Galaxy S5: Battery Life is Getting Bad?

[Joseph Bozzo]

So I have had my GS5 for almost two weeks. The battery was very impressive at first. Provider is AT&T and I am now located in Lubbock Texas, where I recently moved for the summer.

My phone worked well here for over a week. I would usually charge it at night before bed to 100%, and take it off the charger when I slept. I would wake up to a phone that had 90+%, which is incredible compared to what I had with my GS3 through its whole lifetime.

However recently I've been having problems at night with the battery usage. I've been tracking with the stock usage statistics and with gsam battery monitor. You'll see a bunch of pictures below (generally in order). Basically the battery is massively draining at night and I've been doing nothing different. Also, sometimes during the day it drains super quickly as well and I'm not sure why. It looks like sometimes my network connection may be bad, though gsam doesn't report phone radio taking up much battery.. . If possible I would like to avoid deleting all apps or resetting the phone...

Let me know if you have any thoughts. I had massive wake lock issues with my GS3 and still do not entirely understand what that meant.

ALSO-- I'm in the market for a screen protector and phone case. I need to buy quickly so I'm looking for local retailers. I have everything in the general area (AT&T Store, Target, BestBuy, WalMart...) and am open for recommendations. I've used Zagg before. General Screen Protector or Tempered Glass? Which cases? Never had a Galaxy Case before.

 

[AZgl1500]

I think you have some rouge apps that aren't behaving.

Amazon Suites is the single worst app I have ever experienced. it devours batteries.

I Disable/Uninstalled every single Amazon app on the phone.

Give that a try

i did a bit more than that though, I got rid of all the bloatware. see this:

I am on Day 4 and still have 37% battery left. I turn OFF data, sync, and wifi when no needed.

I have turned off the following on a Verizon phone:
Accessories, Amazon, Amazon App suite, Amazon Kindle, Amazon MP3, Appstore, Audible, BlurbCheckout, Bubbles, FamilyBase Companion, Flipboard, Message+, Messages, MyMagazine, NFL Mobile, Picasa Uploader, S Health, Smart Remote, Travel Wallpaper, Verizon Support & Protection (McAfee), VZ Navigator (pay for fee Navigation.... Google maps is free)


Google branded apps turned OFF:

Calendar Sync, Contacts Sync, Play Games, Play Movies & TV, Play Music, Play Newstand, Hangouts, Isis Mobile Wallet



After I trimmed all that fat off the phone, the battery drain immediately improved a lot. Even with GPS and DATA left on.

 

[anon(749368)]

I'm on my second month since I got the phone and battery life decreased noticeably. I'm sitting at 54% at 2:40 in the afternoon when about two weeks ago at this time I was at 70%. The only a I installed in the meantime is Go Locker but in the battery usage screen it doesn't show a lot of consumption (4% at most).

The panda has spoken

 

[JakePleasants]

For your screen protector, immediately march yourself to Best Buy and pick up the Zagg Glass. It's honestly the best screen protector ever. I haven't seen a single person who was disappointed with their purchase. So go ahead and snatch one up! You'll thank me later.

 

[Joseph Bozzo]

I think you have some rouge apps that aren't behaving.

Amazon Suites is the single worst app I have ever experienced. it devours batteries.

I Disable/Uninstalled every single Amazon app on the phone.Give that a try

i did a bit more than that though, I got rid of all the bloatware. see this:

I am on Day 4 and still have 37% battery left. I turn OFF data, sync, and wifi when no needed.

I have turned off the following on a Verizon phone:
Accessories, Amazon, Amazon App suite, Amazon Kindle, Amazon MP3, Appstore, Audible, BlurbCheckout, Bubbles, FamilyBase Companion, Flipboard, Message+, Messages, MyMagazine, NFL Mobile, Picasa Uploader, S Health, Smart Remote, Travel Wallpaper, Verizon Support & Protection (McAfee), VZ Navigator (pay for fee Navigation.... Google maps is free)


Google branded apps turned OFF:

Calendar Sync, Contacts Sync, Play Games, Play Movies & TV, Play Music, Play Newstand, Hangouts, Isis Mobile Wallet

After I trimmed all that fat off the phone, the battery drain immediately improved a lot. Even with GPS and DATA left on.

