Looked down at your iPhone and noticed the battery icon turned yellow? Don’t worry — your phone isn’t broken. That yellow icon simply means Low Power Mode is on. It’s a battery-saving feature Apple built in to help stretch your remaining charge when you’re running low.
Here’s everything you need to know about the yellow battery icon and how to turn it off if you want your phone back to normal.
What Does the Yellow Battery Icon Mean?
When your iPhone battery drops below 20%, Low Power Mode kicks in automatically (unless you’ve turned that off manually before). It dims the screen, pauses background activity, and disables power-hungry features like mail fetch, visual effects, and automatic downloads to help you get the most out of your remaining battery.
Once your battery charges past 80%, your iPhone turns off Low Power Mode on its own, and the icon goes back to green (if charging) or white (if not).
How to Turn Off Low Power Mode
Don’t want to wait until you hit 80%? You can manually disable Low Power Mode at any time.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Battery.
- Toggle off Low Power Mode.
Once disabled, the battery icon returns to its regular color.
Use Control Center for Quick Access
You can also add a shortcut to Low Power Mode in your Control Center:
- Open Settings.
- Tap Control Center.
- Scroll down and tap the green + next to Low Power Mode.
- Now, just swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen (on Face ID models) to toggle it on or off with one tap.
Set Up an Automation for Low Power Mode
Want your iPhone to automatically enable Low Power Mode before your battery gets too low?
- Open the Shortcuts app.
- Tap Automation at the bottom.
- Tap Create Personal Automation.
- Choose Battery Level, and set the percentage (like 30%).
- Tap Next, then tap Add Action.
- Search for Set Low Power Mode, and make sure it’s set to On.
- Tap Next, then Done.
Now Low Power Mode will turn on by itself when your battery hits that level.
Check Battery Health If It Happens Often
If your iPhone constantly drops into Low Power Mode and drains quickly, your battery might be worn out.
To check battery health:
- Go to Settings > Battery.
- Tap Battery Health & Charging.
- Look at Maximum Capacity — if it’s below 80%, your battery is significantly degraded and should be replaced.
What Low Power Mode Actually Does
When enabled, Low Power Mode:
- Lowers screen brightness
- Pauses email fetch and background app refresh
- Reduces system animations
- Disables automatic downloads and iCloud syncing
- Turns off 5G unless you’re actively using it
Basically, it cuts all the nonessential stuff to stretch your battery life.
Don’t Want to Use Low Power Mode? Try These Battery Tips Instead
If you’d rather not use Low Power Mode, you can still improve battery life with these tweaks:
- Lower your screen brightness manually
- Enable Auto-Lock to turn off the screen faster
- Turn off Bluetooth when not needed
- Disable Background App Refresh in Settings
- Use Dark Mode to reduce screen power usage
- Close power-hungry apps running in the background
When Should You Use Low Power Mode?
Low Power Mode is perfect when you’re out and about without a charger and need to make your iPhone last. Just know it’s safe, easy to toggle, and won’t harm your phone. Once you plug in and hit 80%, it’ll shut off on its own.