Why Your iPhone Battery Icon Is Yellow – And How to Turn Off Low Power Mode

A modern iPhone is great for many things, especially when it comes to notifying you about certain issues. When you look at your iPhone’s display, you may see a variety of icons that provide information about your device. However, some of these icons—like the half-moon symbol—are only useful if you actually understand what they’re trying to convey.

So why is your battery icon yellow? If you’re not familiar, the battery icon on an iPhone turns yellow when the device is in Low Power Mode. It can be a useful feature that works well with your device’s battery, but it also comes at the cost of reducing some of your iPhone’s features and hardware capabilities. Fortunately, this mode is only enabled in certain situations, and Apple provides users with multiple ways to disable it. Naturally, should you find that you like it, there are also ways to ensure that it never turns off.

What Low Power Mode Does

Considering battery life can be rather valuable, users should be aware of the ins and outs of Low Power Mode to ensure they’re getting the most out of their device. When your device is in this mode, it behaves differently. This includes:

• Disabling 5G on most devices (excluding iPhone 12 and 13 models when downloading large files or streaming video)

• Reducing display brightness

• Limiting refresh rates to 60Hz on ProMotion displays

• Disabling visual effects and background app refresh

• Throttling GPU and CPU performance, which may be noticeable during resource-intensive tasks

These changes help extend battery life but come at the cost of reduced performance and functionality.

How to Disable Low Power Mode on iPhone

If you’re curious why your battery icon is yellow on your iPhone, it’s because the device is in Low Power Mode, and it may actually be a feature you want to use more often. Introduced way back in 2015 with iOS 9, this mode can help extend your battery life, but it’s also going to reduce your iPhone’s functionality. If you don’t like it, there are several ways to disable Low Power Mode.

Method 1: Through Settings (iOS 26 and later)

1. Open Settings on your iPhone.

2. Choose Battery.

3. Select Power Mode.

4. Tap Low Power Mode to enable or disable it.

Method 2: Through Settings (iPhone 14 and earlier)

1. Open Settings.

2. Choose Battery.

3. Enable or disable Low Power Mode.

Method 3: Using Siri

• Activate Siri and say: “Turn on Low Power Mode” or “Turn off Low Power Mode.”

Method 4: Through Control Center

• Add the Battery icon to Control Center and tap it to toggle Low Power Mode on or off.

How Low Power Mode Is Triggered

Devices with Adaptive Power enabled will automatically enable the feature when the device drops below 20%. Once enabled, Low Power Mode will automatically disable when the device charges to 80% or higher. Of course, you can always charge the device with the appropriate cable to ensure Low Power Mode properly goes away.

Summary

Conclusion

The yellow battery icon on your iPhone is a clear indicator that Low Power Mode is active. While this mode can be a lifesaver when your battery is running low, it also reduces certain features and performance. If you prefer to have full access to your iPhone’s capabilities, you can disable Low Power Mode through Settings, Siri, or Control Center. Just remember that it will automatically re-enable when your battery drops to 20% unless you have disabled Adaptive Power.