Samsung S8+ Excessive Battery Drain - Ideas or Factory Reset Advice?

• 

  MS Paint on 09/01/2021 - 17:04

  +4

  Backup

  Factory reset

  Reinstall

  Update apps

  Done

  Winning

  • 

    Kangal on 09/01/2021 - 19:28

    +1

    Sometimes it's a rogue App, other times it's a poorly coded Samsung update. Sometimes it's both.

    To keep a phone to last long, either buy an iPhone, or have a phone which has good community support (bootloader unlock, custom drivers, kernels, OS/ROMs, Software Mods, and root access).

    • 

      SaberX on 10/01/2021 - 01:12

      If i factory reset won't I just end up having the same samsung updates installed to android that would cause the same issue?

      Or can some installations cause issues whilst factory resetting and updating the installation can at times avoid the same issues?

      Apps would be easier as you can troubleshoot…but i don't recall any apps I had just started installing around Nov/Dec when the issues first started?

      • 

        Kangal on 10/01/2021 - 02:43

        +2

        Apps are more complex these days. It might be an App-OS interaction. Or an App-App-OS interaction. Or even an App-OS-App interaction. That's causing issues. Theoretically, they should be sandboxed but in-practice this isn't always the case. Though things are much better on iOS, mainly due to how Apple vetts their AppStore more stringently.

        So a factory reset, basically wipes the slate clean, and can resolve these issues.
        Deleting Apps and Re-installing them won't. They're still stored in your cache.

        I know these because I bought a Note 2 when it was released, which was a present to my brother. He complained about performance and battery life. That's because I spoilt him when I modded his SGSII. The Note 2 had a horrible firmware, the TouchJizz insults were accurate. Flashed it to something very lean. Basically doubled battery life AND improved performance. It was a shopping spree of stopping so many background tasks. Then I deleted his unused Apps, replaced some with better alternatives, and topped him up with a $20 voucher and bought the Paid versions. Overall, he didn't appreciate all I did, until he upgraded to the S4 and again complained about the same Lag and Battery Drain. Didn't help him after that. Though I've gotten too lazy since then, and rely on getting mostly Stock OS phones instead.

        • 

          SaberX on 10/01/2021 - 04:55

          @Kangal: It would be great if you can sandbox just one app, or process, and see what happens to the system. Short of uninstalling, is there an app or easy way of quarantining an app one by one? Someone mentioned greenify below, which is one app i used rarely in the past to shut down apps for not use, but would this work in the same way as an app being completely removed in terms of its effect on the system?

          Great that you did that for your brother. I've never rooted a phone or used ROMs so it has always been whatever the manufacturer/telco has provided me with the phone that i've gotten….

          You mentioned deleting apps and/or reinstalling them wont wipe the slate clean. But does not clearing the 'cache' and storage int he apps settings achieve this?

          I do note that despite tracking my photos and videos space, alot of internal hdd just isn't accounted for. I presume alot of junk and or redundant data is somehow stored in the phone as time goes by, and can only ever 'reset' or delete with a complete wipe? Kind of like the old 'reformat your computer' every so often as far as windows is concerned.

          Cache aside, if it's a buggy security patch/android update that caused this, would factory resetting and updating to the latest versions avoid the same issues as it is a new 'install'? I mean surely both times the updates would have installed the same anyway so wouldn't my outcome (i.e. a buggy experience) still be the same?

          THe only thing left is a) a dodgy sim card (but have removed sim card and still gotten the .com.android.phone error message) or b) actual physical hardware issue. However the latter surely wouldn't be the case as I have been able to enjoy days of use with no issues before this excessive phone lag/heating up/battery drain kicks in again. Once it 'resolves' and battery drain is back to normal it just works exactly as it has in the last 3 years…. very frustrating how hard it is to trouble shoot these things. Unfortunately I dont think i could go back to an iphone again haha.

• 

  garetz on 09/01/2021 - 17:18

  +1

  Batteries dont last forever, usually they degrade over time. The phone is about 3 years old, and its just going to get worse over time. That's the way it is.

  • 

    SaberX on 10/01/2021 - 01:16

    Yeah I agree and know that, but this was clearly a significant deterioration in battery one day.Also clearly obvious given the networks cutting in and out as well as the battery is draining at a super fast pace. 20-30% in less than an hr is definitely not right. Not to mention the screens off and not being used at the time - plus when the problem stops the battery clearly reverts back to normal.