I don't have most of those apps on my phone at all. Nothing Amazon came loaded on my phone.

Apps I've "Turned Off"
AT&T FamilyMAP, AT&T Navigator, AT&T Messages, Beats Music, Caller Namer ID, Device Help, Google Search, Mobile TV, YellowPages, ChatON, Google Play Movies/TV, Google Play Books, Google Play Newstand, HP Print Service Plugin, MyMagazine, Picasa Uploader, Photo Screensavers, Favorite Contacts, AT&T Hotspots

Things I don't know what to do with/don't know what they do/should I leave them on?
Adapt Sound
AllShare ControlShare Service
AllShare FileShare Service
ANT HAL Service/RadioService/Plugins
BlurbCheckout (what is this??)
Calendar (I have 2 Calendar Apps listed in "All Apps" and one "Calendar storage")???
DirectConnect/DirectShare Manager
Flipboard (never used this, is it useful/good?)
Group Camcorder
Group Play
KLMS Agent/KNOX (what is this)
Lookout (is this really useful? it just annoys me)
Print Spooler
Quick Connect(?)
RCPComponents
Remote Controls
S Finder
Samsung Content Agent
Samsung Galazy
Samsung Galaxy Apps
Samsung Print Service Plugin
SapaMonitor
Shell
Synchronize
Tags
VPN Client
SVideo Clip Studio, SStudio, SShot & More
Video + Video Player (what's the difference...)

Things I can't Turn Off
Baby Crying Detector (wtf is this??), Geo News, Kids Mode, Internet, Magnifier, Mobile Print, Weather

There really just is so much crap in here that I have no idea what it is. But I don't want to just go around deactivating everything. Is there a guide to non-essential things or what they all do? I'm talking things like "CapabilityManagerService" and "com.monotype.android..." that sound important but mean nothing to me...

Quick Questions

• If I turn off Sync, what happens? Will I need to texts from WhatsApp/GroupMe unless I open them? Same with email etc?
• Is there a quick/easy way to turn off data like turning off wifi/location, or do I always need to go through into data settings?
• Is location settings/GPS different from on the GS3? On Galaxy S3 I never had GPS on for anything, but it still did my location with Wi-Fi. Now it seems I need to have location settings on in order for Wi-Fi locations to work...

 

[AZgl1500]

QUOTE=Joseph Bozzo

Things I don't know what to do with/don't know what they do/should I leave them on?

BlurbCheckout (what is this??) SPAMWARE USED TO MAKE UR PHONE INTO A WALLET.... turn it OFF

Calendar (I have 2 Calendar Apps listed in "All Apps" and one "Calendar storage")???
CAN BE REPLACED WITH OTHER CALENDAR APPS

Flipboard (never used this, is it useful/good?)
SOCIAL WARE, TURN IT OFF

KLMS Agent/KNOX (what is this)
SAMSUNG SECURITY AGENT, LEAVE IT ALONE

Lookout (is this really useful? it just annoys me)
SECURITY, ANTI-VIRUS,LOST PHONE SERVICE... YOUR CHOICE, I DON'T NEED IT

Print Spooler ONLY USED IF YOU WANT TO PRINT FROM YOUR PHONE, not hurting anything, leave it alone

Quick Connect(?) USED TO CONNECT YOUR PHONE TO OTHER DEVICE VIA BLUETOOTH/WIFI

RCPComponents USE TO ALLOW YOUR PHONE TO CONTROL/ OR BE CONTROLLED, BY OTHER DEVICES

Remote Controls PART OF THE ABOVE

S Finder PART OF THE DEFAULT BROWSER TO SEARCH THE INTERNET

Samsung Content Agent
Samsung Galazy
Samsung Galaxy Apps
Samsung Print Service Plugin
LEAVE ALONE UNTIL YOU KNOW THEY DEFINITELY AREN'T USEFUL

