Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus feature 4,000mAh and 4,500mAh batteries, respectively, that promise to deliver an “all-day” battery life. Moreover, the eldest sibling, S20 Ultra, boasts a truly impressive, 5,000mAh battery. Having said that, it doesn’t mean you can never face battery-related issues on the Galaxy S20 smartphones.

You may not be able to experience the same battery life when a phone gets old. Also, there can be instances when your S20 or S20+ phone is only a few months old, and the battery life has suddenly started to deteriorate. It can be both irritating and worry-some. If this happens to be your case, you’ve landed at the right place to fix those frustrating issues.

Whether you’re facing Galaxy S20 battery drain problems or if your S20+/S20 Ultra battery drains overnight, we’ve got 19 effective solutions to fix the bad battery life on the Galaxy S20 series smartphones. Plus, if you’re struggling with how to improve the overall battery life of your S20 smartphones, we’ve mentioned some tips for that as well.

So, let’s get started with our troubleshooting guide on how to fix the Samsung S20/S0+/S20 Ultra battery drain problem. It will surely help you make the most out of your smartphone’s battery. 

Disclaimer: Proceed at your own risk, TechieTechTech will not be responsible if anything goes wrong with your device.

How to fix the Galaxy S20/ S20+ /S20 Ultra battery drain?

1. Update to the latest software

Before we move on to any other method to fix the battery drain issue on the Galaxy S20 series, we would like you to check if your smartphone is running on the latest software. Since these are relatively new and Samsung is quick to release updates to fix issues on the flagship devices. Therefore, make sure to check you’re running the latest version of OneUI. It’s a quick trick to fix battery-related issues on any smartphone.

Software updates also have the latest security patches that help to fix the bugs and improve the overall smartphone user experience.

Follow the steps mentioned below to check for Software Updates on your Samsung Galaxy S20/S20+/S20 Ultra smartphone:

1.  Head to Settings > About Phone > Software Updates
2. If an update is available, tap Download and Install

If you’ve updated your smartphone to the latest Android version and you’re still facing battery drain problems, move to the other steps mentioned below. 

2. Check your charger

You could face an S20 battery drain problem, bad S20+ battery health, or unusual battery drain on your S20 Ultra if you’re using incompatible or cheap third-party charging accessories with your phone. This is one of the most easily overlooked reasons why you’re facing battery-related problems on your S20 smartphones. Also, using random adapters and faulty cables can damage your phone. Therefore, it’s a good idea to check the adapter as well as cable that you’re using to power up your smartphone. 

So, here are a few tips that you must follow to check if you’re using an appropriate charger:

1. Firstly, you must always use the official charger (we’re talking about both, adapter and cable) that came with your phone or the one that you bought from the Samsung store or some reliable third-party resellers.
2. Check your charging cable for visible signs of damage like bends, exposed wires, or breakage. In case you notice that your cable is damaged, use a different cable (if you’ve got any) or get yourself a new one. 
3. Also, when we’re talking about checking your charging cables, it’s worth mentioning that a cable can have some internal damage that’s not visible. Therefore, if any of your family members have got the same phone and their charger is working perfectly fine, you must try charging your phone with that charger. If you’re able to do so, it’s time to replace those faulty charging accessories. You can browse through our selections to find the best accessories for your Samsung S20 or S20 Plus.

Also Read: Best Fast Chargers for Galaxy S20, S20 FE, S20+, and S20 Ultra

3. Restart your smartphone

When did you last reboot your smartphone? If you don’t remember it or if it has been months or even weeks since your last reboot, then you should do it right now. This is one of the easiest and most effective methods to fix battery drain, slow charging, or any other battery-related problems on your Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, as well as S20 Ultra. Many users have given this super-quick method a big thumbs up in fixing several issues on their smartphones. Therefore, make sure you don’t skip this step.  It’s a great trick to improve the battery life of your S20 smartphones, including

the Exynos S20 Ultra.  

