Why does my Kindle Paperwhite have a battery with an exclamation point?

Kindle Paperwhite is an electronic device that helps to read ebooks in a more accessible way. One of the most common faults of the Kindle Paperwhite is its battery. This device’s battery drains very quickly compared to other models, and it also has some issues after using it for some time. In this article, we will go over the battery issues of the kindle paperwhite. 

Why is there a Battery with Exclamation Point?

Usually, this means the Kindle needs charging. If you are sure your charger and its lead are working correctly, it may simply need a reset. To do that, hold the power button for at least 30–40 seconds until the screen goes blank. Then release the power button and hold it again for 5 seconds until you see something on the screen.

The most common causes of a Kindle failing to charge are, in order:

Broken charging cable you can try one from a phone or other device. If the USB fits perfectly, it should work.

You can try the broken charging wall from another device or connect the lead to a USB port on a computer. Connecting the computer is always recommended to help remove the exclamation mark; nobody knows the exact reason why it helps. But mostly, the dirt in the Kindle charger socket can be cleaned carefully with a toothpick. The dirt and grime can prevent making a connection between the USB and the port.

The Kindle needs a hard reset to remove any software issues it has. (Discussed Below)

Malfunction in the Kindle Paperwhite motherboard, there can be an IC issue that might be why your Kindle is showing the battery sign with an exclamation point.  

Dead battery, unlikely to happen in many cases. But if you use your Kindle a lot, the battery might have completed its lifespan sooner.

Orange Light function

According to Amazon, before getting into anything related to this issue, you should know the primary function of the orange light. On the bottom of the Kindle Paperwhite is a micro-USB port for the charging cable. When the Kindle Paperwhite is plugged into a power source and starts charging, the LED indicator light (next to the power button) glows amber. When the device is fully charged, the LED turns green. This is the only function of the LED light; it is not there to tell you about any notification or any software issue. It is helpful to get to know about the current battery level without turning on the screen. 

Exclamation Mark Reasons

There can be a few reasons why your Kindle is showing an exclamation mark. It generally means that the battery is no longer communicating with the motherboard and might need a replacement. Here are a few solutions to remove the exclamation mark from your Kindle:

Drained Battery

The exclamation may be shown because of a critical battery error that appears when your Kindle’sKindle’s battery is 100% drained, and nothing is left behind. To fix this, please see below.

1. Connect the charger to your Kindle, then plug it into the outlet. Please do not use your computer to charge your Kindle as it takes more time than setting from a power source.
2. Now, check if the charger LED light is on. If not, remove it and reconnect the charger again. Try until it lights up. It may take a while to light up as the battery is thoroughly drained and needs some time to bring it back to life.
3. After that, let your Kindle charge for at least three to five hours so that the battery can charge completely. Because the battery was completely drained and required more time than usual to charge the Kindle fully.

Replace the Charger or Battery

If the Kindle Paperwhite critical battery error persists, your battery or charger could be defective. Try using a different charger and keep replacing it as much as you can. If it charges on any one of them, replace your charger. If it does not, send your Kindle Paperwhite to an official service center. If it’s within warranty because the battery might be dead or have completed its lifespan, or the mainboard can be defective. If the warranty is null or void, buy a battery replacement and replace it by yourself or by a professional.

If the battery replacement does not work, the chances are that your motherboard could be defective, which may not be worth replacing since the cost of the mainboard is just equal to buying a new Kindle. 

Hard Reset

Suppose the Kindle Paperwhite still has a battery sign. In that case, it is better to give it a hard reset because there can be a software bug causing the Kindle to keep showing the sign even without a problem. Again this won’t erase any of your content or settings.

Overnight Charging

This is the most helpful tip from when I have issues with other electronic devices with charging issues or when they will no longer turn on. Leave the Kindle Paperwhite plugged into a power source overnight. Hopefully, the Kindle will be back in life till the next day.

Perform A Software Update

Make sure that your Kindle is on the latest software version to fix the software bugs as soon as possible. You can update the software by navigating to the settings screen and selecting software updates. Alternatively, you can download the software update manually following Amazon’sAmazon’s instructions here according to your Kindle model.

The Charging Port

The charging port can collect dirt, and something small may have lodged in the power port, preventing the connection between the cable and the Kindle Paperwhite. You can inspect the charging port with a flashlight. If you find out that the port is slightly bent which means it’s not going to make the connection correctly. But the good news is that the charging port can be fixed without invalidating your warranty. It will be challenging to fix, but it’s worth getting in touch with Amazon customer services at this point.