SapaMonitor
Shell
Synchronize
Tags
VPN Client USED TO CREATE A TUNNEL THROUGH THE INTERNET. LEAVE IT ALONE


SVideo Clip Studio, SStudio, SShot & More
Video + Video Player (what's the difference...) DEFAULT IMAGE PROCESSING APPS. LEAVE ALONE UNTIL YOU LEARN MORE




There really just is so much crap in here that I have no idea what it is. But I don't want to just go around deactivating everything. Is there a guide to non-essential things or what they all do? I'm talking things like "CapabilityManagerService" and "com.monotype.android..." that sound important but mean nothing to me...

IF IT IS "COM.XYZ. ANDROID" SOUNDING NAME, LEAVE IT ALONE UNTIL YOU ARE VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE


Quick Questions

• If I turn off Sync, what happens? Will I need to texts from WhatsApp/GroupMe unless I open them? Same with email etc? TURNED ALL OF THEY OFF. SYNC IS NEEDED BY SOME APPS OCCASSIONALLY. I FLIP SYNC ON/OFF AS I NEED IT.

• Is there a quick/easy way to turn off data like turning off wifi/location, or do I always need to go through into data settings? I PERSONALLY LIKE "BATTERY DOCTOR" TO DO THIS MANUALLY UNDER YOUR CONTROL. IT HAS WIDGET SWITCHERS TO DO THAT. I USE IT ALL THE TIME.

• Is location settings/GPS different from on the GS3? On Galaxy S3 I never had GPS on for anything, but it still did my location with Wi-Fi. Now it seems I need to have location settings on in order for Wi-Fi locations to work... KIT KAT ADDED THAT 'NEED', I GAVE UP FIGHTING IT. I JUST LEAVE IT ON ALL THE TIME IN HIGH ACCURACY MODE. LIFE IS MUCH SIMPLER NOW.

Things I can't Turn Off
Baby Crying Detector (wtf is this??), Geo News, Kids Mode, Internet, Magnifier, Mobile Print, Weather
PART OF THE SAMSUNG TOUCHWIZ FEATURES. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.
YOU CAN ACTUALLY DISABLE MOST OF THOSE
Go to /settings/applications/applications manager/ALL

huge list there, scroll down thru it and Disable those things you really know ARE NOT part of the operating system. ie, Geo News. the other stuff in your list, I just left it alone.

 

[Joseph Bozzo]

I cannot disable GeoNews. Does anyone know of other Calendar Apps that are good? For the time being I need to use an Outlook Calendar for work and need it to be able to sync with that.

Things I'm still unsure of, with a (*) denoting those I cannot "Turn Off"
Group Camcorder*
Group Play
Isis Wallet
Kids Mode*
Lookout
Magnifier*
Mobile Print*
Samsung Content Agent*
Samsung Galaxy
Samsung Galaxy Apps Widget
Trim*
Weather*

For anything that says "Print" in the name, should I just turn those OFF and then turn them ON if it ever happens that I come to an event in life where I need to print from my phone...?

Leaving the Location Settings on in High Accuracy-- Will this not drain my battery/data use notably more than it already does?

Can someone explain more about Sync? Assuming that the only apps I need to give me notifications without opening them are WhatsApp, GroupMe, Kik, Snapchat... Haha. That's really all. Everything else (like social media, e-mail, etc.) can sync when I open it. When I turn off Sync what exactly does it prevent?

 

[AZgl1500]

Bed time for me, but Battery Doctor "claims that turning off GPS saves about 60-80 minutes of battery life.

I finally decided that for me, I will forgo that bit of extra life and leave it on. I suspicion that for myself, it is NOT hurting my S5 because I always turn DATA and WIFI and SYNC off when not using the phone.
If the GPS cannot contact any outside servers, it cannot use anymore battery power.

