No longer exclusive to the Google Nexus line-up, Android 5.0 Lollipop is rolling out to 2014 flagships such as the HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5. Unfortunately, many owners of those devices are now seeing issues with poor battery life. Here are some steps you can take to fix the problem.
No longer exclusive to the Google Nexus line-up, Android 5.0 Lollipop is rolling out to 2014 flagship phones such as the HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5.
Unfortunately, many owners of those devices are now seeing issues with
poor battery life. Here are some steps you can take to fix the problem.
Also see: When will my phone get Android Lollipop?
Poor battery life since Android update: Should I install Android Lollipop?
Well, so much for Lollipop improving battery life.
Before we begin we should point out that not everyone
running Android Lollipop is dealing with battery drain - some are really
quite happy with the new OS, particularly those with devices that run
Lollipop out of the box. (Some are also dealing with Wi-Fi problems but, honestly, there are a lot of happy Lollipop users out there.)
You should also know that every new operating system comes
with a few bugs that are gradually ironed out through updates as they
become apparent. There is nothing inherently 'wrong' with Android
Lollipop.
If an Android Lollipop update is available for your device
then it's up to you whether you should install it. No-one is holding a
gun to your head. If you go ahead there are many perks, as you'll learn
from our Android Lollipop review, but you should be aware that there may also be a few bugs at first.
Poor battery life since Android update: Samsung Galaxy S5
I came across a Samsung Galaxy S5
running Android 5.0 Lollipop on the Vodafone network this weekend with
such poor battery performance that it was down to 95 percent within
seconds of unplugging it from the mains. The owner was carrying a spare
battery with him at all times, and still he would run out of power by
early evening. He also complained that his S5 was running so hot in his
pocket that it was burning his leg.
If your battery performance is this bad it's quite
possible that there is something wrong with it. But the phone was
functioning fine until he downloaded the latest Android update, and he
is far from alone in reporting battery life issues following the
installation of Android 5.0 Lollipop.
On checking in the Battery settings what had been using
his battery I found Android OS was greedier than anything else,
including the display.
It's
not an issue specific to the Samsung Galaxy S5, however, so we expect
to hear from more users running into battery life problems as Lollipop
continues its rollout.
Poor battery life since Android update: Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update
Many Nexus 5
owners who upgraded to Android 5.0 Lollipop at launch were also plagued
with battery life issues, although we've seen fewer reports of problems
with those phones running the later Android 5.0.1 update which is in
essence a collection of bug fixes. Google has also said the problem is fixed in the latest builds. If you haven't received an OTA update to 5.0.1 the file is available from Google; you can then check our instructions on how to install Android Lollipop on the Nexus 5.
Unfortunately, this update won't yet be available to
owners of Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG or other smartphones, which in the UK
are delivered OTA by the network operator, slowing down the process. It
could be two months before Samsung releases Android 5.0.1 for the Galaxy
S5, for example. Even then, we can't guarantee it will solve battery
life problems. However, you should double-check you are running the latest version of Android now.
So what can you do in the meantime?
Poor battery life since Android update: How to fix poor battery life
The first thing you should check is what is actually
consuming the battery. Open your Settings menu and look for a Battery or
Power option; within this you should find Battery usage. Here you'll
see battery consumption broken down into the various apps and services
running on your phone.
If there is a particular app that is consuming a lot of
power - which can be the case with older third-party apps that haven't
been optimised for newer OSes - kill it. If things don't improve
following its uninstallation then you can always reinstall it.
Thanks to the
tips below this article we know that many users are reporting excessive
battery drain being caused by frequent Wi-Fi scanning. It's worth
turning off your Wi-Fi when you aren't using it to see if this extends
your battery life at all.
Going back to that Galaxy S5 I spoke of earlier, those who
have called tech support have been told a factory reset may solve their
problem. And in (some) cases it has improved things, but I sympathise
with those for whom a factory reset is the last thing they want to do,
losing all their personal settings and customisation options in the
process. Be sure to back up anything on your phone before you take this
step, if you choose to do so.
Poor battery life since Android update: That didn't work. What can I do to improve battery life?
If all that fails then your only option to solve the
problem is to wait for a bug fix to roll out to your phone. But that
doesn't help you out in the meantime if your phone is all but unusable.
Here are some tips to extend your smartphone's battery life.
• Remember to restart your phone every so often. Sounds simple, but it could just be the fix you're looking for.
• Turn down the screen brightness and adjust the screen timeout. You'll find both options in the Settings menu.
• Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when not in use. Look for
toggles in the notification bar or find these options in the Settings
menu.
• Close apps running in the background. You don't need to
install a Task Manager or other app to achieve this, just tap the square
button at the bottom of the display to bring up an 'Overview' or recent
apps list. Running apps are shown as cards, and you can simply swipe
them off the screen to close them.
• Turn off haptics. Your phone's ability to vibrate to
warn you of a new call or notification is useful, but it has to use
enough power to make your whole phone shake.
• Take advantage of power-saving modes. Some phones even
have Ultra Power Saving modes that, in the case of the Samsung Galaxy
S5, can make 10 percent of the battery's capacity last 24 hours by
turning off inessential features and screen colours.
• Carry a spare battery or, better yet, a power bank.
Your spare battery offers a single charge for that specific handset,
while you can buy a power bank that costs less and offers more charges -
to any phone. Check out the Best power banks 2015.
• Read our advice on how to charge your phone or tablet faster. 
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