Kindle Battery Exclamation Mark [Meaning & How to Fix!]

Exclamation marks, mainly when used in pictograms, are meant to draw attention to potential danger. Drawing from this understanding, you may equate your Kindle battery’s exclamation mark to a potential health hazard like excessive radiation. Does an exclamation mark on Kindle’s battery indicate a health hazard?

A Kindle battery exclamation mark indicates a faulty connection between your Kindle and the battery or that the battery is at a minimal level and the Kindle will shut down anytime. Easy fixes include charging the Kindle and hard restarting it.

In the rest of this article, I’ll discuss the causes of an exclamation mark error on your Kindle’s battery. I’ll also cover how to fix this error to get your Kindle’s battery back to normalcy. Let’s get started!

Causes of Kindle Battery Exclamation Mark Error

The battery icon with an exclamation mark on the Kindle screen results from the following issues:

1. Battery at Its Minimum Level

The first reason your Amazon Kindle displays the exclamation mark inside its battery icon is that it has exceeded its minimum operating voltage. The exclamation marks warn that the device may get permanent battery damage or shut down if you continue using it.

Your Kindle’s battery may become critically low if:

• You haven’t used it for a long time, and the battery has completely discharged.
• You’ve used the Kindle for a long time without charging it.
• The temperature is too cold or too hot for the Kindle to function correctly.

The exclamation mark is usually accompanied by a low battery warning to denote that a low battery is the issue. You may get a notification along the lines of, “Battery critically low, connect your charger to continue using the Kindle, or Low battery.”

2. Faulty Connection Between the Kindle and the Battery

A faulty connection between the Kindle battery and the system may also trigger the exclamation mark error. The fault may also result from the battery and charging parameters.

It’s worth noting that a faulty connection between the battery and the Kindle can occur even when the battery has enough charge. Thus, you should not always consider a Kindle battery exclamation mark as a sign of low battery.

An exclamation mark that appears even after charging the Kindle indicates an issue with the battery that should be addressed to prevent further damage.

3. The Battery Is Physically Dead

Kindle batteries have a lifetime of four to six years. After this time, the battery may become physically damaged, and you may see an exclamation mark on the Kindle’s screen.

Physical damage to the battery can occur due to:

• Exposure to extreme heat or cold.
• Wrong voltage input during charging.
• Frequent discharge and recharge cycles that exceed the recommended limit.

How To Fix Kindle Battery Exclamation Mark?

It can be a little discomforting, to say the least, when you keep seeing an exclamation mark on your Kindle battery’s icon. Luckily for you, here are some workarounds to try and get your Kindle up and running again.

1. Recharge Your Kindle’s Battery

The first thing you should do when you see the exclamation mark on your Kindle’s battery is to connect it to a power source and let it charge. It would help if you also tried charging your Kindle with a different charger or power outlet, just in case the problem is with the charging port or cable.

An exclamation mark that doesn’t disappear even after charging your device for a long time may be an indication of a faulty charger. However, you should know your charger’s voltage before thinking it’s defective; using a low-voltage charger will take a little longer for the exclamation mark to disappear. Therefore, you should give the Kindle enough time to charge.

A Kindle should take between two and five hours to be fully charged. A full charge should eliminate the exclamation mark on your Kindle’s battery. However, if it doesn’t, try some of the other solutions below.

2. Hard Restart the Kindle

If recharging your Kindle’s battery even with a different charger didn’t work, you can try forcing a restart on the device.

Hard restarting your Kindle entails forcing it to turn on, a situation that may cause it to move on from the battery screen.

Some instances when you can try hard restarting your Kindle are:

• When it’s charging. You should try restarting with the charger still connected.
• Connect it to a charger and hard restart it immediately after it starts charging.
• Anytime so long as it’s connected to a power outlet.

Here is the procedure to hard restart your Kindle:

1. Press and hold the power button for 40 seconds while the Kindle is still connected to the charger. The power button should either be at the bottom or on the sides of the Kindle.
2. Either the screen will turn on and the exclamation mark will vanish, or nothing will happen.
3. If nothing happens, leave the Kindle on the charger and try again later.

3. Check for Hardware Damage

If all else fails, it’s time to check if there’s any physical damage to your Kindle or its battery.

• Check if there’s any liquid damage, as this can cause an exclamation mark on the battery.
• Check for any visible swelling on the Kindle or its battery. You should take the Kindle to a professional for repair or replacement if you spot any of these signs.
• Check if the charging port is blocked by any debris. If it is, clear it out to see if that solves the problem.

4. Connect the Kindle to a Computer

Some people solved the Kindle battery exclamation mark by connecting it to a PC. Although the wall outlet is efficient in charging a Kindle since it dispatches more power, a computer’s USB port provides just enough power to sustain the Kindle.

Here is how to connect your Kindle to a PC:

1. Use the USB cable that came with your Kindle and plug one end into the device.
2. Connect the other end of the cable to any available USB port on your computer.
3. Once it’s connected, a pop-up window will appear on your PC.
4. Select the “Charge only” option from the pop-up since you don’t want to copy or move files from the Kindle to the computer.

5. Check the Battery’s Connection With the Motherboard

A stuck Kindle battery’s exclamation mark may indicate a faulty connection between the battery and the motherboard. The motherboard is the heart of your Kindle, so a damaged connection to it can result in all sorts of problems.

Here is how to check if the battery is correctly connected to the motherboard:

1. Turn off your Kindle and disconnect it from any power source.
2. Remove the back cover of your Kindle. You should see the battery and the motherboard.
3. Check if the battery is still connected to the motherboard. If it isn’t, try reconnecting it and see if that solves the Kindle’s problem.

6. Replace the Battery (Last Resort)

If nothing else works, then it’s time to replace your Kindle’s battery. Replacing your Kindle’s battery is especially necessary if you have been using it for years. For instance, the battery might have exceeded its lifespan and needs a replacement if it has served you for more than four years.

Some signs that your Kindle’s battery has exceeded its lifespan include:

• It takes longer to charge.
• The Kindle doesn’t hold a charge as long as it used to.
• You see the exclamation mark more frequently.

It’s recommended to take your Kindle to a professional for battery replacement. A professional will check to ascertain that the battery is dead before replacing it.