The Samsung Galaxy S6 Nougat update is causing performance issues and today we want to show you how to deal with these issues if you encounter them after installing Android 7.0 on your Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge.
Samsung’s Android 7.0 Nougat has recently been expanded to include the company’s two flagship models in 2015, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Both are migrating from Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge Nougat updates have not gone through a public beta process, but Samsung has tested the software for weeks for behind-the-scenes bugs and issues.
Some Galaxy S6 Nougat users are reporting stable software, while others are having issues with their upgrades.
Galaxy S6 Nougat performance issues (lag, random freezes, crashes, etc.) are plaguing some device owners, and we expect complaints about these issues to increase as Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Nougat releases to new devices and new regions. The update should pick up pace as we head into May.
If you encounter poor Galaxy S6 Nougat performance, you will want to address the issues. Here we would like to summarize some strategies and some fixes to try in an effort to improve performance on your aging device.
How To Fix Bad Galaxy S6 Battery Life After Nougat
If your poor performance is due to bad Nougat battery life, there are a few options you should consider.
First, we always recommend waiting a few days before taking drastic measures. It can sometimes take a few days for the battery life to settle, so if you start noticing issues after installing Android 7.0, you’ll need to be patient.
If, after two full days with Nougat, you’re still noticing that the battery is draining strangely, you’ll want to start digging deeper into the problem.
We’ve rounded up some proven ways to fix bad Galaxy S6 battery life, and you’ll want to take a look before doing a factory reset or contacting Samsung or your carrier.
Use Download Booster
If you’re noticing slow download speeds, especially with large files, you can try using the Galaxy S6’s Download Accelerator.
Download Booster allows your device to download files larger than 30MB using Wi-Fi and cellular connection simultaneously. If you’re connected to a solid Wi-Fi network, you should see extremely fast download times.
To enable Download Booster on your Galaxy S6, go to Connections > More connection settings > Download booster and enable it.
If you’re on a limited data plan, you’ll want to monitor your usage. Download Booster will chew up your cellular data.
Restart Your Galaxy S6
Here is an extremely quick fix for you to try if you notice poor Nougat performance on your Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge.
Turn off your device, wait and turn it back on. This is the first thing you should try if you notice lags, crashes, freezes, or any other performance issue.
Clean Your Galaxy S6
Now is a good time to clean your Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.
If you’ve owned your device for a year or more, you’ve probably accumulated a ton of junk on your device. Photos you no longer look at. Videos you no longer need. Apps you no longer use. The list goes on.
If you’re approaching your storage threshold and even if you’re not, it might be a good idea to do some spring cleaning to free up some hard drive space.
If you get rid of the clutter, you can see a performance boost.
Sleep Apps
Galaxy S6 Nougat update introduces a useful feature that can help you check your device’s CPU and/or battery life.
With Nougat built in, it can now put apps to sleep so they don’t send notifications in the background or drain battery life. Nice solution for applications known as resource hogs.
Press and hold an app icon to put an app on your Galaxy S6 to sleep. You should see several options popups.
From there, choose to put the selected app to sleep. Use this regularly and you can see a nice performance boost.
Update Your Apps
If performance issues are related to your apps, try updating your apps to see if this improves performance.
In the weeks since Nougat was released, many Android developers have released bug fix updates for their apps.
If you haven’t turned on automatic updates, you may have missed one or more of these updates on your Galaxy S6.
If it’s been a while since you updated your Galaxy S6’s apps, you should go to your apps and Google Play Store to check for updates.
Don’t blindly install updates though. You’ll want to read reviews from other Nougat users before you act.
Most apps work well with Nougat, but with some you may run into a rotten apple or two.
Use Device Maintenance
Galaxy S6’s Nougat update also comes with another useful feature in device settings. This is called Device Maintenance.
When you open it in Settings, you will come to a screen with a few options such as Battery, Storage, RAM and Device Security. Each of these comes with a host of options, from power saving modes to performance enhancements.
You’ll want to review each of these categories and see which combination works best for you and your device.
Mute S
S Voice, Samsung’s version of Siri/Cortana, can be useful but also a resource hog. If you’re not using S Voice or want to limit its capabilities, we recommend turning it off to see if it helps improve performance.
To completely disable S Voice on your Galaxy S6, go to Application Manager, find S Voice, tap on it and tap on Disable.
You can always re-enable it if you need it or if turning it off doesn’t improve your performance.
Use Another Launcher
The Galaxy S6 Nougat update brings the company’s new Samsung Experience (formerly TouchWiz). It’s a nice plugin, but it could be the source of your problems.
If you’re having trouble using a third-party launcher, we suggest you look into one. There are tons of options out there, but we recommend Nova Launcher. Google Play store.
Nova Launcher comes with tons of customization options to help you keep your device performance in check.
Incognito Developer Mode
If you only have a few seconds, you can try to enter the hidden developer mode of the Galaxy S6. It can help you speed up your phone without having to do a lot of work.
We have prepared a step-by-step roadmap that will take you through the whole process. It’s worth a look if you can’t fix it or don’t want to spend tons of time solving your problems.
Start from scratch
If nothing works here (or elsewhere), you can choose the nuclear option: wipe your phone completely and start from scratch. This is a time consuming fix but has been known to work well, especially on older phones like the Galaxy S6.
To do this in Nougat go to Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset > Reset Device > Erase All.
Don’t forget to backup all your files before doing this. This should only be used as a last resort as it will take some time to reinstall your phone.
