Amazon Kindle Low-Battery Problem

By Ashley Poland

The expected battery life depletes slowly with age and use.
i Spencer Platt/Getty Images News/Getty Images

The Kindle can run into a series of different problems when the battery is low. Your Kindle battery should last for nearly 10 days with the wireless turned on, and up to two months with the wireless turned off. Battery problems can cause device freezing, connection issues, and general charge issues.

Freezing Problems

If your device has frozen -- become non-responsive -- a common cause is that your battery is too low. Plug your Kindle into a power source and give it time to charge before you try to get a response from your device. After charging, if your Kindle is still not responding, slide and hold your power button for 20 seconds to reset the device. Issues with the screen not rotating may also be due to a low battery. In the future, avoid letting your battery charge run too low; you do not need to drain the Kindle's battery before recharging.

Connection Problems

Your Kindle may not connect to Amazon.com's 3G network if the battery charge has run too low, as connecting to a wireless network uses more battery power. Leaving the wireless turned on can also cause your battery to drain faster if the connection is weak; a weak signal causes the Kindle to continue searching and reconnecting to the network, taking up even more battery power than wireless access usually does.

Charge Problems

A persistent low charge or lack of battery life may be attributed to not charging long enough, or not getting enough power while charging. When plugging your Kindle in to charge, make sure that the indicator light has turned yellow and, if at all possible, leave it charging until it turns green. If charging while connected to your computer, you'll need to eject the Kindle before it starts charging. The battery indicator in the upper right corner of the Kindle screen will show a lightning bolt to indicate that it is charging. Do not use a hub or peripheral device to connect the Kindle, as it may not get enough power to charge your device. Try resetting the Kindle by sliding and holding the power button for 20 seconds. If the battery is not charging or the indicator does not light up, try connecting your device to a different power source. You may also need to try a new USB cable.

File Problems

If you've sent the Kindle a lot of e-books, either via USB or the Kindle's email address, the battery may be drained faster while the books load and get indexed. While your battery is low, you may not receive personal files emailed to the Kindle, due to issues connecting to wireless while the battery is low.

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