Battery life issue

[edubb256]

Hi guys this is my first post here so please forgive me for any mistakes.

I have a white Samsung galaxy s6 32 gb and I have had it for around 2-3 weeks now and I have slight concerns about the battery life of this phone. I get around 2.5-3 SoT and that is after switching off all the unwanted settings, disabling all the unwanted apps, reducing screen brightness etc.

I have also tried pixel battery saver but that hasn't helped a lot.

Is it possible that this could be because of the lollipop memory leak issue and unwanted usage of ram because I seem to be having this problem.

Is this normal or average battery life or is it possible to get more out of this phone? Should I return it and get a new one because I have heard users getting around 5 hours SoT. Please help me out! Thanks!

I've been averaging a little better than 5 hours SOT. My standby drain is about 1% / hour. The only thing I've disabled is all the ATT bloatware. So it seems you are getting less-than-normal battery life. I don't think memory leak/RAM usage is a factor.

A lot of things can cause poor battery life. Here are a few things to check.
- There have been a few recent updates to Google Play Services and the Samsung Push Service that improved battery life. Make sure you are running current versions of those. (they should autoupdated)
- Make sure you don't have an app the uses GPS location running in the background all the time. I keep location tracking set to GPS, but exit out of the Maps app when not using it. You can tell by the GPS icon in the notifications
- A poorly written app can prevent CPU from going into deep sleep, even when the app is not being used. You may want to check the % of time the phone is in deep sleep at night when the phone is not being used.

 

[Zoostation]

Yeah, I don't consider a phone "nice" if I have to charge it up by 2 pm when I take it off the charger at 8 am. People need to know the S6 is crap until they fix the battery drain issue.

Sounds like a defective unit to me. Did you get it replaced? Or take it back and just pay the restock fee?

 

[anon(5630457)]

So return it for a non broken one. What's the problem?

Posted via the Android Central App

Every iPhone Samsung Galaxy S6 owner should return their phones then.

 

[anon(5630457)]

Not everyone has this issue. Averaging 5 to 6 screen on time and 15 hours on a charge with 2 S6 Edges in my home. They've been great. On Verizon. Can't say they're all like that.

Posted via the Android Central App

ROFL.

 

[Gekko]

Hi guys this is my first post here so please forgive me for any mistakes.

I have a white Samsung galaxy s6 32 gb and I have had it for around 2-3 weeks now and I have slight concerns about the battery life of this phone. I get around 2.5-3 SoT and that is after switching off all the unwanted settings, disabling all the unwanted apps, reducing screen brightness etc.

I have also tried pixel battery saver but that hasn't helped a lot.

Is it possible that this could be because of the lollipop memory leak issue and unwanted usage of ram because I seem to be having this problem.

Is this normal or average battery life or is it possible to get more out of this phone? Should I return it and get a new one because I have heard users getting around 5 hours SoT. Please help me out! Thanks!

i suffer no hardships doing this -

Battery Tips for Android

1. Toggle off High Accuracy GPS Mode, Bluetooth, NFC,
Hotspot/Tethering. Toggle on only as needed. (Set GPS Mode to "Battery
Saving" Mode).
2. Display Brightness - Turn off Auto Brightness and Reduce Setting
Bar to Minimum Acceptable to you.
3. Sign out of any unused Google Services like G+, Google Now, Hangouts, etc.
4. Disable Location Reporting and Location History.
5. Beware of constantly syncing in background Apps and Bloatware like
Facebook, Twitter, Weather Channel, Games, Google News/Weather,
Non-Push Email, etc. Set Sync interval for every 1 hour or more and
change settings to stop the syncing of data you don't need. Delete
their Apps and use their Web Page if acceptable.
6. Turn Off Hot Word "Hotword Detection" Always Listening Mode in
Google Search if you don't use it.
7. Turn Off Auto Camera/Photo Upload or at least set it for Upload on WIFI Only.
8. Turn Off Vibrate on Touch for Display, Keyboard, etc.
9. Turn Off Touch Sounds and Unlock Sounds.
10. Turn Off Ambient Display/Active Display Notifications if you don't need it.
11. Don't use a Live Wallpaper. Use a dark wallpaper if possible.
12. Set Display Sleep Setting to 2 Minutes or Less.
13. WIFI Settings - Advanced -
a. Network Notification - Set as OFF.
b. Scanning Always Available - Set as OFF.
c. Keep WIFI on during Sleep - Set as ALWAYS if you regularly use
WIFI. OK to keep WIFI on if you regularly use it.
14. Turn Off Always Vibrate in Gmail/Email.
15. Be careful of using too many Live Widgets and what/how often they sync.
16. Set MS Exchange Sync at 30 Days or Less if you use it.
17. Do NOT use a Task Killer App or Battery Saver App.
18. Uninstall ALL Apps that you never use. If you haven't used an
App in one month, uninstall it.
19. Reboot your phone at least once a month.
20. Wipe Cache Partition at least once a quarter or after every OS Update.
21. Consider a Factory Data Reset with a manual re-sync, manual
reinstall of all data and Apps after every major OS Letter Update.
Make sure that all of your data is first backed up to Google and
Dropbox, etc.