• 

  loulou1 on 09/01/2021 - 17:27

  Hubby’s S9 recently had to be sent for repairs. Back up was very easy. Install an SD card or whatever it takes, download smart switch app, back it all up to that. Remove it. Restore phone to factory settings. Reinstall smart switch and move it all on over. Sounds more complicated than it is.

  • 

    SaberX on 10/01/2021 - 01:18

    I already have an SD card in there - does it wipe out the card to do smart switch? Or can you just clear some space and use smart switch to slot into the spare space?

    When your hubby used the smart switch, does it keep al your relevant app data/settings for when the resintalls occur? Or is there anything that didn't restore that I need to save down/copy now ahead of time?

• 

  Nitrollparty on 09/01/2021 - 17:29

  on my s9+ my power mode is set to medium (set cpu lower screen res is down also) ive had my phone from new and still get over a days worth of battery and around 3-6hrs on screen time…had my phone from new so its getting pretty old… my point is i'm sure you have very similar settings on the s8? if so have a look at those settings if you haven't already

  • 

    plmko on 09/01/2021 - 19:00

    S9+ is not "pretty old", you should expect a minimum of 3 years of prime usage as long as your recharge cycles stays within 500 charges.

    I have a Xperia XZ premium and it is still 99% efficient according AccuBattery.

    • 

      mbck on 09/01/2021 - 19:09

      +1

      3 yr old phone, used daily, 99% efficiency…hmmm

    • 

      spackbace on 09/01/2021 - 20:11

      +3

      500 charges… Would that not generally be less than 18 months, assuming most if not everyone charges every night?

  • 

    SaberX on 10/01/2021 - 01:19

    the issue is my phone has been working for the last few years according to the pattern of battery usage I'm used to. It's suddenly excessively draining and it coincides with the error messages popping up about the '.com.android.phone' is not responding. At the same time the phone grinds to a halt and lags when executing other commands and apps. So I know there is something crunching the phone. The screens off at times and charging on the adapter yet it drops % or hardly moves unless i turn the phone off.

• 

  mizx on 09/01/2021 - 17:36

  +2

  Use the AccuBattery app on Play Store and see what battery health % the phone is at. Probably time to get a new battery or phone.

  • 

    SaberX on 10/01/2021 - 01:20

    I thoguht Accubattery needs to be installed from inception to track how your battery health is like now vs when you first got it?

    Unfortunately it isn't the battery (as mentioned above to some other posters) per se being old - it's a sudden excessive drain and problem that's cropped up that's an issue.. even if it was abrand new battery whatever it is is chewing through …

    • 

      mizx on 10/01/2021 - 09:13

      +1

      Nah, it gathers data from when the phone is charging normally to estimate the battery health, takes a few charges to calibrate and gets more accurate over time.

      Oh then I don't really know. Good luck lol

      • 

        SaberX on 11/01/2021 - 14:26

        Downloaded it. It's pretty nifty for measuring battery wear and how much capacity you estimated to have lost. Has a small discharge section on apps but otherwise not much detail on specific battery drain unfortunately. Do you usually use it from inception of phone? or just install and use a few charges to get an 'idea' of wear, then uninstall so it doens't background drain while monitoring always?

        I do note it recommends an 80% charge then disconnect which is interesting. Supposedly charging from 80-100% is much more cycle wear. I wonder why/never thought of this. Only thought charge to 100% then disconnect charger… i wonder what the ideal 'discharge to" % is.

• 

  aragornelessar on 09/01/2021 - 17:47

  +1

  Started getting excessive battery drain coinciding with the reception/internet dropping in and out repeatedly

  Have you tried turning off wifi or 4G (or both) to rule out drain from networking stuff?

  • 

    SaberX on 10/01/2021 - 01:21

    I've turned on the flight mode (and returned back on Wifi) and still get the odd .com.android.phone is not responding.That's why it's perplexing. Sometimes it charges better, but the battery usage is definitely still burning through.

• 

  useraj on 09/01/2021 - 17:57

  try recalibrate your battery

• 

  Drakesy on 09/01/2021 - 19:15

  the s8 battery was never great even to start off with, i'd imagine 3 years later it's probably not in the best of shape. Maybe look at a new battery or phone?