A reboot will help fix minor bugs and give a fresh start to your phone. Also, if you’re looking for productive ways to improve the battery life and performance of your Galaxy S20 Series, make sure to reboot your phone at regular intervals (once a week is good).

For all those users who don’t remember restarting their smartphones regularly, take the advantage of the Auto Restart feature on your Galaxy S20/S20+/S20 Ultra smartphones. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to Settings > Device Care

2. Tap the three dots

3. Select Advanced

4. Tap Next

5. Turn the slider ON for Auto-restart

6. Now, choose the time when you want your phone to reboot automatically.

Please note that your phone will reboot automatically only when the screen and the SIM card lock is off, the battery is above 30 percent, and you’re not using the phone.

4. Watch your Screen Brightness and Screen Timer

An overly bright display is one of the main reasons for a faster battery drain on your Galaxy S20 Ultra, S20 Plus, and even the smallest phone in the bunch, the S20. This is because the brighter the display, the more power it consumes. Many users have a habit of switching to the brightest possible display while watching

Netflix or playing their favorite games. We know a brighter display looks stunning, but it’s not at all good for the battery life of any smartphone. Moreover, it can lead to overheating issues over time. Therefore, try to adjust your screen brightness to a lower level. We’re not saying you should stick to a very dim display, but if you put it somewhere around 35 to 40 percent, you’re sorted.

If you’re outdoors, you can turn on the Adaptive Brightness mode so that you don’t have to play around the settings, and the brightness is adjusted according to ambient light. But, if you’re indoors, it’s good to adjust the brightness manually. 

For this, head to Settings > Display > Brightness, and adjust the brightness level.

Now, coming to another worth-considering aspect. How many times do you turn on your phone, just to see the time, notifications, or any other info? Maybe 50 or even 100 times a day? Or maybe you just don’t remember it because you do it every now and then. That’s the case with every smartphone user. 

We would like to draw your attention to something important here. You would have noticed that after you’ve checked your phone and put it down, the display stays ON for 1, 2, or even 5 minutes until the screen turns off by itself. This draws a lot of power. It is known as the Screen Timeout, and if configured properly, it can help you save a lot of battery on your phone. Adjust the screen timeout to 30 seconds and you’ll notice an improvement in the battery life of your S20/S20+/S20 Ultra smartphones.

Here’s how to configure Screen Timeout on the Galaxy S20 Series:

1. Head to Settings > Display
2. Tap Screen timeout and select 30 seconds

If you want to fix bad Galaxy S20/S20+/S20 Ultra battery life, make a habit of using your phone at a lower brightness (according to ambient lighting)and configure the screen timeout after 30 seconds of inactivity. It can add an hour or two to the daily battery life of your smartphone.

Also Read: Best Wireless Chargers for Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra

5. Adjust Screen resolution

A higher resolution gives you a stellar display, but it can also affect the overall battery life of your phone. More pixels require more power, and it can be burdensome for the battery. The Galaxy S20 Series support WQHD+ resolution, which is great, but, it can also drain the battery faster.  By default, the display settings are set to a lower, FHD+ resolution. If you’ve switched to a higher screen resolution, and notice that your S20 Plus or S20 Ultra is dying fast, you must revert to a lower resolution. It will help you fix abnormal battery drain issues on your Galaxy S20 Series.

Here’s how to adjust the screen resolution of the Galaxy S20 Series:

1. Go to Settings > Display
2. Tap Screen Resolution
3. Select HD+ or FHD+ resolution

6. Disable Always On Display and Lift to wake

The Always On Display is a great feature that provides all your notifications, battery level, and shows the date and time info at a glance. You’ll see all the important information, even if your screen is turned off. Although many users love this feature, disabling it can help you improve battery life. Samsung says the AOD feature consumes only 5% battery during an 8-hour workday, so we may feel that it’s not going to make a lot of difference. But, if your S20 Ultra battery drains abnormally or if you want to improve the S20/S20+ battery life, you must count all the little steps that can make a huge impact collectively, and disabling AOD is one of them.

