Galaxy S6 Frustrating battery life and overheating

[sepandee]

I'm starting to really regret getting an S6. My friend and I were shopping for a phone in April and we had the whole iphone vs android/samsung debate. Now I wish I had listened to him. I just want a damn phone that freaking lasts from morning to night, not just for 8 hours.

Phew. Excuse the rant.

My S6 is 4 months old. I'm relatively active on it but mostly for some light browsing, whatsapp, email, and BBC news once in a while. I've disabled all the non-google apps that came with the phone that I couldn't delete. Location is sometimes on, sometimes off, but it doesn't make a huge difference if I'm active on my phone. Screen brightness is automatic but always at the lowest automatic setting. Bluetooth off.

Here are some screenshots. Please ignore the Tinder

Oh, and sometimes the phone gets really, really hot, like when I'm using the aforementioned app.

Would appreciate any help I can get.

 

[tstolz]

Wow, I have yet to get 12 hours on one charge. I'm beginning to think it's a T-Mobile coverage issue in New Orleans for me.

 

[moonoverparma00]

The S6 battery life is pretty bad all around. I can't wait to trade mine in.

 

[sepandee]

So resignation is the solution?

 

[AhmedAdd]

my Galaxy S6's battery is pretty good.

 

[Saros]

I've disabled all the non-google apps

If you're not using Google apps like Hangouts, Google Play Music, etc., disable them also. Do you use OneNote at all, or SmartRemote? If not, disable them as well.

Bluetooth off.

Your screenshots show Bluetooth is on and has been for the duration of your cycle.

Also, for the love of Android, please uninstall Clean Master immediately.

 

[razza1987]

If you're not using Google apps like Hangouts, Google Play Music, etc., disable them also. Do you use OneNote at all, or SmartRemote? If not, disable them as well.



Your screenshots show Bluetooth is on and has been for the duration of your cycle.

Also, for the love of Android, please uninstall Clean Master immediately.

I just disabled hangouts and smart remote as I never use them. Is there a benefit to disabling apps that show up as 0% under battery usage?

 

[Saros]

I just disabled hangouts and smart remote as I never use them. Is there a benefit to disabling apps that show up as 0% under battery usage?

Individually they may not consume much in the way of battery or system resources, but when there are multiple, preloaded apps you never use, there's no point letting them run in the background as they can have a cumulative effect. For anyone trying to maximize usage, every little bit helps.

 

[cwise222]

What are the sync settings for your Google account? If you have everything set to on and syncing then that will cause battery life to take a hit. Anything you don't use (like Google Play Music, etc) you will want to turn off the sync and disable the app because it will still sync and sync and sync even if you've never opened the app. Even if you disable able the application it will still, somehow, show as syncing unless you turn off the sync. That kind of stuff get wrapped up into Google Play Services and Android System and other things in the battery listings so it is not always obvious. If you also have Location History turned on that does drain the battery as well.

If you have location settings to to High (uses GPS, Wifi and call to determine location) then that could cause apps the use locations to make the phone run hot. Unless the phone outright tells you that it is overheating or shuts itself down, etc, then it really isn't overheating in a way that will harm the phone. In most, normal, circumstances phones act like computers when it comes to heat. The will shut themselves down or throttle back before any damage is done.

 

[sepandee]

my Galaxy S6's battery is pretty good.
View attachment 193051
View attachment 193052
View attachment 193053

How? Hoooooooooow? Why isn't mine like that?

If you're not using Google apps like Hangouts, Google Play Music, etc., disable them also. Do you use OneNote at all, or SmartRemote? If not, disable them as well.

Your screenshots show Bluetooth is on and has been for the duration of your cycle.

Also, for the love of Android, please uninstall Clean Master immediately.

I use play music, but I disabled Hangouts and OneNote. But these accounted only for 0.0%-1% of battery usage.

 

[sepandee]

What are the sync settings for your Google account? If you have everything set to on and syncing then that will cause battery life to take a hit. Anything you don't use (like Google Play Music, etc) you will want to turn off the sync and disable the app because it will still sync and sync and sync even if you've never opened the app. Even if you disable able the application it will still, somehow, show as syncing unless you turn off the sync. That kind of stuff get wrapped up into Google Play Services and Android System and other things in the battery listings so it is not always obvious. If you also have Location History turned on that does drain the battery as well.

