If your Galaxy isn’t lasting as long as expected, here are 10+ tips to fix bad Galaxy S8 battery life. These issues also apply to the Galaxy S8+. Even though Samsung’s phones are over two years old, they still have a lot to offer, but they’re not perfect.
Owners have gotten a huge boost in performance and battery with the Galaxy S8 Android Pie update, known as One UI, but that’s not enough for everyone. In conclusion, here are some settings to change, options to consider, and quick tips to give you the best possible battery life.
How To Fix Bad Galaxy S8 Battery Life (Or S8+)
Samsung phones have tons of options, controls and settings that you can change for a better experience. While some are great, others drain the battery even if you’re not using it. We’ll cover which ones to use and what you might want to turn off. Additionally, you can take advantage of Samsung’s battery saver modes and performance modes to get the most out of your phone.
Find Apps That Eat Your Battery
The first suggestion is always to check if apps are draining the battery too fast in an incorrect way. If you want to fix your bad Galaxy S8 battery life, check out the stats and running apps. When an app misbehaves it can cause all sorts of problems.
Read: How to Enable Fullscreen Apps on Galaxy S8
Whether these are pre-installed apps or something you downloaded from Google Play, chances are a rogue app is causing the problem. This applies to all Android devices, not just the Galaxy S8.
If you use an app a lot, it will drain your battery. However, there are also times when bugs or problems can cause an app to cheat and start draining juice abnormally. We’ve seen this with the Oculus app that Samsung has pre-installed on phones and even Facebook.
Above is a screenshot showing a good day with the Galaxy S8+. Approximately 23 hours of use with more than 4 hours remaining and significant “screen-on time” of over 4 hours. Some days are better than others, but that’s typical for me.
Note that Android System usually uses the most battery, which is good. If an app is using more battery than Android System and is listed higher up in the battery usage section, there is a problem. If so, remove it to prevent further draining. Try uninstalling and reinstalling the app if you need to.
Restart Your Galaxy S8 or S8+
If the battery is draining quickly, there is a reason. GPS, WiFi or an app could be the problem. Something isn’t right, but we don’t know what yet. A quick reboot usually fixes this and saves owners from dealing with a dead battery later in the day. In fact, you can fix almost any minor issue by doing a quick reboot.
This sounds like a silly suggestion, but you’d be surprised how many times I’ve fixed problems with a family member’s phone just because I chose to reboot. Seriously, reboot your phone at least once a week.
Screen Brightness and Sleep Time
Most people check their phone more than 140 times a day. Turn it on continuously, but set it without pressing the power/sleep button to turn off the screen when it’s done. This means that the screen is on for no reason. Do this 140 times a day and battery life will suffer. Simply press the same wake/sleep button to turn the screen off before turning it off. It’s an easy habit that makes a big difference.
Screen-on time is important, as the screen will usually be at the top of the list, under the battery statistics page in settings. Ultimately, you’ll want to choose something that works for you. Auto is not ideal for battery saving and I use a brightness of around 30-35% as the S8 screen is very bright. This saves a lot of battery. You can even quickly open it in the notification bar if needed.
While we are in the display settings some owners will want to reduce the “screen timeout” option. This is the amount of time the phone stays on until the screen automatically dims and turns off to save battery life. By default it is set to 1 minute, try 30 seconds. That way, every time a user turns on their phone, it doesn’t stay on for 1.2 or even 5 minutes at a time. Remember, they all add up after 8-10 hours.
Disable Always On Display
One of my favorite features on the Galaxy S8 and other phones is always on the screen. Ability to browse to see time, date, battery and incoming notifications without opening the screen.
Samsung even claims that the AOD feature will consume less than 5% for the past 8 hours at work. So while it’s a small difference, turn it off if you’re looking for any kind of advantage. Start and feature.
WiFi, 4G LTE, Bluetooth and GPS
It’s a splurge, but every little bit helps. True? If you are not using WiFi or Bluetooth, you can turn them off. Even if they are minimal when it comes to battery consumption. Another quick and easy step. If you are in a WiFi location (coffee shop) but not using WiFi, definitely turn it off as the device will constantly search for a network. Using WiFi at home is a huge battery saver, but disable it if not in use. These are just above the notification pop-up bar.
