Using original battery does not help to "Incompatible battery"

[Mark Caro]

Many of us have noticed that A6000 series cameras are very sensitive for third-party batteries, giving the message "Incompatible battery – use a compatible battery".

I have had incompatible batteries, but changing to an original one does not help. The message just does not disappear and the camera cannot be used.

During the guarantee time the A6500 was repaired twice for this and I have not used 3rt party batteries ever since. However, now the camera is giving the message again. I once heard that a Sony owner had succeeded to fix it himself – if I remember right he simply put the camera on and off very many times.

Any other magic to try?

[XKAES]

There can be different reasons for this.  One is that the internal battery is weak and needs recharging -- or it is dead.

Do you have the owner's manual?  Read it. 

Do you have an external power cord?  Use it.  If the camera works fine with the power cord, leave it attached to the camera with the camera OFF for 24 hours.  This will recharge the internal battery IF it can be recharged.  Then try a fully charged main battery.  If that works, problem solved.  If not, your internal battery my need to be replaced.

How old is your main battery(s)?

You said your camera was repaired twice.  Was it repaired because of this -- or something else?  You have us working in the dark, playing a guessing game.

Edited September 16, 2021 by XKAES

[Mark Caro]

Thanks for the hints Xkaes. The main battery is as old as the camera – three years, and it ha been in lazy amateur use. Yes it was repaired for this very reason, so I suspect that it is not because of old battery.

But I will try your tricks and tell how it went.

[XKAES]

Batteries can go bad -- whether they are used a lot or not.  If you have a voltmeter, they are easy to check -- just charge it up (charge it an hour more after to light goes out).  Then check the voltage with what the owner manual says it should be -- probably 7.4 - 8.4 volts.

If you get that reading, and you lack an AC power cord, just leave the fully charged battery in the camera (turned OFF) for 24 hours.  Remove the battery and see how much voltage the battery lost.  That can recharge the internal battery.

[Tom Treuten]

I do use 3rd party batteries from Baxxtar ever since - last longer than Sony ones and no issues.

I do not get any message on my a6000. But I do get a warning on the a7III but after accepting it works perfectly fine.

Not sure what the issue is with yours but maybe give a 3rd party battery or a second Sony battery a chance. A spare battery is never a bad idea and no wasted money.