If you have location settings to to High (uses GPS, Wifi and call to determine location) then that could cause apps the use locations to make the phone run hot. Unless the phone outright tells you that it is overheating or shuts itself down, etc, then it really isn't overheating in a way that will harm the phone. In most, normal, circumstances phones act like computers when it comes to heat. The will shut themselves down or throttle back before any damage is done.

By overheating I meant heating: it's hot--hot enough that holding it against my cheek or in my hands become very uncomfortable.

As for sync, I have app data, calendar, chrome, contacts, gmail, photos, photos backup, and People details on. I think that's reasonable and doesn't consume that much battery.

This is what pisses me off. As much as I kept arguing that iPhones suck and blah blah blah, the thing just works. Sure, you can't do this and that with it and it forces you to do this and that, but for crying out loud, 90% of us just want a phone that runs a few apps and can last for a day, without having to tweak every little detail inside our phones. Is that too much to ask?

 

[Saros]

I use play music, but I disabled Hangouts and OneNote. But these accounted only for 0.0%-1% of battery usage.

Yes the individual usage appears small but if there are lots of preloaded apps running which you never use (and especially if they're trying to sync, as cwise222 noted above), they're going to chip away at your potential for longevity. Turn Bluetooth off when you don't need it. Only use high-accuracy location settings if you really need to enable GPS.

I cannot emphasize enough that Clean Master is a terrible choice and should be removed. Avoid using "battery saver" or "task killer" apps, or anything that monkeys with Android system operation & RAM management. They invariably do more harm than good, waste resources, degrade your performance, and eat up your battery. And some are just outright malicious.

This last cycle has been light usage for me, not very different from what you described:



That's off the charger for almost 36 hours, with 3h6m31s of screen-on time, and it had just dropped under 40% remaining before snapping the screenie.

 

[sepandee]

Yes the individual usage appears small but if there are lots of preloaded apps running which you never use (and especially if they're trying to sync, as cwise222 noted above), they're going to chip away at your potential for longevity. Turn Bluetooth off when you don't need it. Only use high-accuracy location settings if you really need to enable GPS.

I cannot emphasize enough that Clean Master is a terrible choice and should be removed. Avoid using "battery saver" or "task killer" apps, or anything that monkeys with Android system operation & RAM management. They invariably do more harm than good, waste resources, degrade your performance, and eat up your battery. And some are just outright malicious.

This last cycle has been light usage for me, not very different from what you described:

View attachment 193071

That's off the charger for almost 36 hours, with 3h6m31s of screen-on time, and it had just dropped under 40% remaining before snapping the screenie.

OK well I've also deleted Clean Master. I'm also disabling Location unless I need it, although I still think you should use a phone without having to turn things like Location On and Off and worry about battery. Let's see how it goes tomorrow after a full charge.

 

[javitolopez]

The solition off battery drine is Hard reset in 5.1 1 is 100% working

Enviado desde mi SM-G920F mediante Tapatalk

 

[Saros]

I'm also disabling Location unless I need it, although I still think you should use a phone without having to turn things like Location On and Off and worry about battery.

On this cycle I posted, location was enabled the entire time, just on the power-saving setting (no GPS). It's unfortunately not just a matter of on/off, or what we intuitively think should be acceptable; real-world usage results depend on the level of resources it's using (Wi-Fi & mobile network vs GPS) and how dependent apps interact with it. (e.g.: A weather widget that uses GPS every 15 minutes to refresh conditions is going to add up over a day's use and detract from your battery's potential.)

Since the quick settings panel is so easily accessible to toggle features on and off, it's sound practice to turn off services you aren't using and re-enable them as needed.

 

[razza1987]

Saros I would agree with you on all the taskmaster apps except for greenify. Greenify has made my standby time go through the roof.

Also I have Bluetooth permanently switched off yet sometimes it shows up on gsam results as used. So weird

 

[NewAndroidNoob]

The solition off battery drine is Hard reset in 5.1 1 is 100% working

Enviado desde mi SM-G920F mediante Tapatalk

This is what I had to do after 5.1.1

Only 1 day so far, but my battery life is back to normal.

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

I was gonna ask about Clean Master being there, but I see that you've removed it.

Good man.

 

[Anti the gamer]

I personally would say turn off auto brightness. I keep my phone at about 40% and turn it up only when i need too. Also if you arent closing your apps that could be using more battery. If you have auto updates on that could drain your battery

 

[Saros]

I was gonna ask about Clean Master being there, but I see that you've removed it.

Good man.

I strongly suspect many of the complaints about the S6 (and other flagships, for that matter) would vanish if people were acquainted with the detrimental behavior of that and similar apps.