Check the Power Outlet

Make sure that the power outlet you are using works ideally. You can check it by plugging another device into the same outlet to verify that the power is flowing. If all of your troubleshooting efforts have left you right where you started, and your Kindle Paperwhite won’t charge, review your tablet receipt and warranty, place a call to Customer Support, or send an email accordingly.

What does a yellow light mean on a Kindle?

When charging your Kindle, make sure the Kindle’sKindle’s charging LED light located by the power button should light up yellow, which is the standard charging color. You can also charge your Kindle e-reader with your computer using the USB cable that came with the device. Still, it slows down the charging time and can affect battery health. 

How to reset the Kindle Paperwhite?

With your device powered on, tap the Menu button, which appears as three horizontally stacked lines in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

1. Tap “Settings” on the Home screen
2. On the Settings screen, tap the Menu button again and then tap “Reset Device.”

If your tablet is frozen and not responding at all, you can just Hard reset it; here are the steps:

• Press and hold down the power button for almost 45 seconds; if you have a second-generation Kindle Paperwhite, press the power button for 7-15 seconds. Doing this, the screen will go blank, and the reset process will get started.
• Now press the power button again, just like a simple press as if you are taking your Kindle Paperwhite out of sleep mode.

The start-up screen will appear with a silhouetted child reading under a tree. In a few seconds, the device will automatically begin the restart process and display a progress bar. When that restart is complete, it means the rest is completed, and now you can use your Kindle Paperwhite.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed the problem of the Kindle Paperwhite showing a battery sign with an exclamation point on the screen with its possible reasons and solution. We discussed the possible reasons why it is showing the warning. Here are a few possible reasons:

• A drained battery
• Software Issue 
• Charging port with dirt and grime
• The battery has completed its lifespan

By observing these possible reasons, here are a few solutions that you can try to remove the Battery sign with an exclamation mark on your screen:

• Charge your Kindle overnight
• Perform a Hard reset
• Clean your charging port with a toothpick
• Check your USB charging cable and wall charger if it is working correctly or not
• Replace the battery
• Connect your Kindle Paperwhite with a computer 
• Sync or Calibrate your Battery

Hopefully, your Kindle Paperwhite will come back to life and start generally functioning by performing these solutions. We hope you find this helpful article.

Why does my Kindle Paperwhite have a battery with an exclamation point?

Kindle Paperwhite is an electronic device that helps to read ebooks in a more accessible way. One of the most common faults of the Kindle Paperwhite is its battery. This device’s battery drains very quickly compared to other models, and it also has some issues after using it for some time. In this article, we will go over the battery issues of the kindle paperwhite. 

Why is there a Battery with Exclamation Point?

Usually, this means the Kindle needs charging. If you are sure your charger and its lead are working correctly, it may simply need a reset. To do that, hold the power button for at least 30–40 seconds until the screen goes blank. Then release the power button and hold it again for 5 seconds until you see something on the screen.

The most common causes of a Kindle failing to charge are, in order:

Broken charging cable you can try one from a phone or other device. If the USB fits perfectly, it should work.

You can try the broken charging wall from another device or connect the lead to a USB port on a computer. Connecting the computer is always recommended to help remove the exclamation mark; nobody knows the exact reason why it helps. But mostly, the dirt in the Kindle charger socket can be cleaned carefully with a toothpick. The dirt and grime can prevent making a connection between the USB and the port.

The Kindle needs a hard reset to remove any software issues it has. (Discussed Below)

Malfunction in the Kindle Paperwhite motherboard, there can be an IC issue that might be why your Kindle is showing the battery sign with an exclamation point.  

Dead battery, unlikely to happen in many cases. But if you use your Kindle a lot, the battery might have completed its lifespan sooner.

Orange Light function

According to Amazon, before getting into anything related to this issue, you should know the primary function of the orange light. On the bottom of the Kindle Paperwhite is a micro-USB port for the charging cable. When the Kindle Paperwhite is plugged into a power source and starts charging, the LED indicator light (next to the power button) glows amber. When the device is fully charged, the LED turns green. This is the only function of the LED light; it is not there to tell you about any notification or any software issue. It is helpful to get to know about the current battery level without turning on the screen. 

Exclamation Mark Reasons

There can be a few reasons why your Kindle is showing an exclamation mark. It generally means that the battery is no longer communicating with the motherboard and might need a replacement. Here are a few solutions to remove the exclamation mark from your Kindle:

Drained Battery

The exclamation may be shown because of a critical battery error that appears when your Kindle’sKindle’s battery is 100% drained, and nothing is left behind. To fix this, please see below.