I just ended a cycle at 4.5 days with 32% left and popped it back on the wireless charger ready for another week of battle

 

[Joseph Bozzo]

All right, thanks. Maybe I'll install Battery Doctor and check it out. I don't really want to turn Data and WiFi off when I'm not using them. If the phone lasts for a full day then I'm fine, and as it is it pretttty much lasts. I just wanted to tackle the interesting pictures I posted in the first place.

The questions in my previous post still stand about Syncing and apps! And again I'm open to suggestions for a case.

 

[Chief G-Hawk]

Zagg Glass is great. I've used it before but I didn't like how it was not edge to edge and leaves the edges open. So, I made the switch to the iloome screen mate flex: flexible glass screen protector. It is edge to edge and pretty easy to install. Only downside is that it has a 8H hardness instead of the 9H.

Best place to visit is youtube

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Greg C]

I've had my S5 since the AT&T launch day on April 11. My battery life is still going strong. No need for task killers or any other "battery saver" apps.

 

[Joseph Bozzo]

I've had my S5 since the AT&T launch day on April 11. My battery life is still going strong. No need for task killers or any other "battery saver" apps.

Well... Good for you. Lol Clearly I'm having some issues.

Last night I put my phone on airplane mode while I slept for 4 hours and I lost 15% in that time. In the time since I woke up it has been draining even more quickly.

Don't know what to do.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[mhunter6378]

Well... Good for you. Lol Clearly I'm having some issues.

Last night I put my phone on airplane mode while I slept for 4 hours and I lost 15% in that time. In the time since I woke up it has been draining even more quickly.

Don't know what to do.

Posted via Android Central App

Looking through your post in this thread and seeing your screen shots, I would have to agree with some other replies in that you have an app gone wild or maybe more than one. Based on some of your screenshots from Gsam you have some pretty big numbers in the held wake stats. Your last post showing a 15% drop in 4 hours while in airplane plane mode pretty much confirms to me that you have some app or apps doing a lot of work while the phone should be idle. My phone has been off charger for 4.5 hours, under light use so far, with everything on (GPS, wifi, data, Bluetooth, etc) and has only dropped 7%. If it were me, I would do one of two things - factory data reset and start over and/or uninstall all third party apps and add them back one at time while monitoring battery performance after each install to find which app is the problem. Good luck, it can be a pain chasing down shadowy battery drains.

 

[Joseph Bozzo]

Looking through your post in this thread and seeing your screen shots, I would have to agree with some other replies in that you have an app gone wild or maybe more than one. Based on some of your screenshots from Gsam you have some pretty big numbers in the held wake stats. Your last post showing a 15% drop in 4 hours while in airplane plane mode pretty much confirms to me that you have some app or apps doing a lot of work while the phone should be idle. My phone has been off charger for 4.5 hours, under light use so far, with everything on (GPS, wifi, data, Bluetooth, etc) and has only dropped 7%. If it were me, I would do one of two things - factory data reset and start over and/or uninstall all third party apps and add them back one at time while monitoring battery performance after each install to find which app is the problem. Good luck, it can be a pain chasing down shadowy battery drains.

I have only had the phone for a week! Ugh. I only just finished downloading all the apps that I wanted, organizing everything, and customizing all my settings... -_-... The last thing I want to do is factory reset. If an app is taking up my battery, why wouldn't it be coming up somewhere?

I haven't really installed any apps that are so incredibly uncommon... And nothing really that I didn't have in the first week. Can anyone speak to the apparent lack of signal and whether or not that would affect my battery life?

ALSO, one important thing to note is that my phone seems to be resting at 1.40+ GB RAM in use when I have all apps closed.

EDIT: What is Optical Reader? Recently installed that as an automatic update. Also got a pop up message before that my software wasn't up to date, but when I just checked, it says it is...

UPDATE: Deleted a few apps (Candy Crush, Duolingo, QuizUp, Google+, ToDoist, S Translate, Group Camcorder*, Group Play, Kitty Play, S Note^) and now my RAM usage is hovering 1.20-1.30 GB... Better than before...