But the biggest consumption of battery is location services and GPS. Let Facebook Messenger use GPS to find your location and other such things using Google Maps. GPS has always been something I turn off and see dramatic improvements. Your maps can act funny and have trouble finding your location. If so, turn it back on as needed.
Go to option, then select “Battery Saver” or medium WiFi and Mobile networks. This kills the GPS which really hurts the batter throughout the day. Even if you don’t use it.
Use Black Wallpaper
Beautiful wallpapers are beautiful. However, using a black or dark wallpaper will actually increase battery life. Samsung’s AMOLED display technology works differently than most displays. Pixels don’t have to be individual or very high to display a black image.
After downloading a beautiful wallpaper, long press an empty area of the screen and go to Wallpapers to apply it. Again, it’s the little things that all come together in the end that work.
Turn Off Galaxy S8 Features You Don’t Need
Samsung phones have software features that can hurt battery life and other features that make things better. As a result, you’ll want to disable features you never use.
Any previous Galaxy owner knows all about many gestures or gesture controls. If you’re not using them, turn them off to help save juice. Like swiping one hand over the screen to take a screenshot, keeping the screen on if the sensors see a face facing down, and more. There’s even the ability to instantly initiate a phone call by placing a phone to your ear while reading a message. It’s useful, but disable it and do things the old fashioned way.
Turn things like Smart Capture, Palm Swipe Capture, Direct Call, Easy Mute on and off and disable “Smart Stay” in the display settings. All of these need power and sensors inside the phone for things we rarely use.
Battery Saver and Performance Modes
Like most phones, Samsung has built in some battery saver and performance modes to help with performance and battery life. Under Settings > Device Maintenance > Battery new performance modes. Basically, owners can choose what works best for them. This will change the screen brightness and resolution, slow down performance if you need to stretch the battery throughout the day and other things. Click here for more information.
As you can see the game mode will really speed things up, including further increasing the screen brightness. These are kind of silly in a way, but extremely useful for average users who want the phone to do something for them.
This replaced the old “battery saver mode” or ultra-saving options on older devices. However, you can tap on the three dots at the top and go to advanced settings for more control. It provides access to limit and manage each app for better battery life.
Also, the Galaxy S8 Android Pie update added Google’s “battery optimization” controls that should further improve the system and your experience.
Galaxy S8 Android Pie Problems
While the highly anticipated Galaxy S8 Android Pie update has improved the phone for most, some users are experiencing issues. One, in particular, related abnormal battery consumption. Samsung’s One UI software is great, but it’s also brand new and will have a few bugs and issues to fix in the coming weeks.
As a result, we have prepared a detailed Galaxy S8 Android Pie issues and fixes guide. This will help you especially with Pie related issues. The pie has just arrived, but you can expect another update in 2-3 months to fix a few persistent issues.
Other Battery Tips and Tricks
Of course, battery life always comes down to personal use and preferences. Some are heavy users, some are not. We also recommend trying apps like BetteryBatteryStats to see which apps are causing problems. It’s a pretty powerful tool that will give you more insight into your daily use.
Another thing to consider is Bixby, Samsung’s virtual assistant. Don’t use wake commands that always listen or customize how much Bixby does. This will also help with battery life.
Don’t forget airplane mode. It does wonders for conserving the battery when a phone is not needed. Airplane mode turns off all data, radios, services and more and can last 4-5 days when most phones are activated. If you’re traveling, give it a try.
Weekly device reboots can also help clean up the system and keep things running smoothly. Again, battery life isn’t too bad on the Galaxy S8 but we can always make it a little better.
With the Galaxy S8, Samsung used a new battery technology. After a year of daily use, most phone batteries start to deteriorate and only have about 80% capacity. So they never charge 100%. They degrade over time and simply don’t last long. 1 year later, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are maintaining their capacity by about 95%, with Samsung claims. Now that they’re over two years old, how’s yours doing? Let us know in the comment section below.
Our advice here is just the tip of the iceberg. Try a new launcher, download third-party text apps or even better uninstall Facebook. If you’re still not satisfied with the battery life or need more juice when you’re out and about, take advantage of the fast charging technology in the Galaxy S8 and buy a fast portable battery charger. While you’re here, take a look at the best cases below to keep your phone safe.
