Author Topic: Phone battery dies too fast - Sumsung  (Read 1992 times)

FiguringItOut

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Phone battery dies too fast - Sumsung
« on: October 03, 2017, 11:05:47 AM »
I have Samsung S7 Edge phone purchased last August (no comments please), so it's a bit over a year old.  It was working great with battery lasting for a whole day with still about 20% left when I would plug it in at night.

Two software updates ago that were pushed to my phone, the battery started draining really fast.  I would leave home in the morning, listen to some downloaded podcasts and play some games for about an hour on my way to work and it's a 50% when I get to the office.  My use of the phone hasn't changed from before the battery started acting up.

This battery is not removable.

Anybody know why this is happening?  Is there a way to fix it? 

Miss Piggy

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Re: Phone battery dies too fast - Sumsung
« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2017, 03:41:49 PM »
I had the same issue an update or two ago on my Galaxy Note. I googled it, did whatever a handful of articles suggested, and my battery has been fine since. I'm sure if you do a google search, you'll find some helpful hints out there.

I'm not trying to be a smartass here, but I acknowledge it could sound like I am...I simply don't remember exactly what settings I adjusted, and since we have different phones, perhaps your suggestions would be different anyway. Good luck to you!

Lulee

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Re: Phone battery dies too fast - Sumsung
« Reply #2 on: October 05, 2017, 10:55:51 AM »
At the risk of possibly sending you down the wrong path, my mom's tablet (a Lenovo) had a similar issue.  Not only was the battery draining too quickly but the CPU acted pegged all the time, as in not responding to commands for 15 or more minutes at a time.  I got poking around and found a pre-installed app called ES File Explorer was gobbling up storage as well as CPU time.  I uninstalled the updates and then disabled the bugger and it was back to it's normal behavior.   I suspect it was an update or two that dorked it and caused the misbehavior.  Perhaps you also have an app like that which is chewing up resources?

marielle

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Re: Phone battery dies too fast - Sumsung
« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2017, 10:57:38 AM »
I feel your pain, my Nexus 6p has a battery life of less than an hour if I use it to navigate even with lower brightness. Yesterday it wasn't even 30 minutes when I used it to navigate home on my bike...

Needless to say it stays glued to a charger.

galliver

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Re: Phone battery dies too fast - Sumsung
« Reply #4 on: October 05, 2017, 11:22:12 AM »
On my Galaxy S5, articles recommended clearing the cache (not the app cache you clear from the phone settings; the one you clear from the boot menu) which helped some, and doing a factory reset, which it took me forever to get around to and I think also helped some?

I think subsequent software updates helped, as did keeping it in power-saver mode (it still dies quickly if I forget to put it back after taking it off, e.g. to pair with a bluetooth device).

FiguringItOut

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Re: Phone battery dies too fast - Sumsung
« Reply #5 on: October 05, 2017, 11:25:59 AM »
Miss Piggy, I didn't think you were being a smartass.  I'll try googling again.  However in the past it didn't produce any reasonable hacks or solutions.

Lulee, I'll try to see if there is anything like that that eats up the battery.  But I am a total imbecile when it comes to these things. 

Marielle, I find this to be completely ridiculous.  And this was/is my first 'current' phone too.  I totally treated myself here.  In the past, I always either got free phones that came with service plans or I bought new, but outdated model.  I have a feeling I will be back to new but outdated models after this one. 

FiguringItOut

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Re: Phone battery dies too fast - Sumsung
« Reply #6 on: October 05, 2017, 11:27:45 AM »
On my Galaxy S5, articles recommended clearing the cache (not the app cache you clear from the phone settings; the one you clear from the boot menu) which helped some, and doing a factory reset, which it took me forever to get around to and I think also helped some?

I think subsequent software updates helped, as did keeping it in power-saver mode (it still dies quickly if I forget to put it back after taking it off, e.g. to pair with a bluetooth device).

Thanks. I'll see if I can find this article/directions. 
I'm very disappointing with Samsung/Android because of it, but I am stuck since I don't do Apple and this is a new phone.

nemesis

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Re: Phone battery dies too fast - Sumsung
« Reply #7 on: October 06, 2017, 09:26:43 PM »
On my Galaxy S5, articles recommended clearing the cache (not the app cache you clear from the phone settings; the one you clear from the boot menu) which helped some, and doing a factory reset, which it took me forever to get around to and I think also helped some?

I think subsequent software updates helped, as did keeping it in power-saver mode (it still dies quickly if I forget to put it back after taking it off, e.g. to pair with a bluetooth device).

Thanks. I'll see if I can find this article/directions. 
I'm very disappointing with Samsung/Android because of it, but I am stuck since I don't do Apple and this is a new phone.
Apple's not much better.  My iPhone battery just does not last as long as it used to... and it will cost an arm / leg to get the battery replaced.

Look at your apps and see if any apps can be removed / trimmed from your phone. 

marielle

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Re: Phone battery dies too fast - Sumsung
« Reply #8 on: October 06, 2017, 10:54:21 PM »
I just did a factory reset and there is definitely some improvement. Still glitches and immediately goes from like 30% to 0% but it seems to be lasting longer in general.

Also, you can disable vibrations, animations (in developer settings) and other things for small improvements.

urover

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Re: Phone battery dies too fast - Sumsung
« Reply #9 on: October 09, 2017, 10:07:50 PM »
<rant>Don't mean to start an android/apple war here, but weird things such as an app draining battery or pegging CPU while the OS does nothing to stop this activity is exactly why I've grown to like iPhones. There's many things I hate about an iPhone and how locked down it is, but an iPhone kinda just works.

I'm no longer interested in troubleshooting badly designed software, gloated UIs, or buggy OSs at this point in life. I used to enjoy doing all this, but now I want to open something and expect it to work.

</end-rant>