Moreover, if your S20/S20+ battery drains faster overnight, you must disable the Always On Display feature, without thinking twice. The reason why we are saying this is because the AOD lights up when the S20 smartphone gets a notification. If you get a lot of app notifications, it consumes a battery. The same goes for the S20 Plus and S20 Ultra smartphones.

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap Lock Screen > Disable the Always-on Display

Let’s talk about another important thing here. If you don’t want the display of your smartphone to wake up now and then, by accidental touches and consume unnecessary battery, you must disable a few settings. It offers great help when your battery drains faster or if you’re left with a little power and you don’t want to waste it on not-so-important things.

1. Head to Settings > Advanced features
2. Tap Motion and Gestures
3. Turn OFF Lift to Wake and Double Tap to Wake options. 

Also Read: How to fix Galaxy S20 not charging problems?

7. Turn Off 5G

The entire lineup of the Galaxy S20 Series is packed with future-proof specifications. We’re talking about support for the 5G connectivity. Plus, all three models make it to the list of Wi-Fi 6 compatible smartphones. The Galaxy S20 smartphones support 5G, and keeping it ON shouldn’t drain the battery. But, if your network carrier doesn’t support 5G, or if you live in an area where there’s no 5G network coverage, there’s no point in keeping 5G turned ON all the time. In such cases, it’s better to switch to 4G/LTE networks.

1. Go to Settings > Connections > Mobile network
2. Tap Network Mode
3. Select LTE/3G/2G (Auto-Connect)

8. Turn Off 120Hz Refresh rate

The 120Hz displays on the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra are truly impressive and deserve a big thumbs up. The 120Hz refresh rate produces smoother motion and transitions. As a result, the display feels fluid when you’re scrolling or switching between apps. It lets you enjoy more realistic animations and

games. By default, the refresh rate is set to 60Hz, and you can switch to 120Hz to reap all the benefits it offers. But, if you notice battery drain on your S20/S20+/S20 Ultra, and you really want to improve the battery life, stick to the 60Hz refresh rate. Samsung itself says that you’ll get longer battery life on your compatible Galaxy smartphones when using 60Hz. Plus, it’s very effective when you’re on a low battery and don’t have access to a charger.

Follow these steps to adjust the refresh rate on your S20 Series:

1. Go to Settings > Display

2. Tap Motion Smoothness

3. Select Standard refresh rate (60Hz)

4. Click Apply to confirm the changes

Also Read: How to fix TikTok not working on Android problems?

9. Spot battery-draining apps

If your Galaxy S20/S20+ battery drains faster or if you notice a bad battery life on S20 Ultra, you must check all the apps on your phone. Firstly, it’s a good idea to keep a watch on the running apps. Your phone will notify you if an app is using too much power. If there’s something wrong with the running apps, you’ll see an orange circle in the notification pulldown bar, on the settings icon.

You can also spot the battery-draining apps by heading to the Battery Usage section on your phone. This section will display the battery consumption by different apps and system functions. If an app consumes too much power, it will drain the battery and can cause other issues as well, including overheating problems and bad performance. Therefore, you must spot these excessive battery-drawing apps and get rid of them right away.

It’s worth mentioning that the way you use apps on your phone makes a huge impact on battery life as well as the overall performance of your phone. If you use GPS at a stretch or if you tend to use social networking apps that require fetching updated info all the time, by contacting remote servers, it will drain the battery. Also, if you’re using a widget that works constantly to check the weather, it will consume battery. When you face excessive battery drain or your S20/S20+/S20 Ultra is showing poor battery life, you must at least minimize the usage of such apps, in case you don’t want to delete them. Also, many users have a habit of keeping several apps open, even when they don’t need them, it will keep updating content in the background and eventually drain the battery.

Here’s how to check battery-draining apps on S20 smartphones:

1. Go to Settings > Device Maintenance
2. Tap Battery > Battery Usage

Ideally, you should see the Display, Android system, Device idle at the top. However, if you see any third-party apps at the top, it’s a bad signal. Moreover, if you see those apps which you aren’t even using actively, it shows that the app is misbehaving. It could be due to software incompatibility or a glitch. 