"I SUFFER NO HARDSHIPS DOING THIS" - this means that i personally am
giving up NOTHING with these tips. i'm not giving up any features.
there are no tradeoffs for me. a tradeoff or a hardship would be to
turn off PUSH email or use AIRPLANE mode during the day etc.

you have to find your own balance and the tips list is a start but you
must come to your own conclusion as to what's important. it's personal
preference but these are not a big deal to me at all as they do not
affect the function or operation of my phone. these tips do not
deteriorate my experience.

you don't HAVE TO do anything. the point is you if you want to
MAXIMIZE battery life you can turn things off that you aren't using.
it only makes sense. there is a FINITE amount of juice in ANY
battery. you choose how you want to spend that juice. by default most
of these devices have every feature set as ON whether you use them or
not. i prefer to change the settings in my phone to only use those
features that i personally use and need so i can maximize battery
life. i don't leave all the lights and TVs on in my house 24/7 - i
turn them on when i need them. i'm not giving anything up. my phone
does everything exactly like i want it to. i'm not missing out on
anything. it's no hardship for me. it's life. life is a delicate
balance. it's up to you to find that balance.

5-20-15

 

[Techno-guy]

i suffer no hardships doing this -

Battery Tips for Android

1. Toggle off High Accuracy GPS Mode, Bluetooth, NFC,
Hotspot/Tethering. Toggle on only as needed. (Set GPS Mode to "Battery
Saving" Mode).
2. Display Brightness - Turn off Auto Brightness and Reduce Setting
Bar to Minimum Acceptable to you.
3. Sign out of any unused Google Services like G+, Google Now, Hangouts, etc.
4. Disable Location Reporting and Location History.
5. Beware of constantly syncing in background Apps and Bloatware like
Facebook, Twitter, Weather Channel, Games, Google News/Weather,
Non-Push Email, etc. Set Sync interval for every 1 hour or more and
change settings to stop the syncing of data you don't need. Delete
their Apps and use their Web Page if acceptable.
6. Turn Off Hot Word "Hotword Detection" Always Listening Mode in
Google Search if you don't use it.
7. Turn Off Auto Camera/Photo Upload or at least set it for Upload on WIFI Only.
8. Turn Off Vibrate on Touch for Display, Keyboard, etc.
9. Turn Off Touch Sounds and Unlock Sounds.
10. Turn Off Ambient Display/Active Display Notifications if you don't need it.
11. Don't use a Live Wallpaper. Use a dark wallpaper if possible.
12. Set Display Sleep Setting to 2 Minutes or Less.
13. WIFI Settings - Advanced -
a. Network Notification - Set as OFF.
b. Scanning Always Available - Set as OFF.
c. Keep WIFI on during Sleep - Set as ALWAYS if you regularly use
WIFI. OK to keep WIFI on if you regularly use it.
14. Turn Off Always Vibrate in Gmail/Email.
15. Be careful of using too many Live Widgets and what/how often they sync.
16. Set MS Exchange Sync at 30 Days or Less if you use it.
17. Do NOT use a Task Killer App or Battery Saver App.
18. Uninstall ALL Apps that you never use. If you haven't used an
App in one month, uninstall it.
19. Reboot your phone at least once a month.
20. Wipe Cache Partition at least once a quarter or after every OS Update.
21. Consider a Factory Data Reset with a manual re-sync, manual
reinstall of all data and Apps after every major OS Letter Update.
Make sure that all of your data is first backed up to Google and
Dropbox, etc.

