How to Check Which Galaxy Apps Are Draining Your Battery

If your Samsung Galaxy phone’s battery seems to disappear faster than it should, the culprit is often one or two apps running in the background. This guide shows you how to find exactly which apps are using the most power, so you can decide whether to restrict, update, or uninstall them. You’ll need a Galaxy phone running Android 11 or newer (the steps are nearly identical on One UI 3 through 6).

What You’ll Need

• A Samsung Galaxy phone (Galaxy S, Note, Z, or A series) with the battery at least 20% charged.
• Access to the Settings app (pre-installed on all Galaxy devices).
• Optional: a charger and cable if your battery is critically low.

Step-by-Step

1. Open Settings. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification shade, then tap the gear icon (⚙️) in the top-right corner. Alternatively, find the Settings app in your app drawer.
2. Navigate to Battery. Scroll down and tap Battery (it’s usually near the top of the Settings menu, under “Device care” on some versions). On older One UI versions, you might need to tap Device care first, then Battery.
3. Open Battery Usage. On the Battery screen, tap Battery usage (or Usage since last full charge on some models). This opens a detailed breakdown of power consumption.
4. View the app list. You’ll see a list of apps sorted by how much battery they’ve used since the last full charge. The top app is the biggest drain. Tap View details or Show all to expand the list and see all apps, not just the top five.
5. Check the time frame. By default, the list shows usage since the last full charge. You can change this to the last 7 days or 24 hours by tapping the drop-down menu at the top of the screen. For a clearer picture of which apps are consistently draining, choose Last 7 days.
6. Tap an app to see its stats. Tap any app in the list to see its individual usage: foreground time (when you’re actively using it), background time (when it runs in the background), and total battery used. This tells you whether the app is draining power even when you’re not using it.
7. Identify the worst offenders. Look for apps that show high background usage (e.g., more than 10 minutes of background time) or that use a significant percentage (like 10% or more) even if you rarely open them. Common culprits include social media apps, streaming services, and games.
8. Take action. Once you’ve identified a problematic app, you have several options:
   • Force stop: From the app’s stats page, tap Force stop to immediately halt it. This is temporary—the app will restart the next time you open it.
   • Put to sleep: Go back to the Battery screen, tap Background usage limits (or App power management), then tap Sleeping apps and add the app. This prevents it from running in the background.
   • Deep sleep: For apps you rarely use, add them to Deep sleeping apps in the same menu. This is more aggressive and stops all background activity.
   • Uninstall: If the app is unnecessary, long-press its icon on the home screen and select Uninstall.
9. Check for updates. Sometimes a buggy app drains battery. Open the Galaxy Store or Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, then Manage apps and Update all to ensure all apps are up to date.

Common Mistakes

• Only looking at the top app. The biggest drain might be your screen or Android System, which are normal. Focus on apps that you don’t use often but still appear high on the list.
• Checking too soon after charging. The usage list resets after a full charge. If you check right after unplugging, the data is meaningless. Wait at least a few hours or until you’ve used the phone normally.
• Ignoring background time. An app that you use for 5 minutes but has 2 hours of background time is a problem. The list shows “Background” time, so pay attention to that column.
• Force stopping every app. Force stopping apps that you use frequently can cause them to restart and use even more battery. Only force stop apps that are truly misbehaving.
• Assuming a low percentage means no problem. An app that uses 3% might still be draining if it’s an app you never open. Compare the percentage to the amount of time you actually used the app.

Tips

• Use the “Last 7 days” view. This gives a more accurate picture than “Since last charge” because it averages out your usage patterns.
• Enable “Adaptive Battery.” In the Battery settings, turn on Adaptive Battery (or Adaptive power saving). This uses AI to learn which apps you use most and limits background activity for the rest.
• Check for apps that use location. Apps that constantly access GPS (like weather or ride-sharing apps) can drain battery. Go to Settings > Location > App permissions and set them to “While using the app” instead of “All the time.”
• Look for “System” and “Android OS.” These are normal, but if they show unusually high usage (like 20%+), it might indicate a system issue—try restarting your phone or checking for system updates.
• Use the “Battery” widget. Add a battery widget to your home screen to see usage at a glance without opening Settings.

Troubleshooting

• Battery usage list is empty or shows no data. This can happen if you just charged your phone or if the phone has been off. Use the phone normally for a few hours, then check again.
• You can’t find “Battery usage.” On some Galaxy models, it’s under Settings > Device care > Battery > Battery usage. If you still can’t find it, use the search bar in Settings and type “battery usage.”
• The app you want to restrict doesn’t appear in “Sleeping apps.” Some system apps (like Phone or Messages) can’t be put to sleep. You can still force stop them, but they may restart automatically.
• After restricting an app, it still drains battery. Some apps have multiple processes. Try clearing the app’s cache (Settings > Apps > [App] > Storage > Clear cache) and then force stopping. If that doesn’t work, consider uninstalling and reinstalling the app.
• Battery drain persists even after following all steps. This could be a hardware issue or a rogue system process. Back up your data and perform a factory reset (Settings > General Management > Reset > Factory data reset). If the problem continues after a reset, contact Samsung support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the battery usage list show real-time usage?

No, it shows usage since the last full charge (or over the selected period). It’s not real-time, so you need to wait a bit after charging to get meaningful data.

Why does “Screen” use so much battery?

The screen is the biggest consumer on any phone. To reduce its drain, lower the brightness, use dark mode, and reduce the screen timeout.

What’s the difference between “Sleeping” and “Deep sleeping” apps?

Sleeping apps are prevented from running in the background, but they can still run when you open them. Deep sleeping apps are completely frozen—they won’t run at all until you manually open them, and even then they may be restricted.

Will putting an app to sleep affect notifications?

Yes. If you put an app like WhatsApp or Gmail to sleep, you may not receive notifications until you open the app. For important apps, consider using “Never sleep” instead.

Can I see battery usage for the last 24 hours?

Yes, in the Battery usage screen, tap the drop-down menu and select “Last 24 hours.” Note that this view resets every 24 hours, so it’s less useful than the 7-day view.

Why does an app show high battery usage even though I never use it?

Some apps run background services (e.g., syncing, location tracking) even when you don’t open them. Check the app’s background time—if it’s high, restrict it or uninstall it if you don’t need it.

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