In such situations, if you don’t use that app, delete it right away. Otherwise, try updating such apps, and if they still misbehave, you must uninstall or downgrade such apps to fix the battery drain issues on your S20, S20+. and S20 Ultra.

Also Read: How to fix Galaxy S22 Overheating problems?

10. Uninstall the apps that you don’t need/use

As we have mentioned above that you must delete the apps that you don’t need or use on your phone. Now, you must be thinking about how keeping an app causes battery issues when I’m not using it actively, right?

The reason why we’re saying this is because some apps can consume a lot of resources on your phone, just by being there. It can be due to software incompatibility, glitches, or poor coding. Also, if you see an app that you haven’t used in days now, and it appears at the top of your Battery Usage section, it clearly shows that the app is not good for your smartphone. This commonly includes the pre-installed bloatware apps on your Galaxy smartphones.

Also, if you notice battery drain issues after installing a particular app on your phone,  you must remove these apps to fix battery drain problems on your S20 Plus or S20 Ultra smartphones. In case you don’t want to remove them, move onto our next tip. 

11. Add Sleeping apps

If you don’t want to delete some third-party apps on your phone, you can put those apps to sleep. It will let those apps stay on your phone without allowing them to run in the background, and cause battery drain problems on S20 or S20+. The sleeping apps will not receive updates or send notifications. 

Here’s how to add Sleeping apps on your Galaxy S20/S20 Plus/S20 Ultra:

1. Go to Settings

2. Tap Device Care > Battery

3. Select App power management

4. To add unused apps automatically to sleep, turn the slider on for the “put unused apps to sleep” option.

5. To add sleeping apps manually, go to Sleeping apps

You can put some or all of your third-party apps to sleep.

Please note that if you’ve put an app to sleep and want to use it on purpose, it may not perform as intended by the developer. Also, when you open a sleeping app, use it, and then close it, that app will continue to run in the background. To escape this, go a step further and add deep sleeping apps on your phone. Follow the same sequence of steps and select the “Deep sleeping apps” option in step 5. The deep sleeping apps will never run in the background. They will run only when you open them.

Pro tip: If an important app is consuming too much battery after a recent update then make sure to check the latest reviews of that app in Google Play Store. You can also report your issue and hope to receive a quick fix for the bug. 

Also read: How to fix Play Store not updating apps problems?

12. Disable the features that you don’t need

Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra are packed with a ton of useful features that are loved by its users. Having said that, there are some fancy features that a regular user would rarely use. Also, if turned On, they keep on consuming power, and it can lead to battery drain on your Galaxy S20/S20+/S20 Ultra. We’re talking about gesture control, Edge Panel, Edge Lighting, and palm swipe features. They use the battery and sensors for the things that we don’t even use. Therefore, if you don’t need such features on your S20 smartphones, it’s better to turn them off and save the battery.

Head to Settings > Smart Features and turn off the feature that you don’t need. You can disable Smart Capture, Palm Swipe Capture, Direct Call, Easy Mute, Smart Stay, etc.

13. Activate Dark/Night mode

The display has a huge impact on the battery life of your smartphone. Therefore, you must configure the display settings properly to achieve the most out of your S20’s battery life. Samsung’s One UI has a supremely-useful Night mode that allows you to darken your device’s display (overall theme) for easy, strain-free viewing in low-light conditions. The best part is that it can also help you save a good amount of battery life. Here’s how to enable Night mode:

1. Go to Settings > Display
2. Enable Night Mode
3. Tap on the toggle to enable it and tap on the text to dive into Night mode scheduling settings

Also, it’s worth knowing that Samsung’s AMOLED screen technology is different from the LCD, and it can efficiently display black color as compared to other colors. This is because while displaying black color, the pixels don’t need to turn on individually and as high as compared to other colors. More power will be consumed if your phone’s display is trying to show other colors. Therefore, when we’re working on every bit to improve the battery life of S20 smartphones, you must know that using black wallpaper can also make a huge difference. So, try switching to a black wallpaper and see the difference yourself.