1. Connect the charger to your Kindle, then plug it into the outlet. Please do not use your computer to charge your Kindle as it takes more time than setting from a power source.
2. Now, check if the charger LED light is on. If not, remove it and reconnect the charger again. Try until it lights up. It may take a while to light up as the battery is thoroughly drained and needs some time to bring it back to life.
3. After that, let your Kindle charge for at least three to five hours so that the battery can charge completely. Because the battery was completely drained and required more time than usual to charge the Kindle fully.

Replace the Charger or Battery

If the Kindle Paperwhite critical battery error persists, your battery or charger could be defective. Try using a different charger and keep replacing it as much as you can. If it charges on any one of them, replace your charger. If it does not, send your Kindle Paperwhite to an official service center. If it’s within warranty because the battery might be dead or have completed its lifespan, or the mainboard can be defective. If the warranty is null or void, buy a battery replacement and replace it by yourself or by a professional.

If the battery replacement does not work, the chances are that your motherboard could be defective, which may not be worth replacing since the cost of the mainboard is just equal to buying a new Kindle. 

Hard Reset

Suppose the Kindle Paperwhite still has a battery sign. In that case, it is better to give it a hard reset because there can be a software bug causing the Kindle to keep showing the sign even without a problem. Again this won’t erase any of your content or settings.

Overnight Charging

This is the most helpful tip from when I have issues with other electronic devices with charging issues or when they will no longer turn on. Leave the Kindle Paperwhite plugged into a power source overnight. Hopefully, the Kindle will be back in life till the next day.

Perform A Software Update

Make sure that your Kindle is on the latest software version to fix the software bugs as soon as possible. You can update the software by navigating to the settings screen and selecting software updates. Alternatively, you can download the software update manually following Amazon’sAmazon’s instructions here according to your Kindle model.

The Charging Port

The charging port can collect dirt, and something small may have lodged in the power port, preventing the connection between the cable and the Kindle Paperwhite. You can inspect the charging port with a flashlight. If you find out that the port is slightly bent which means it’s not going to make the connection correctly. But the good news is that the charging port can be fixed without invalidating your warranty. It will be challenging to fix, but it’s worth getting in touch with Amazon customer services at this point.

Check the Power Outlet

Make sure that the power outlet you are using works ideally. You can check it by plugging another device into the same outlet to verify that the power is flowing. If all of your troubleshooting efforts have left you right where you started, and your Kindle Paperwhite won’t charge, review your tablet receipt and warranty, place a call to Customer Support, or send an email accordingly.

What does a yellow light mean on a Kindle?

When charging your Kindle, make sure the Kindle’sKindle’s charging LED light located by the power button should light up yellow, which is the standard charging color. You can also charge your Kindle e-reader with your computer using the USB cable that came with the device. Still, it slows down the charging time and can affect battery health. 

How to reset the Kindle Paperwhite?

With your device powered on, tap the Menu button, which appears as three horizontally stacked lines in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

1. Tap “Settings” on the Home screen
2. On the Settings screen, tap the Menu button again and then tap “Reset Device.”

If your tablet is frozen and not responding at all, you can just Hard reset it; here are the steps:

• Press and hold down the power button for almost 45 seconds; if you have a second-generation Kindle Paperwhite, press the power button for 7-15 seconds. Doing this, the screen will go blank, and the reset process will get started.
• Now press the power button again, just like a simple press as if you are taking your Kindle Paperwhite out of sleep mode.

The start-up screen will appear with a silhouetted child reading under a tree. In a few seconds, the device will automatically begin the restart process and display a progress bar. When that restart is complete, it means the rest is completed, and now you can use your Kindle Paperwhite.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed the problem of the Kindle Paperwhite showing a battery sign with an exclamation point on the screen with its possible reasons and solution. We discussed the possible reasons why it is showing the warning. Here are a few possible reasons:

• A drained battery
• Software Issue 
• Charging port with dirt and grime
• The battery has completed its lifespan

By observing these possible reasons, here are a few solutions that you can try to remove the Battery sign with an exclamation mark on your screen:

• Charge your Kindle overnight
• Perform a Hard reset
• Clean your charging port with a toothpick
• Check your USB charging cable and wall charger if it is working correctly or not
• Replace the battery
• Connect your Kindle Paperwhite with a computer 
• Sync or Calibrate your Battery

Hopefully, your Kindle Paperwhite will come back to life and start generally functioning by performing these solutions. We hope you find this helpful article.