"I SUFFER NO HARDSHIPS DOING THIS" - this means that i personally am
giving up NOTHING with these tips. i'm not giving up any features.
there are no tradeoffs for me. a tradeoff or a hardship would be to
turn off PUSH email or use AIRPLANE mode during the day etc.

you have to find your own balance and the tips list is a start but you
must come to your own conclusion as to what's important. it's personal
preference but these are not a big deal to me at all as they do not
affect the function or operation of my phone. these tips do not
deteriorate my experience.

you don't HAVE TO do anything. the point is you if you want to
MAXIMIZE battery life you can turn things off that you aren't using.
it only makes sense. there is a FINITE amount of juice in ANY
battery. you choose how you want to spend that juice. by default most
of these devices have every feature set as ON whether you use them or
not. i prefer to change the settings in my phone to only use those
features that i personally use and need so i can maximize battery
life. i don't leave all the lights and TVs on in my house 24/7 - i
turn them on when i need them. i'm not giving anything up. my phone
does everything exactly like i want it to. i'm not missing out on
anything. it's no hardship for me. it's life. life is a delicate
balance. it's up to you to find that balance.

5-20-15

And this is why Apple is selling so many iPhones. You know how many of these I have to do on my iPhone 6 Plus to get spectacular battery life? None. I do almost all of these on my S6 (disabling some of Android's best features) and still can barely make it a day. And, even disabling all of this I have battery anxiety from the moment I pull my S6 off my charger in the morning if I know it will be a long day away from a power outlet.

 

[Gekko]

And this is why Apple is selling so many iPhones. You know how many of these I have to do on my iPhone 6 Plus to get spectacular battery life? None. I do almost all of these on my S6 (disabling some of Android's best features) and still can barely make it a day. And, even disabling all of this I have battery anxiety from the moment I pull my S6 off my charger in the morning if I know it will be a long day away from a power outlet.

nope. the same laws of physics apply to iPhone. this is the master list. it looks like a lot more than it is - basically turn off what you're not using if you want to maximize battery life. it's a tradeoff. you pick and choose what works for you.

 

[Wiggum333]

nope. the same laws of physics apply to iPhone. this is the master list. it looks like a lot more than it is - basically turn off what you're not using if you want to maximize battery life. it's a tradeoff. you pick and choose what works for you.

Physics is physics ... however, sometimes it seems that people overlook the fact that most users take the phone out of the box, add their relevant accounts to the phone, install the apps they want to use, and never look at the settings again. Given that as about as much a fact as a fact can be, the iPhone has most all that sort of stuff turned on from day one, and gets left on by most users ... and they, by and large, are not worried about making it through the day on a single charge of the phone. Conversely, those of us on our S6 have the "micro manage" these settings ... turning them on/off depending on what we want/need the phone to do at a given point in time during the day ... and still hope to make it through the day on a single charge.

There's a lot of merit in stepping back from the minutia of the problem, and just realizing that the apple phones have longer battery life during the day than our S6's do. It really doesn't matter why. I know that might sound silly, but it's true.

Apple, aside from constantly striving to create beautiful hardware, has also concentrated on making their phones as "user friendly" as possible. I think we here - the chosen few - forget a lot of times that most users of smart phones are NOT like us. Most are more than content to take the phone out of the box, and just use it however it is presented to them. That, to me ... is why apple sells so many phones. You effectively do not have to know jack-squat about settings, battery life, etc to get good use out of your iphone. You have to give Apple credit for that, don't you?

My parents, as well as my brothers are all perfect examples of the above. They couldn't care if they can put a widget on their home screen ... or that their app icons auto-arrange ... or that there's no app drawer ... or that they can't plug their phone into a pc and drag/drop files. They are MORE than happy that all they have to do is turn it on, install some apps they like, and then use them, period. They never turn GPS on/off ... or turn bluetooth off ... or toggle wifi on/off ... or have to worry about stuff like smart-wifi-switch ... etc. To be honest, I bet they don't even know where those settings are LOL.

I don't mean to rant, or to support Apple, or to bash our S6's. I'm just being as objective as I can about the situation ... and that the iPhones are most definitely more efficient with battery life during the day. It doesn't matter why, not one bit. Fact is, they are.