Also Read: How to fix S10/S10+ Battery Drain Problems?

14. Use Power Modes

If you want your S20 battery to last longer, use Power Saving modes. They offer great help when your phone’s battery is too low,  you’re not in a position to charge it, and you want to stretch it for as long as possible so that you can least make an important call or text someone. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to Settings

2. Tap Device Care > Battery

3. Select Power Mode

By default, the Optimized power-saving mode is enabled on your phone. It will help your phone to find the ideal balance between performance and available battery life.

There are two other power-saving modes for you to choose from:

1. The Medium power-saving mode will slightly limit the speed of your processor, restrict the background data, and disable AOD to extend the battery life and allow you to use your S20 a bit longer.
2. The Maximum power-saving mode comes to a rescue in critical situations when your phone’s battery is almost empty. This mode will restrict many functions, but you’ll be still able to make calls, send texts, and use certain apps. You might not be able to use everything on your phone, but you can easily survive morning to night, without having to charge your device. 

You can also switch to the Adaptive power-saving mode. It will automatically save battery life based on your usage patterns.

15. Adjust Network Settings 

We all are well aware of the fact that using Wi-Fi rather than mobile data can help us save battery life on our phones. Also, we turn On Location services to use some apps, play games, or just use Google Maps on our phones. But do you always turn OFF such features when you don’t need them?

If the answer is NO, then you must start doing it from now. This is because if you’ve turned ON Wi-Fi on your phone and you’re not using it, or let’s say there’s no Wi-Fi network available. In such cases, your phone will keep searching for a Wi-Fi network, and this will lead to battery draining. The same goes for other network functions like GPS, Bluetooth, and Mobile data. So, make a habit of turning OFF all the features that are currently not in use. You’ll see a positive change in the battery life of your S20, S20+, and even S20 Ultra. 

Also, let’s talk about another important thing here. Whenever you find there’s a poor network on your phone, make sure to switch your phone to Airplane mode. We’ve explicitly mentioned it because, in such cases, your phone will constantly try to find and connect to a network, and it will lead to more battery drain.  Moreover, this is one of the most easily overlooked and hard to find causes of the battery drain on your S20 smartphones. When there’s a poor network, you’ll anyway not be able to use your phone, so it’s better to put it on Airplane mode and save battery or just use Wi-Fi in those situations. The most common example of these situations is a basement or an area where there’s a bad network at all times. 

These may appear to be little things, but when combined, they can make a huge difference in the overall battery life. 

Also Read: How to Block Ads on any Android Phone (Step by Step Guide)

16. Clear Cache Partition

There can be instances when you start facing battery drain issues on Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, S20 Ultra after installing a major software update. In such situations, you can fix the battery drain problems by wiping off the cache partition. Doing this will refresh the system cache and delete all temporary files (cache) on your S20 smartphone so that new files can be created on your device. Also, if the cache files on your smartphone are corrupted, you must clear the cache partition to ensure smooth functioning.

To wipe the cache partition, you’ll have to go to recovery mode on your smartphone.

Follow the steps mentioned below to clear cache partition on your S20, S20+, or S20 Ultra:

1. Press and hold the Volume Down and Power keys until you see power options on the screen.
2. Tap Power off to turn OFF your phone.
3. Wait until your phone shuts off completely 
4. Now, press and hold the Volume Up and Power keys for a few seconds to put your phone into recovery mode
5. Once you’re on the menu, press the Volume Down key to highlight Wipe Cache Partition.
6. Press the Volume down key to highlight Yes, and press the Power key.
7. The Cache partition will be cleared in just a few seconds.
8. Lastly, press the Power key to restart your smartphone.

If you’ve cleared the cache partition and are still facing abnormal battery drain issues on your Galaxy S20 smartphones, follow the other steps mentioned below.