  • 

    Kangal on 09/01/2021 - 20:19

    I disagree.
    The S8 was pretty good for its time, and decent compared to todays phones. He's got the S8+ which was really good, so it would be quite average compared to the latest phones. Though he definitely has issues, mostly from having too many (unused) Apps that are running in the background, and a flimsy firmware update from Samsung. Though it could be the battery/hardware. Or both.

    And if you're wondering why battery life is the way it is: bloat.
    Think of Android 4.0.3 (Mainline - Roboto), then think of Android 5.1 (64bit - Material Design), then think of Android10 (Modern - Gestures). These are all the "stable" versions of their respective platforms. Phones are from 2011, to 2015, to 2020.

    Then you think about it, and the phones have gotten MORE efficient when it comes to the: screen, radios, processor. So much so that, you should see about x2 double battery life. Not to mention the battery capacities have gone up also (2500mAh, 3400mAh, 4000mAh).

    I remember modding my Note 1, and was able to achieve a 2-full-day battery life on average. Had several phones in between. My 2015 phone was a Nexus 5X, and stock it would last 1 day, until I modded and could (almost) eke out 2 days. It died and replaced with a LG G6, not moddable, but lasted about 1.5 days. I would've expected around 4-days battery life out of these 2015/2016 phones. My Android10 phone is a OnePlus 7 Pro, and its "mostly stock" but it only lasts 2.5 days. I would be expecting 6-days battery life. However, one can do a better comparison than this. Such as 2012 Sony Xperia T's 36h/1900mAh vs 2015 Z5c's 86h/2700mAh vs 2020 5.2's 102h/4000mAh.
    Or perhaps the Samsung Galaxy Note 2's 69h/3000mAh vs Note 5's 85h/3100mAh vs Note 20's 101h/4500mAh.
    What's changed?
    The OS is less "phone" and more "computer" constantly sending and receiving data. So the more efficient radios are more active, the more efficient processor is more active, the more efficient screen uses more battery to have a brighter and sharper image. Apps are far thirstier. Webpages are heavyweights. Did I mention the OS is now attempting to do more/bloat?

    • 

      SaberX on 10/01/2021 - 03:50

      I need to add that the S8+ indeed was great at the time from the phone i upgraded from (sony xperia z3) as you mentioned. Even now it seems to rank quite high up gsm arena''s battery tests when you compare web browsing and other duration times . Of course hardware's alot more advanced since, so the same 3 hrs of a newer phone you'd assume is more bang for buck than 3 hours of an older one. The main reason I mentioned my issues though was the current battery burn is what is bugging me as I have been using the phone from inception and so I know what it normally drains at, and currently it is miles ahead in terms of unnaturally burning through battery %. It's obvious given the drain whilst the screens off and the heated screen/body which usually is when it's being overloaded i find.

  • 

    SaberX on 10/01/2021 - 03:51

    it isnt the wear and tear of an aged phone but a clear battery drain that excessively kicks in. At times it'll resolve and for days i'm back to normal before the reception drop outs and battery drain even while the screen is off kicks back in.

• 

  elgrande on 09/01/2021 - 19:34

  +2

  I had an s8 with a dodgey battery.

  • 

    holdenmg on 09/01/2021 - 19:39

    +3

    I got a lift in an Audi S8 once and I never asked about the battery.

    • 

      spackbace on 09/01/2021 - 20:12

      +1

      I got a lift in an Audi S8 once

      Did they charge?

      • 

        Kangal on 09/01/2021 - 20:20

        Nah, no charge.
        It was a High Yield Investment, it pays for itself.

        • 

          spackbace on 09/01/2021 - 20:22

          +1

          @Kangal: #MissedThePun

• 

  Gunther on 10/01/2021 - 02:12

  +1

  Factory Reset and DONT restore and install the same apps, manually just install the ones you actually need.

  • 

    SaberX on 10/01/2021 - 03:53

    Mosts of those i've left on as I wanted to use or potentially use though? i've been low on space at times on the internal so i'd have uninstalled anything i don't use already?

    That said if I factory reset, provided it isn't a hardware issue that is causing it, if it's system related due to says a samsung update, would updating the phone again not just result in the same glitches/issues?? Or can you have two same updates but one which goes haywire upon installation?