*What is group camcorder?
^Is S Note worth using? I usually used Evernote for note taking on my tablet, and I see S Note asked me to Sync with Evernote. Or should I use the stock Memo App?

UPDATE 2: "Restarted" the phone and now I'm running at 1.07 GB with nothing open and Wi-Fi/location on. Wonder if it's gonna go up...

 

[debdroid1a]

Could you be losing and then reconnecting to your 4G LTE network? I have T-mobile and about once a month this happens (in the 2 months I've had it). This happened Sunday. I had 100% battery and after about an hour and a half, the battery was down to 85% or so with no useage at all. I was not happy. And for the next hour or so, it kept getting disconnected and battery went down. Finally stayed on and the battery was normal.

Regarding RAM Please read the below article for a better explanation. Basically it states you don't have to worry about the RAM usage. If you want you can use a task killer or Active Aps to stop apps (I do for music players--both the stock and Amazon Cloud player) if they don't stop by themselves. Or if you are like some others who open one app, close it, open another, close it, repeat and repeat and have opened 10 apps in 10 minutes. Mostly the apps will close by themselves when not in use and no notifications are coming in.

RAM: What it is, how it's used, and why you shouldn't care | Android Central

I found it interesting.

 

[debdroid1a]

ALSO-- I'm in the market for a screen protector and phone case. I need to buy quickly so I'm looking for local retailers. I have everything in the general area (AT&T Store, Target, BestBuy, WalMart...) and am open for recommendations. I've used Zagg before. General Screen Protector or Tempered Glass? Which cases? Never had a Galaxy Case before.

I found an Incipio Pro at a walmart. Not all have them, I actually got lucky because I needed one (didn't like the flip case). This is a good protected one. I think it was $25. Found Zagg screen covers there too for the S5 [but still haven't put it on... I know...].

I saw an Ottorbox at Target. I was tempted because it was white and black and I have the white S5. But it was $35 and I my Incipio Pro is really nice and I love the teal color. So I decided against it. For now.

You can ask the clerk there or just look around the "other cell phone accessories" small section in the electronics department.

 

[Joseph Bozzo]

UPDATES

• So I called AT&T yesterday and they said something about not connecting to the right tower and that I have to go into my nearest AT&T store to change that. I went to the store and they looked at me like I was crazy. Also, they said that there was nothing wrong with my battery. 10 minutes later I called back the 1-800 number and the lady on the phone said there's definitely something wrong with the battery and they're sending me a new one.
• Honestly, I'm glad they're sending it, especially since they aren't asking me to return the original battery. However, I'm not convinced that this is a battery-related issue. I keep checking the network connection under usage settings and it's nearly ALL gray, with some green lines here and there. In my opinion this must be draining the crap out of my battery if it is taking all this time to connect. In addition I imagine I also have some rogue apps that are ruining my life. When I get the new battery I'll see what happens, but I can't imagine that it will make a big difference.

BACKGROUND DATA AND POWER SAVING MODE

• Some people are telling me to make sure I turn off background data. This isn't something that I really want to do (except maybe for some apps..) but I don't see that option anymore. On my GS3 I knew how to find it, but it's not in the same place anymore for specific apps. In fact, when I go to the data use in the settings, the option "Restrict background data" is grayed out and is not an option... Why? Then when I click into a specific app, "View app settings" is also grayed out for ALL of them...
• Turns out that power saving mode was on. Is that a good idea? I don't really want to restrict all background data because then some of my apps don't work (e.g. GroupMe, Snapchat...). When I turned power saving mode off, I was able to choose to selectively restrict background data on certain apps, which I think I like better... However, I still cannot "view app settings." Should PSM really only be used when I need to save the battery? Does anyone keep it on all the time? What about the "restrict performance" settings?
  Also, under the data usage settings, what is "Auto sync data"? This is on and I don't know what that means.

