Why Is Your iPhone 6 Battery Icon Yellow? Here’s What It Means
Noticed your iPhone 6 battery icon suddenly turned yellow? Don’t panic — it’s not a bug or hardware issue. That yellow icon simply means Low Power Mode is enabled. It’s Apple’s way of helping you squeeze more life out of your battery when power is running low.
Here’s what it does and how to turn it off if you want the normal battery color back.
What Does the Yellow Battery Icon Mean?
The yellow battery icon shows up when Low Power Mode is turned on. This feature kicks in automatically when your battery drops to 20%, or you can enable it manually anytime.
Low Power Mode reduces or pauses certain background tasks to save energy, such as:
- Mail fetching
- Background app refresh
- Visual effects
- Auto downloads
- Hey Siri
You may also notice your screen dims slightly, and overall performance feels a bit more sluggish — that’s normal.
How to Turn Off Low Power Mode
If you want your battery icon to return to green (charging) or white (normal), just disable Low Power Mode:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Battery.
- Toggle Low Power Mode OFF.
The icon will switch back to normal — red if it’s still low, white if you’re not charging, or green if it’s plugged in and charging.
Bonus Tip: Add a Shortcut for Easier Control
If your iPhone is running iOS 11 or later, you can make it even easier to toggle Low Power Mode on or off.
- Go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls.
- Tap the green + next to Low Power Mode.
Now, you can swipe down (or up on older models) and quickly toggle Low Power Mode from Control Center.
When Should You Use Low Power Mode?
- When you’re out and about with no charger in sight
- When you want to prolong your battery life until you get home
- As a temporary fix for battery drain issues
Low Power Mode is safe and built right into iOS. There’s nothing wrong with your iPhone, and you don’t need to fix anything — just plug in your charger and the yellow icon will disappear automatically once the battery hits 80%.