• 

  iridiumstem on 10/01/2021 - 04:15

  I am not sure whether this actually helps or not, but try deleting Cache Partition?
  It basically is, from what I have heard, deleting temporary files/all those bits and pieces in cache partition (so doesn't touch anything like your installed apps or such), which could be causing issues.
  I have heard that it could help and it used to be my go to thing to do whenever I do major updates and such.

  VOLUME UP + HOME + POWER I think was the combination that got you into Recovery, and delete Cache Partition.

  • 

    SaberX on 10/01/2021 - 04:22

    Yeap , that's one of the things i've done already. still getting the excessive battery drain amongst reception/connectivity dropouts.

    • 

      iridiumstem on 10/01/2021 - 04:24

      I think it might be easier to just factory reset then. It might be a mess up caused by updating straight to a major update without deleting things from older updates or something similar.

      If factory reset doesn't help, then you could probably conclude that the problem is likely a hardware problem or at least something that's not something easy to fix.

      Another thing you could probably do is try to pinpoint which app/service is causing the battery drain, and try to shut it down using say… sorry it's been awhile since I've delved into the depths of custom ROMs and such so I might have to look them up.

      I think it was Wakelock Detector and Greenify. I think those were the ones I used to use. I think they worked (with limitations of course) without rooting them phone. Though with all the hassles of trying to pinpoint what service is causing what and that, I personally would just reset the device after backing the things up and see whether what I said before is the culprit (mess up caused by updating to a major update without deleting things from older updates).

      • 

        SaberX on 10/01/2021 - 04:49

        Well that's the question I am wondering before embarking on that… a factory reset with so much data, apps and setups is abit of a pain. Be great to start off from scratch though as presumably over time my internal hdd is full but I can't find what is eating it up, it's like the 'ghost' data that has stacked up over time. But also when factory resetting does android work differently whereby a factory reset and updating the OS to the latest would lead to an install that works correctly, yet incremental upgrades and app installations are corrupted or buggy? I would have thought the phone would just download the same OS upgrades and patches and result in the same bugs?

        Then again I don't quite understand the specifics and perhaps wiping the slate clean, upgrading with the same patches, and fresh app installs is different to having apps uninstalled and reinstalled.

        I dont' have a custom ROM. I use the stock standard S8+ that came with my phone (not tied to a specific carrier, as i got it through woolworths mobile). THe GSAM battery monitor i thought came with wavelock detectors via the ADB access. having never rooted a phone i went with this option. Is the only option to uninstall apps one by one and see when the network issues resolve (if they even do)?

        The issue is with GSAM monitor i might see android system processes, play services etc, and some wavelocks are listed when you click under, but apart from saying the odd few seconds how do I interpret or narrow down what specific android service or process could be causing the battery drain? Even clicking into google play services or android system they list a heap of things from the android/samsung ecosystem that relate to it….

        I do note gsam also notes my 'screen' drain as more % with it off than on. for example i think i had 30% drain on/ 70% off, or somet ridiculous number - so clearly something with the screen off is still sucking battery. I presume it relates to whatever causes the reception to drop in/off and the phone to lag. If it was hardware related to the antenna then I'd presume i wouldn't have the experience where this has resolved itself once or twice before, before restarting (typically after a restart although I have had the '.com.android.phone has stopping working' pop up without a restart after a couple of days of using the mobile with back to normal battery usage and system response)

        • 

          iridiumstem on 10/01/2021 - 14:40

          @SaberX: I think the best option would be, back up everything you can as much as you can (Smartswitch and whatnots), and reset and see?

          I am not an expert, but my personal approach to these problems is, try to eliminate as much possibilities as possible.

          It is very possible that resetting wouldn't help, but if it does help, it probably is whatever something that we discussed before.
          It might have been left over files or combinations of app or both causing bugs or such that it is constantly conflicting causing battery drains and crashes.
          It might be that install somehow did something funky with the combinations of apps you previously had and causes conflicts, I dunno and to be frank, I think it gets to a point where resetting would be the easiest option. Backing up, resetting and see whether it helps and setting the phone up again would take less time and less combinations of app installs. At least how it ended up.

          Something slightly tangent that might help that I just remembered, try flashing the official ROM onto the device using ODIN. I think that alone doesn't reset the phone, just writes over the firmware (but please do back up just in case), but that solved a problem with my wife's LG G2. My wife's phone somehow managed to lose its keyboard (and nothing worked, even her panic resetting), but flashing it with the official ROM somehow helped.