Also Read: Top Android Security Codes that you should know

17. Battery Calibration

Here comes another way to fix battery drain problems on your Galaxy S20, S20+, S20 FE, or S20 Ultra smartphones. Sometimes, the battery statistics can go wrong and show incorrect battery info on your smartphone. This can be due to heavy usage of the smartphone or some software update bugs. If this happens to be your case, you can resort to the process of battery calibration. This will reset the battery statistics so that your smartphone shows the correct power level readings. Battery calibration will also help in improving the overall health of the battery in the long run.

Here’s how to calibrate the battery on Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, or S20 Ultra:

1. Use your phone until it turns OFF by itself. To fasten up the battery drain process, you can browse the internet, turn ON the flashlight, or maximize screen brightness.
2. Charge your phone till it reaches 100%. After the battery is fully charged, leave the charger plugged for two or more hours. Make sure to use the original or a certified charger.
3. Unplug the charger.
4. Now, hold the Power and Home buttons until you see the Samsung logo.
5. Use your phone until the battery has drained.
6. Repeat the above steps once again.

Also Read: How to fix S20 Fast Charging Problems?

18. Factory Reset

If you’ve tried all the above steps and your S20 battery is still draining faster, or you haven’t noticed any improvement in the battery life of your S20+ or S20 Ultra, you can resort to the last method of Factory Reset. Don’t jump directly to this step; make sure you’ve tried all the other methods.

Factory Data Reset will restore your S20 to its default factory settings and erase all the data on your phone. This includes downloaded apps, contacts, media, system and app data, and email accounts. Therefore, before proceeding to the steps mentioned below, backup all your important data.

Here are the steps to perform Factory Data Reset on the Galaxy S20 series:

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap General Management 
3. Select Reset > Factory Data Reset
4. Tap Reset
5. Enter your PIN or Password
6. Tap Delete All

Also Read: Best Google Chrome Privacy Settings

19. Head to Samsung Store

If you’ve tried everything, including the Factory data reset option, and nothing has helped you fix the S20/S20+/S20 Ultra battery drain problems, it could be a hardware fault. In such cases, you should neither try to fix the issue yourself nor look for some cheaper alternatives, as it can leave your phone beyond repair. In such cases, the best is to head to the Samsung store and get your phone diagnosed.

Also Read: How to fix Netflix not working on Android problems?

Quick FAQs

1. Why is my battery draining so fast on my S20? 

Several reasons could be responsible for why your Galaxy S20 battery is draining so fast or you’re stuck with the bad S20+ battery life. The most common reasons for the S20 Ultra battery drain include running an older version of Android, playing graphic-intensive games at a stretch, using Mobile Data to watch videos for a long time, and using an overly bright display. In addition, the corrupted cache files, apps that continue to run in the background for no reason, cheap charging accessories, and enabling unnecessary network features can cause S20/S20+/S20 Ultra battery drain problems.

Moving further, there can be instances when your S20 battery is draining fast after an update. If this happens to be your case, you must check and ensure that you’ve installed the latest version of the software. The initial versions of any software can have bugs and glitches which are usually fixed in the later versions. So, make sure to update to the latest version as soon as it is available. 

2. How do I stop my Samsung S20 battery from draining?

There are various methods that can help you stop the S20 battery drain or improve your S20 Plus battery life.  First, always make sure to run the latest version of software on your smartphone. Second, it’s extremely important to use first-party or verified charging accessories for your S20 smartphone. If you use cheap charging adapters and faulty cables, you could face battery drain, overheating, as well as charging problems on your S20 smartphones. Next, you can reduce screen brightness, switch to a lower screen resolution, disable 5G (if you don’t need it), and make a habit to stick to Wi-Fi to fix S20 Ultra battery drain problems. Moving further, it’s a great idea to use power-saving and dark modes, remove unnecessary apps from unverified sources and disable Always-On-Display to fix S20/S20+ battery drain problems. 

That was all for our guide on how to fix battery drain issues on Samsung Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra in 20202. We hope it has helped you fix such issues and improve the overall battery performance of your Galaxy S20 series.

Which trick worked for you? How did you fix the S20+ battery drain problem? Share your experience with us, in the comments section below.

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