 

[darthhen]

Delete

 

[darthhen]

i suffer no hardships doing this -

Battery Tips for Android

1. Toggle off High Accuracy GPS Mode, Bluetooth, NFC,
Hotspot/Tethering. Toggle on only as needed. (Set GPS Mode to "Battery
Saving" Mode).
2. Display Brightness - Turn off Auto Brightness and Reduce Setting
Bar to Minimum Acceptable to you.
3. Sign out of any unused Google Services like G+, Google Now, Hangouts, etc.
4. Disable Location Reporting and Location History.
5. Beware of constantly syncing in background Apps and Bloatware like
Facebook, Twitter, Weather Channel, Games, Google News/Weather,
Non-Push Email, etc. Set Sync interval for every 1 hour or more and
change settings to stop the syncing of data you don't need. Delete
their Apps and use their Web Page if acceptable.
6. Turn Off Hot Word "Hotword Detection" Always Listening Mode in
Google Search if you don't use it.
7. Turn Off Auto Camera/Photo Upload or at least set it for Upload on WIFI Only.
8. Turn Off Vibrate on Touch for Display, Keyboard, etc.
9. Turn Off Touch Sounds and Unlock Sounds.
10. Turn Off Ambient Display/Active Display Notifications if you don't need it.
11. Don't use a Live Wallpaper. Use a dark wallpaper if possible.
12. Set Display Sleep Setting to 2 Minutes or Less.
13. WIFI Settings - Advanced -
a. Network Notification - Set as OFF.
b. Scanning Always Available - Set as OFF.
c. Keep WIFI on during Sleep - Set as ALWAYS if you regularly use
WIFI. OK to keep WIFI on if you regularly use it.
14. Turn Off Always Vibrate in Gmail/Email.
15. Be careful of using too many Live Widgets and what/how often they sync.
16. Set MS Exchange Sync at 30 Days or Less if you use it.
17. Do NOT use a Task Killer App or Battery Saver App.
18. Uninstall ALL Apps that you never use. If you haven't used an
App in one month, uninstall it.
19. Reboot your phone at least once a month.
20. Wipe Cache Partition at least once a quarter or after every OS Update.
21. Consider a Factory Data Reset with a manual re-sync, manual
reinstall of all data and Apps after every major OS Letter Update.
Make sure that all of your data is first backed up to Google and
Dropbox, etc.

"I SUFFER NO HARDSHIPS DOING THIS" - this means that i personally am
giving up NOTHING with these tips. i'm not giving up any features.
there are no tradeoffs for me. a tradeoff or a hardship would be to
turn off PUSH email or use AIRPLANE mode during the day etc.

you have to find your own balance and the tips list is a start but you
must come to your own conclusion as to what's important. it's personal
preference but these are not a big deal to me at all as they do not
affect the function or operation of my phone. these tips do not
deteriorate my experience.

you don't HAVE TO do anything. the point is you if you want to
MAXIMIZE battery life you can turn things off that you aren't using.
it only makes sense. there is a FINITE amount of juice in ANY
battery. you choose how you want to spend that juice. by default most
of these devices have every feature set as ON whether you use them or
not. i prefer to change the settings in my phone to only use those
features that i personally use and need so i can maximize battery
life. i don't leave all the lights and TVs on in my house 24/7 - i
turn them on when i need them. i'm not giving anything up. my phone
does everything exactly like i want it to. i'm not missing out on
anything. it's no hardship for me. it's life. life is a delicate
balance. it's up to you to find that balance.

5-20-15

Thanks for this list. While not everybody would agree that this tactic is the ideal way to save battery, as it should be correct right out of the box. It is a choice people can make on their own device.

 

[Kalvin Kerns]

Quick aside: does it hurt the phone/battery to keep it always topped off at or near 100%?

With Wireless chargers at home and work and a car charger it's so easy to do, just makes me wonder.

Not that I need to constantly be charging as I easily last 15 hours with 4 hours SOT and still have 30% battery at 11pm... On a single over night charge.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[kyle.brown]

iphone 6 plus has a bigger battery so dont compare and stop being a little cry baby saying i have battery anxiety..... The S6 has 2 power saving modes bro if your really that uptight trying to milk the last 10% of battery bet your iphone 6 plus cant do that.

 

[neiljay6]

iphone 6 plus has a bigger battery so dont compare and stop being a little cry baby saying i have battery anxiety..... The S6 has 2 power saving modes bro if your really that uptight trying to milk the last 10% of battery bet your iphone 6 plus cant do that.

Agreed. Any phablet worth is salt should have better battery life than a normal sized phone. A more fair comparison to the 6 plus would be the note 4.

 

[deeb215]

Quick aside: does it hurt the phone/battery to keep it always topped off at or near 100%?

With Wireless chargers at home and work and a car charger it's so easy to do, just makes me wonder.

Not that I need to constantly be charging as I easily last 15 hours with 4 hours SOT and still have 30% battery at 11pm... On a single over night charge.

