Kindle Battery

Okay, so I think I have a problem with my Kindle battery. When I first got it, it was fine, but now, not so much.

The problem is that it seems to be using the battery even when it's switched off. About a month ago, I noticed that the screen had turned on with a "Battery critical" warning showing. I hadn't used it in a fair while at that point (didn't have time for personal reading due to Uni homework). So I fully charged it, then switched it back off.

Anyway, I've read a couple of short stories on it since then, which only would've used a small amount of battery power. It's been switched off in the mean time. So last night I turned it on to download a couple more files, and I noticed that the battery icon had an exclamation mark through it - battery nearly critical again.

So is this a bad battery, or could it be accessing WiFi even when switched off? I know people have recommended I keep WiFi switched off except when downloading books, and I'll have to try that... But is there anything else I can do? It should still be under warranty at the store where I got it, but probably not for much longer. (Not sure if I got a 1-year warranty or a 2-year warranty, but it's been almost a year since getting it.)

If it helps at all, it's the most basic Kindle on the market.

It's got the little buttons, so it's not touch screen. There's no keyboard buttons, you have to bring up a virtual keyboard and use the arrows and Enter button to type anything.

Thanks in advance.

I've never turned the WiFi off before. *shameface*

But would it kill the battery even when the Kindle is switched off?

I just checked the box, and all it says is Kindle Wi-Fi. Definitely not a Fire.

As for sending it back to Amazon, well, it's still under warranty with the store I bought it in, so they can hang the cost. It would just mean being without my Kindle for an extended period of time...

Well, the screen goes entirely white, which is the e-paper thing, right? But there's no image on it when I turn it off. It just goes all to the background, and I can visibly see the e-ink withdraw from the surface.

And I never had this problem when I first bought it, and I haven't changed my user habits especially, apart from maybe switching it on less often...

I'm charging it right now. Or I think I am. The message on-screen tells me "Currently your Kindle is not charging". But last time I charged it, that's what it said, yet it still charged up. So I'm not sure...

I'm thinking I'll have to back up all my downloaded files (there aren't many of them) and then talk to the store where I bought it. Countingbats: Do you mean contact Amazon directly? Because if the store was willing to swap my Kindle over for a new, not faulty, one, then that'd be a lot quicker... And as far as I know, the warranty is with the store.

I'll have to dig out my receipt/paperwork and see if that sheds any light on warranty stuff. It should do, but I can't recall right now.

ETA: Hmm. It's 5 minutes till closing time with the store, so I guess I won't be ringing them today. They should be open tomorrow, so I'll have to give them a call then.

Update: I've backed up all my books, turned WiFi off (well, I went into Aeroplane Mode - I think that's the same thing?) and apparently, even though I had that "Not charging" message, it went from critical to half-charged in about an hour or so.

I've also found my old paperwork, and I'm pretty sure the store is going to tell me to contact Amazon directly... Because the extended warranty is with the store, but the first year I think is with the manufacturer (Amazon). And it is still in the first year of use, like I thought.

I'll still give the store a call, because if they can help me then it'll save some time... But they don't open for another half hour yet.

Thanks.

So I rang the store, and they were only marginally helpful. Turns out I *can* take it into the store, but that they'd have to send it off to Amazon anyway. Not sure which way I should do this...

Like, going direct to Amazon may mean getting a replacement sent out before I have to send this one back, but might mean high postage costs. Going through the store means a longer wait (presumably without a Kindle at all for a while), but the store would definitely handle the shipping costs.

Given that I'm a bit poor right now, I may just have to go via the store. Though, because I'm just finishing up my semester and will have 3 months to myself, I may wait till around late February to take it into the store... Because I won't have time to read on it when next semester starts anyway, but I *will* want to read on it during these 3 months! Especially as I have several books on there that I want to read soon.

Hmm. So yes, that may be what I do.

It'll likely be several weeks before I find out if turning Wi-Fi off has helped at all... It was taking a few weeks to a month for the battery to die when switched off, but I only charged it halfway yesterday. So I don't know. We'll see.

Mmm. Not so sure it'd work that way down here... Australia doesn't have a local Amazon warehouse.

I'm trying not to think about it right now, though. I've got an assignment that needs to be done, and that has an actual deadline, so it's definitely at the top of my "Gah!" list right now.

And I think I'll still wait and see if the battery dies when switched off, now that I've turned Wi-Fi off.

Thanks for the info, though. And thanks everyone who posted.

Mmm, okay. We don't have UPS here, but I imagine there'd be something similar in place?

Not that I've noticed...

We have "Yellow Couriers", I've seen, and the main Australia Post contractors with vans (for parcels). No FedEx, no UPS, at least as far as I know.

I'd say that any postal service Amazon has a special understanding with, we don't have.