EDIT: ACCESSORIES

• Looked online for cases. Gotta say the flip case is kinda cool... especially the ones with the wireless charging (links below). I have the $50 Samsung Giftcard so I'm not sure what to buy online... Though I can only apply the credit if the item costs <$50. Seems like the wireless charging backs are tough to fit into other cases, so it's cool that this one comes with one, though at $70 it's not an option.
• From the website I could purchase any of the Otterbox cases. I was thinking maybe the Defender. But is the screen protector in that any good? I think the case itself might make my phone too bulky overall, but since it's free I'm kind of thinking why not. And then if it's bulky I'll just buy myself a screen protector and bumper... Since the back is replaceable and fairly durable, I actually feel pretty comfortable with that (can anyone else weigh in on Zagg quality/fit on the S5?)
• I also kind of like the wallet flip cover... could come in handy sometimes, but it might be annoying to have to take off the back if I ever swap it in/out.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...s-accessories%2FEF-WG900BBESTA&token=fdPptZnN
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...s-accessories%2FEF-DFG900BLOTT&token=EDKm7QY-

 

[Louoi]

So I have had my GS5 for almost two weeks. The battery was very impressive at first. Provider is AT&T and I am now located in Lubbock Texas, where I recently moved for the summer.

My phone worked well here for over a week. I would usually charge it at night before bed to 100%, and take it off the charger when I slept. I would wake up to a phone that had 90+%, which is incredible compared to what I had with my GS3 through its whole lifetime.

However recently I've been having problems at night with the battery usage. I've been tracking with the stock usage statistics and with gsam battery monitor. You'll see a bunch of pictures below (generally in order). Basically the battery is massively draining at night and I've been doing nothing different. Also, sometimes during the day it drains super quickly as well and I'm not sure why. It looks like sometimes my network connection may be bad, though gsam doesn't report phone radio taking up much battery.. . If possible I would like to avoid deleting all apps or resetting the phone...

Let me know if you have any thoughts. I had massive wake lock issues with my GS3 and still do not entirely understand what that meant.

ALSO-- I'm in the market for a screen protector and phone case. I need to buy quickly so I'm looking for local retailers. I have everything in the general area (AT&T Store, Target, BestBuy, WalMart...) and am open for recommendations. I've used Zagg before. General Screen Protector or Tempered Glass? Which cases? Never had a Galaxy Case before.

 

[Louoi]

I have had s 4 s 5, anything you could ever want is on Amazon, I have got extended batteries for both,they are absolutely awesome, I have a 7500 mah,and comes with a nice case for the s4, you can get a 6500 for the s5 but you have to get your own case which they also have on Amazon, as far as screen protectors, invisishield is what I've used for years, I am a very simple user for work, 5000 minutes plus a month, my s4 will last for a minimum of 4 days, my *** 5 is good for two days, with no charge, hope this helps

 

[IpickUtoss]

I think you have some rouge apps that aren't behaving.

Amazon Suites is the single worst app I have ever experienced. it devours batteries.

I Disable/Uninstalled every single Amazon app on the phone.

Give that a try

i did a bit more than that though, I got rid of all the bloatware. see this:

I am on Day 4 and still have 37% battery left. I turn OFF data, sync, and wifi when no needed.

I have turned off the following on a Verizon phone:
Accessories, Amazon, Amazon App suite, Amazon Kindle, Amazon MP3, Appstore, Audible, BlurbCheckout, Bubbles, FamilyBase Companion, Flipboard, Message+, Messages, MyMagazine, NFL Mobile, Picasa Uploader, S Health, Smart Remote, Travel Wallpaper, Verizon Support & Protection (McAfee), VZ Navigator (pay for fee Navigation.... Google maps is free)


Google branded apps turned OFF:

Calendar Sync, Contacts Sync, Play Games, Play Movies & TV, Play Music, Play Newstand, Hangouts, Isis Mobile Wallet



After I trimmed all that fat off the phone, the battery drain immediately improved a lot. Even with GPS and DATA left on.

What do you use on phone with all that turned off? Not being cad...very much would like to stop stuff without it interference to things I want to keep running. Do you use your own choice to replace message+?