Posted via the Android Central App

Probably for the good of your battery in the long run just plop it for a few minutes before you leave work. It's so tempting having the pad there though I know. I had to sit my microfiber cloth on my desk pad to stop using it just because it's there.

 

[Gekko]

Quick aside: does it hurt the phone/battery to keep it always topped off at or near 100%?

With Wireless chargers at home and work and a car charger it's so easy to do, just makes me wonder.

Not that I need to constantly be charging as I easily last 15 hours with 4 hours SOT and still have 30% battery at 11pm... On a single over night charge.

Posted via the Android Central App

How To Take Care of Your Smartphone Battery the Right Way

 

[Kalvin Kerns]

How To Take Care of Your Smartphone Battery the Right Way

Good article Gekko, thx.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[edubb256]

In general I think those saying the iphone has better battery life than the S6 are either comparing the S6 to the iphone 6 plus (which as others have said is not a fair comparison) or just speaking about their general impressions, without really knowing. My general impression is that the S6 and iphone 6 are about the same (but I don't really know because I've not done a scientific side-by-side comparison). If I google "galaxy s6 vs iphone 6 battery life", most of the comparisons rate the galaxy s6 battery life as better. In general, the comparisons that don't rate the s6 as better, rate them as about the same.

Everyone's usage patterns are different and therefore will lead to different results with respect to battery life.

 

[Techno-guy]

iphone 6 plus has a bigger battery so dont compare and stop being a little cry baby saying i have battery anxiety..... The S6 has 2 power saving modes bro if your really that uptight trying to milk the last 10% of battery bet your iphone 6 plus cant do that.

Believe it or not, the iPhone 6 Plus battery is within 10% of the S6 edge (2915mAh vs. 2600mAh) so, yes, they are comparable and should be compared. The iPhone 6 (not plus) battery is far smaller than the S6 at only 1810mAh (it's not even in the same vicinity) and somehow still manages to keep even with or exceed the S6's battery life. Apple (while falling short in some areas) is clearly doing something right on battery life and the lack of any need for user battery management.

Either of the iPhones can last a full day in real world usage. My S6 sometimes does not and other times barely makes it. I find myself needing a charge pretty badly around 4-5pm. I've had it for 2 months now and have many services/features shut down. Read Phil Nickenson's article on his S6 vs. the LG G4 in which he, and the other Android Central guys, all had the same (not full day) battery life experience with their S6's.

Why I'd buy the LG G4 over the Galaxy S6 | Android Central

 

[makaroni]

Maybe I missed the post but What carrier was the OP on? I'm on Verizon and in truly thankful I don't have these battery issues. I keep Wifi off when I'm not using it and that seems to significantly give me an enormous amount if stand by time. I don't have FB and a million other apps running in my background either though. Sometimes people have so many things running on their phone and they forget its a cellphone with a small battery and not a laptop. It's going to take a hit. I use AMOLED display and keep most if my features on and I survive a 9 hour work day and get home with my phone at 40% with moderate use. I'd back up my phone, do a hard reset and see if it gets better, if not call your carrier and tell them you're extremely displeased and would like to exchange devices. Try and work your magic, they always want a happy customer

Galaxy S6 Gang

 

[neiljay6]

Believe it or not, the iPhone 6 Plus battery is within 10% of the S6 edge (2915mAh vs. 2600mAh) so, yes, they are comparable and should be compared. The iPhone 6 (not plus) battery is far smaller than the S6 at only 1810mAh (it's not even in the same vicinity) and somehow still manages to keep even with or exceed the S6's battery life. Apple (while falling short in some areas) is clearly doing something right on battery life and the lack of any need for user battery management.

Either of the iPhones can last a full day in real world usage. My S6 sometimes does not and other times barely makes it. I find myself needing a charge pretty badly around 4-5pm. I've had it for 2 months now and have many services/features shut down. Read Phil Nickenson's article on his S6 vs. the LG G4 in which he, and the other Android Central guys, all had the same (not full day) battery life experience with their S6's.
Why I'd buy the LG G4 over the Galaxy S6 | Android Central

LOL. Don't know about the 6plus. But you are flat out wrong there about the I phone6. My sister who owns a phone6 frequently complains about the poor battery life of her phone. When I go to pick her up from work her phone is dead or almost close to it while my s6 still has between 35-45% battery left. Now. Admittedly she is on social media more than I am. But I also play more games than she does.