          Anyways, my whole thinking is, does the cause of the issue really matter if resetting fixes the problem?

          If it doesn't help or the problem comes back, you've at least backed everything up, and tried resetting. It might be the software issues, might be the hardware issues, might be something else. That said, at that point, my personal approach is, send the device to Samsung and get them to fix it. Might be a hardware issue, then I wouldn't have been able to fix it without hassles (i.e. worrying about whether the battery I got is genuine, whether how I assembled it causes issues with water resistance, etc).

• 

  whitelie on 10/01/2021 - 05:03

  The wife's S8 did this, died within a week and wouldn't turn on after that. Hopefully you get it sorted with a reset or at least backed up if it's on it's way out.

  • 

    SaberX on 10/01/2021 - 05:15

    oh interesting. so it was a hardware issue/sign of it going out the door?

    Perhaps ill do a backup of the internal photos asap. Lucky though i did not choose the 'encrypt ' external sd card option - which renders it useless without the phone itself to decrypt.

    • 

      whitelie on 10/01/2021 - 05:26

      Not really sure…Figured it was a battery issue but wouldn't turn on when plugged in and wouldn't charge so quite likely a hardware issue. Was essentially bricked when it died (woke up one morning and it wouldn't power on). Figured it wasn't worth fixing and we just replaced it/upgraded so can't comment on how easy it is to fix it or what the actual problem is.

      • 

        SaberX on 11/01/2021 - 14:17

        ahh no worries - thanks! So far it hasn't bricked… but its pretty unusable with such fast battery drain of 10-25% an hr. Not to mention constant inability to use internet or phone calls. Let's hope it won't brick before i can backup and find a solution though! :)

• 

  skid on 10/01/2021 - 08:42

  +1

  Check your battery health by following this guide. It's info is sourced directly from the phone:

  https://old.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS8/comments/6mtf1z/how_to_kno…

  The cause is most likely to be the age of the battery, but try force stopping every app and use GSAM battery monitor to check if force stopping all apps have made a difference over a day or two. If it has, you'll know that it is app related.

  Here is an app that will automate force stopping every app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.force.stop… It's also useful for seeing which apps have background.processes.

  If force stopping every app hasn't helped, turn off any Samsung smart feature related to sensors like proximity sensors.

  As a comparison, my S7 drains 1.2%/hr according to GSAM battery monitor. I've been charging when the battery goes below 15% and charge it to full before disconnecting the charger. I've been using it daily since March 2016 (pre-ordered). The battery has deteriorated as it used to drain 0.7%/hr but it's still pretty good for a near on 5 year old phone.

  • 

    SaberX on 11/01/2021 - 14:24

    Thanks Skid. I'll check out the guide at home.

    I don't deny the battery is getting old… accubattery i installed on saturday and so far i've got about 2800 or so mah capacity vs my 3500 - estimated off a short period time. So i've lost about 500 mah, that said it isn't the 'total' loss and wear that was an issue, it's the sudden acceleration of battery drain since Nov-Dec onwards. Plus the lag and dropouts of phone and internet reception that seem to be intertwined with whatever is burning in the background.

    I'll try the force stop you mentioned. If doing that though wont the whole system crash with all processed force stopped? or will android just repower them back up (the crucial ones)? Or it targets non crucial apps essentially? Haven't heard of the samsung smart feature s- what are th eproximity sensors used for and where abouts does one usually target and turn these off? I'd love to turn off all the other ad hoc listening apps that could cause issues - bixby etc that i dont use, but unfortunately appears baked into the OS.

    I'll copy paste my GSAM report from this AM off some basic usage.

    While i did have some screen time on way to work, most have been podcast background listening and screen off time. Clearly screen off discharge % vs screen on discharge %'s are off the charts, usually screen off is discharging faster. Background CPU seems engaged but the main thing is 81% of battery usage is being used by apps supposedly. Estimate is 15.7% battery/hr by GSAM being burnt up - which is far worse than your 1.2%/hr on yours. Prior to this issue and occasionally when it 'self resolves' for a few days, I go back to leaving my phone off, podcast on, and i could be on 80% battery and come back to 70%++ an hr or two later.

    Of the 81% battery usage by apps it is split up by:

    24.2% - "Shell"
    20.0% Android system
    12.7% phone services
    8.1 %Kernel (Android OS)
    2.95% podcast addict
    2.5% chrome
    1.9% facebook
    1.8% google play services.

