you want to inspect.

When the crosshair is active, a small panel typically appears showing the date and time of the bar, plus the OHLC values. Releasing the touch dismisses the crosshair. This is the equivalent of the Data Window on the desktop terminal, although the mobile version is more compact and only shows OHLC rather than indicator values at the cursor.

If you cannot find the crosshair gesture in your build, check the app's settings or help screen. Older versions used a dedicated crosshair button on the chart toolbar; newer versions tend to rely on touch gestures.

Indicators and Drawing Objects on the Chart

Indicators applied to the chart appear directly on the price area (for overlay indicators such as moving averages or Bollinger Bands) or in a separate sub-window below the chart (for oscillators such as RSI, MACD, or Stochastic). Each indicator is calculated from the current timeframe's bars, so switching timeframe redraws everything accordingly.

Drawing objects such as trendlines, horizontal lines, and Fibonacci retracements are anchored to specific prices and times. They remain in place when you switch timeframes on the same symbol. Adding a drawing on mobile usually involves tapping a drawing tool icon in the chart toolbar, then tapping the chart to place anchor points. MT4 mobile supports 24 graphical objects, fewer than the 31 on the desktop terminal, but the most common drawing tools are all available.

To remove a drawing, tap it to select it (a handle usually appears), then use the delete option from the resulting menu. Long-press behaviours vary by build.

iOS and Android Notes

The MT4 mobile app handles chart reading similarly on iOS and Android, with small visual differences. On iOS, the chart screen uses Apple's gesture conventions: pinch to zoom, two-finger swipe to scroll the time axis, tap-and-hold for crosshair. On Android, the gestures are similar, with Material Design styling on the toolbars and menus.

The chart settings dialog opens as a modal sheet on iOS and as a full-screen activity on Android. The names of settings can vary slightly between builds. If a setting mentioned in this guide does not appear in the expected place, check that the app is up to date.

Practical Considerations

A few practical points are worth keeping in mind when reading the MT4 mobile chart.

The chart shows live market data for whichever account you are currently logged in to, and the chart settings (timeframe, indicators, drawings, type) are saved per symbol. Switching symbol shows that symbol's last-used setup. Switching accounts on the same terminal keeps the chart settings in place but the trade-related context (positions, pending orders) updates to the new account.

Demo accounts often execute instantly and may not fully replicate live slippage conditions, so the chart you read on demo behaves a little differently from the chart on live during fast markets. Use demo to learn the interface and confirm your reading method, but expect small differences when you move to live.

Finally, the mobile chart is a faithful representation of the same data the desktop terminal shows, but the smaller screen makes very detailed analysis harder than on a desktop. For complex multi-indicator setups or detailed object work, the desktop platform remains the more practical tool. Mobile is excellent for monitoring, quick reads, and order entry on the go.

Trading at TIOmarkets

TIOmarkets offers MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 on desktop, web, and mobile, across four account types. The Standard account is created automatically on registration with a minimum deposit of $20 or currency equivalent. The Raw and VIP Black accounts are opened separately through the client area. The Nano account is MT5 only with a $20 minimum deposit, USD only. Hedging is supported on all accounts. A swap-free Islamic account is available; contact TIOmarkets for eligibility and instrument requirements. Copy trading is available on both MT4 and MT5.

Orders are executed at the best available market price, which may result in positive or negative slippage. Demo accounts often execute instantly and may not fully replicate live slippage conditions. Spreads are variable and are typically higher than minimum figures shown. Leverage on each instrument is subject to change depending on market conditions and applicable regulatory requirements. You can review the full list of account types on the TIOmarkets accounts page.