Cannot communicate with battery
Canon Camera
Severity: MinorWhat it means
This message means the camera cannot read the battery's communication chip.
You can usually dismiss the warning and continue shooting.
This commonly appears with third-party batteries that lack Canon's authentication chip.
Affected Models
- Canon EOS R5
- Canon EOS R6
- Canon EOS R3
- Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
- Newer Canon cameras
Common Causes
- Third-party battery without Canon's communication chip
- Dirty battery contacts
- Genuine Canon battery with damaged communication chip
- Battery grip interfering with communication
How to Fix It
-
Dismiss the warning — the camera will still work.
This is a warning, not a blocking error.
The camera functions normally — you just will not see accurate battery percentage. -
Clean the battery contacts.
Dirty contacts can prevent communication even with genuine batteries.
Use a dry cloth on the gold contacts. -
Use a genuine Canon battery to eliminate the warning.
Only genuine Canon batteries have the correct communication chip.
Genuine batteries show remaining percentage and shutter count.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep using the camera with this warning?
Yes.
The camera works normally — it just cannot read the battery level accurately.
The battery indicator may show inaccurate or no percentage.
Do all third-party batteries trigger this warning?
Most do.
Canon uses a proprietary communication chip.
Some high-end third-party batteries (like Wasabi Power) include compatible chips, but most do not.