    Everything else is sub 1%. I presume normal 'apps' downloaded would show up independently and wouldn't indirectly bump up android system related %'s up? So in this case it seems the OS or interface is bugging out. I just have no idea where you go from here to diagnose/deep dive? It'd be great to troubleshoot rather than just factory reset and have the problem arise again.

    • 

      skid on 11/01/2021 - 15:33

      Force stop targets the non system apps only. And they'll also start back up as soon as you open the app again.

      The Samsung smart features are under Settings > Advanced features. Turn off anything that sounds too smart like screen staying on when you are looking at the phone, screen turning off when you are speaking on the phone, bixby and anything that gives assistance. Anything to do with the camera, antenna, microphone, accelerometer, gyro hardware features consume battery while activated.

      The way android works is that the apps DO contribute to the "Android system %" because the apps consume system services which get accounted for under the umbrella Android system category.

      GSAM is one of the more useful apps and the breakdown its given you is worth considering. Try going without podcasts, chrome and facebook for a couple days and see how that changes things. It might be that you're now using the apps in a 4G zone (new tower set up) and the network is the cause whereas before it was using 3G.

      I find that it's Google that takes your phone resources for granted, followed by Samsung. Hope that Force stop apps works for you.

      • 

        SaberX on 11/01/2021 - 19:31

        Interesting. So even though GSAM may not show 'facebook' as an app, it can still pop into the 'android'? system or kernel or other vaguely general names relating to the android ecosystem?

        I wish samsung and the like dialled out of their 'extras' and one could have free roam to just install what they truly need…

        I'll give your force stops a try. Like you said though if i force stopp them wont they restart up? So how would one pinpoint/know which one is causing issues? Or do they stay off generally until you re-enter them, so thereby you can check if its an app caused issue?

        I've requested a sim replacement from Boost too. I have always had a mixture of 3G and VoLTE on my S8 + pop up so im not sure if a network upgrade would do it. but hopefully a new sim (and i've asked them to check my profile) will resolve any carrier issue. presumably though worse solution is a factory reset if i cannot troubleshoot an error. And if that still doesn't fix it i'm forced to upgrade phones (which is frustrating as it was working fine pre November 2020 - even being a few years old).

        • 

          skid on 11/01/2021 - 21:46

          @SaberX: Generally, apps will stay in stopped state until you re-enter them. There are a couple exceptions, like the apps from Google and Samsung which have watchdogs which restart the app when it sees that the app has been shutdown.

          A factory reset is a fair bit of trouble. Maybe just me, but I'd install a custom rom or upgrade to a S21+

          • 

            SaberX on 12/01/2021 - 13:55

            @skid: yeah s21+ is out soon… tempted. I was looking at s20 lineup but i had hear the ultra and others had some issues with camera? maybe fixed now since release. The other issue is many bagged the lack of snapdragon, i presume s21 line is also exynos and not snapdragon? The other issue is the lack of storage space…. i was looking at the oppo find x2 pro - no external sd card but the 512gb sure makes up for getting a 128gb samsung and having to buy an external SD card. Price wise the samsungs sure come at a premium which I reckon is partly brand (rather than quality premium).

            I downloaded and tried the app you recommended yesterday. I wonder if i am doing something wrong. Each app prompts a force stop may cause error message, and it does this 4 or 5 times in quick succession. I presume if it was working fine it would force each app the first time? Or is it normal that it tries to force stop an app a couple of times? Sometimes it then exits out of the force stop and i have to restart the process from wherever it was on the list of apps. Once i got a compatibility issue - maybe it doesn't work on S8+?

            I was still getting the .com.android.phone is not responding error messages and battery drain so last night I reverted to one tactic that seemed to work when this issue first occurred in November: i removed and swapped and used my mrs sim card in the phone (optus though, whereas i'm with Boost). It still has the dropouts and reception loss, so it seems to be phone related than sim? But when i switched the sim back and still had errors/drain i went to bed, and voila this morning the phone is cold when using (during these issues the phone heats up physically so I can tell the battery drain/issue is happening) it. GSAM battery monitor is now down to 7.5% an hr battery usage estimates. Far better than the 17-23% i was getting previously. Phone is cold.

