Have you ever glanced at your iPhone battery icon and noticed it’s yellow instead of the usual white, black, or green? This color change can be puzzling, especially if you’re not familiar with all of your iPhone’s features. Seeing a yellow battery indicator doesn’t mean something is wrong with your battery, but it does signify that a specific setting is active. Let’s dive into why your iPhone battery icon might be showing up yellow.
Decoding the Yellow Battery Icon: Low Power Mode
The yellow battery icon on your iPhone is an indicator that Low Power Mode is turned on. This is a built-in feature designed by Apple to extend your iPhone’s battery life when it’s running low. When Low Power Mode is activated, your iPhone reduces the amount of power it consumes to help you get the most out of your remaining battery charge.
Why is Low Power Mode Enabled on Your iPhone?
There are a couple of reasons why Low Power Mode might be switched on, causing your battery icon to turn yellow:
- Manual Activation: You may have intentionally turned on Low Power Mode yourself. This can be done through the Control Center or in the Battery settings within the Settings app. Users often enable it when they know they’ll be away from a charger for an extended period and need to conserve battery.
- Automatic Prompt: Your iPhone may automatically suggest turning on Low Power Mode when your battery level drops to 20%, and again at 10%. If you choose to enable it at these prompts, the battery icon will turn yellow.
How to Turn Off the Yellow Battery and Low Power Mode
If you want to turn off Low Power Mode and revert your battery icon back to its normal color (green when charging, white or black otherwise), it’s a simple process:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on “Battery”.
- Locate the “Low Power Mode” toggle.
- Tap the toggle to the left to turn Low Power Mode off. The yellow battery icon will disappear, and your battery indicator will return to its standard color.
Alternatively, you can also disable Low Power Mode from the Control Center if you have added the Battery icon to it.
What Happens When Low Power Mode is On?
Low Power Mode helps conserve battery life by reducing or turning off certain features. When enabled, you might notice the following changes in your iPhone’s performance:
- Reduced Display Brightness: The screen might appear dimmer.
- Lowered Display Refresh Rate: On iPhones with ProMotion displays, the refresh rate will be limited to 60Hz, making scrolling and animations appear less smooth.
- App Background Activity Reduced: Features like background app refresh, automatic downloads, and email fetch are limited to save power.
- Performance Optimizations: Your iPhone might experience slightly slower performance in some tasks as the processor speed is reduced.
- 5G Limitations: On iPhone 12 and later models, 5G is limited for some tasks, except for video streaming.
- Auto-Lock defaults to 30 seconds: The screen will turn off quicker when idle.
- Some Visual Effects are reduced.
- iCloud Photos may be temporarily paused.
While Low Power Mode can significantly extend your battery life, it’s a trade-off with some performance and feature limitations. For most everyday tasks like calls, messages, and basic browsing, Low Power Mode is usually sufficient. However, for more demanding activities like gaming or video editing, you might want to disable it for optimal performance.
Conclusion: Yellow Battery is a Helpful Indicator
Seeing a yellow battery icon on your iPhone is not a cause for alarm. It simply means Low Power Mode is active and working to prolong your battery life. Understanding this feature allows you to manage your iPhone’s power consumption effectively and make informed decisions about when to enable or disable Low Power Mode based on your needs. If you prefer your iPhone to operate at full capacity and don’t need to conserve battery urgently, simply turn off Low Power Mode in your Battery settings, and the yellow will be gone.
