Auto mode
The unit chooses between cooling and heating (and on some makes dry or fan) by itself to hold the temperature you set.
What pressing it does
Set one temperature and leave it. Mitsubishi Electric starts in COOL if the room is above the setting and HEAT if it is at or below it, and switches over after about 15 minutes on the wrong side; Panasonic re-chooses every 10 minutes (every 3 hours on a multi-split system).
What it does not do
It does not mean automatic fan speed: AUTO on the fan-speed button is a separate setting, and Midea says fan speed cannot be set in AUTO mode at all.
Makes differ, check your unit’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly what a button does and which modes it works in.
- What it looks like
- Usually the word AUTO; some remotes draw two arrows chasing each other round a circle, sometimes around a letter A.
- Names makers use
- AUTO (Midea, Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic, Fujitsu); Automatic (Airwell); Auto / AI Auto (Samsung)
Where makers differ
Midea says auto picks COOL, FAN, HEAT or DRY; Airwell and Mitsubishi Electric only switch between cooling and heating. Samsung’s AI Auto, with Wi-Fi, also learns your usage patterns.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines air-conditioner remote icons, so this meaning is taken from 4 makers’ own manuals, each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Midea: Midea — Remote controller owner’s manual, RG51A(2)/E and RG51B(2)/E (PDF) — “In AUTO mode, the unit will automatically select the COOL, FAN, HEAT or DRY function based on the set temperature.” “FAN SPEED can’t be set in AUTO mode.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Airwell: Airwell — RC08W remote control manual (PDF) — “(automatic) When this setting is selected, the air conditioner calculates the difference between the thermostat setting and the room temperature and automatically switches to the ‘cool’ or ‘heat’ mode.” Checked 2026-09-26.
- Mitsubishi Electric: Mitsubishi Electric — MSZ-LN indoor unit service manual OBH766 revised edition B (PDF, UK library) — 9-5 AUTO CHANGE OVER: starts in COOL if the room is above the set temperature, HEAT if equal or lower; changes mode after about 15 minutes. Checked 2026-09-26.
- Panasonic: Panasonic — Operating instructions, CS-Z*AKUAW air conditioner (North America, PDF) — “AUTO : … The unit will select an operation mode every 10 minutes depending on the setting and room temperature” (single split); every 3 hours on multi split. Checked 2026-09-26.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.