            Very puzzled/perplexed. The app % usage still has the android system at 16.3%, podcast addict is still highest at 22.4% (i'll investigate if this is normal for playback otherwise ill try switching apps), and kernel (android os) is 8.1%. other than that the phone services is only 0.5%. All other apps are < 5% and are individual apps like chrome, reddit. Even google play services is down to 2.2%.

            Contrast this to yesterday's split (per below) - it's apparent all the top battery burners are android system related: shell, phone services, kernel etc. are all correlated with the glitch. Frustrating as I still don't know how it self resolves or what causes it. I do know if i restart my phone now i most likely get the issue returning. Won't be restarting for some time methinks!

            24.2% - "Shell"
            20.0% Android system
            12.7% phone services
            8.1 %Kernel (Android OS)
            2.95% podcast addict
            2.5% chrome
            1.9% facebook
            1.8% google play services.

            • 

              skid on 12/01/2021 - 14:52

              @SaberX: Sounds like mobile data is being used more than it should. Do you have the Download booster enabled? WiFi uses less battery than mobile data. Your phone will use more juice in low mobile reception areas. 4G uses more battery than 3G. Try changing these options in the Settings screen:

              Settings > Connections > Wifi > Advanced (from the menu in the top right corner) > Switch to mobile data = off
              Settings > Connections > Wifi > Advanced (from the menu in the top right corner) > Turn on Wi-Fi automatically = off
              Settings > Connections > Wifi > Advanced (from the menu in the top right corner) > View More > Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep = Always
              Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi calling = on
              Settings > Connections > Location > Locating method = Phone only
              Settings > Connections > More Connection Settings > Download booster = off

              I'm not sure about the following setting. Might want to experiment.
              Settings > Connections > Data Usage > Data Saver = On

              I'd uninstall podcast addict as 22.4% is way too high.

              Do you swap the sim while the phone is on?

              • 

                SaberX on 12/01/2021 - 17:12

                @skid: Keeping in mind these battery burn issues also occur while at work and at home (where wifi is connected) so not sure if it is a data usage issue. I'll check the various settings you gave me though.

                Podcast addict has typically worked ok but i'll monitor (it's a really useful app so it'd be a shame) how the battery drain is with the screen off and it running. The % might be high as this is the % of the total app usage ( so out of 100%). So podcast addict being on may have been the predominant app hence it's higher share of the battery %. The most important thing is the actual battery usage is low, so even at 22.4% it's off a low numerator.11:28 am i wrote down i had 70%, and by 12:30'ish after realising i'd been browsing a few minutes then I noted i was only down like 2-3% battery , so over an hr. So clearl yback to normal, such a stark difference.

                I did swap the mrs sim in while my phone was on. Later on either with her sim or mine (i can't remember which) i did restart the phone though, as my sms kept crashing. So everytime i scrollled to old sms and viewed, returned to menu, and tried to delete, every few messages it would crash out. Restarting fixed it… not sure if this fixed the battery issue. Would have been good if i didn't restart after switching the sim out…. so in other words i did switch sims with phones on, but did go through a restart at some point.

                • 

                  skid on 12/01/2021 - 21:25

                  @SaberX: You're not storing sms on the sim, are you? Messages > Settings > More settings > Text messages > Manage SIM card messages if you're using the default Samsung messages app.

                  • 

                    SaberX on 14/01/2021 - 16:52

                    @skid: went through and nothing shows on the manage sim card messages screen. Presumably a good thing? When i upgraded to this phone my smses appeared (did not realise they followed your google account at the time, same for whatsapp images). So i presume it's all cloud/account based than stored on sim card.

                    More stabilised now. around 6-7%/hr burn with mixed on /off screen use. Definitely in heaven compared to the other day. 2 days so far and no change back to the battery burn issue - dreading the next phone restart or crash though as I predict the problem will resume :(

                    • 

                      skid on 14/01/2021 - 17:59

                      @SaberX: That's good news. Did you try the connections settings?

                      The other thing is to keep with the Force Apps if the battery burn issue returns. Do you know how to manually force stop apps? Because you should force stop the "Force stop app" itself as it contains ads which drain battery.

                      Also wanted to let you know that whenever you reset/change sims etc, the Samsung software takes around 3 days to learn your patterns again. For those 3 days, you might see high battery consumption but then suddenly drop back to normal.

                      • 

                        SaberX on 04/02/2021 - 13:34

                        @skid: Wait so your saying I should force stop under settings/apps the actual 'force stopp" app?

                        SO far my battery burn has been up/down but within a reasonable band. I haven't restarted my phone since it resolved. And the issue has not returned. I'm dreading a drop out or need to suddenly restart as I'd imagine it will start up with the battery burn issue.

                        WIth the reset of/change of sims why does the software need to relearn anything? I mean it's just a sim card and connectivity to the network? What exactly does it need to learn or use higher battery consumption for?

• 

  OzHunterNSW on 10/01/2021 - 11:15

  Hello - YES.. I have the S8+ and seems to be after the latest so called upgrade, I am having issues with my battery.

  The fast charger at times is not recognised, converting to slow mode.

  It is shitting me off - and this is precisely what Apple were accused of when they deliberately slowed down their phones. I believe Samsung has tampered with the phone so people like you and me are forced to upgrade.

  • 

    SaberX on 11/01/2021 - 14:14

    That was my worry too! I recall a small patch/security update sometime in November or so. Sometime by end of November or so i randomly started having these drop outs and issues. I have hardly changed my app pattern of usage, so apart from the antenna suddenly going bonkers I couldn't see why my phone service is continuously dropping and the excessive lag and battery drain that accompanies it.

    Have you found any solutions or checked with samsung? I wonder if enough people make noise if they'll release another patch?

• 

  HeWhoKnows on 10/01/2021 - 13:36

  -4

  Mr Google has plenty of advice from the EXPERTS so why ask us?

  You obviously know how to use a computer.
  Now go do your research.

  The answers / solutions are all there.

  • 

    SaberX on 11/01/2021 - 14:16

    Geez this was certainly a sour plum response. If this were the case then why even have a forum section on Ozb, or anywhere on the internet? Precisely as it is sometimes far more efficient and some hidden gems pop up when asking a specific situational question - some have been through the many pages of the internet and found odd solutions that work with tweaks, and asking sometimes gets those. Online you get the same suggestions otherwise.

    All answers/solutions/websites are out on the internet so arguably one does not even need an ozbargain website, just go out and google all the websites and look for deals? Thanks for your input/help.

• 

  SummerZero on 10/01/2021 - 14:45

  -1

  Put it in the bin. Its time has come.

• 

  ilikeradiohead on 10/01/2021 - 17:15

  I have an s9+ so it could be a bit different, but I had a similar issue after an update a year or so ago. Try settings > device care > battery > battery usage. This will tell you of any apps are using excessive data. There was one app that was sucking down like 50% of the battery without me using it at all so I uninstalled it.

  • 

    SaberX on 11/01/2021 - 14:11

    +1

    I've tried this.. there are some apps that drain, but in general the main culprits is the typical hard to diagnose ones. Some of my top ones are the podcast app i use (given i listen in background and have for the last few years this seems normal), and chrome (agian obvious when browsin gon phone) - but the big sappers that is hard to diagnose are the old "google play services", "One UI HOME" for samsung ,.

    I have gsam battery monitor installed and have now just installed accubattery. Unfortunately accubattery doesn't really show detialed app/discharge detials, there are some icons on the top 4 or so discharging apps but it's otherwise more for battery health monitoring. GSAM gives the most details - as expected 81% of battery usage is off "app usage". It's quoting 15.7% battery loss/hr. Of the 81% battery usage by apps it is split up (out of 100%) yb:

    24.2% - "Shell"
    20.0% Android system
    12.7% phone services
    8.1 %Kernel (Android OS)
    2.95% podcast addict
    2.5% chrome
    1.9% facebook
    1.8% google play services.

    Everything else is sub 1%.

    Clearly the internal battery monitor is only picking up chrome and podcast as a significant drainer yet gsam clearly shows they are at 3% at most, which is reasonable. All the top burners are android related so I have no clue how to troubleshoot. I presume these are causing the phone reception to drop out constantly and the ".com.android.phone has stopped working" error messages. I presume a physical hardware/antenna issue would just have a connection drop but wouldn't cuase excessive android OS related drain?

    The last straw is a factory reset, but as others mentioned it would be vital/good to try and actually work out what is draining prior to resetting (less you encounter the same issue). These android related processes/drain are the hardest to work out though… perhaps someone has a better way of interpreting and how to resolve them?