15 Ways to Fix Samsung Galaxy S21 Battery Drain Issue

Hounded by a battery drain issue on your Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphone? Though premium, the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra devices have acquired a nasty reputation for suffering from batteries dying out faster than expected. 

The Samsung Galaxy S21/S21+/S21 5G Ultra’s battery drain issue may be fixed by soft resetting the device and adjusting its visual and performance settings. Also, updating the system and wiping the cache partition may work. 

However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In this post, we’ll give you the nitty-gritty on how to fix Galaxy S21/S21+/S21 5G Ultra battery drain issue, providing you with time-tested solutions in pictures to get the job done — and fast. 

Difficulty	Easy ●●○○○
Duration	50 to 60 minutes
Things You Need	A Samsung Galaxy S21 deviceA USB CableA PCA working internet connection

How to Fix Samsung Galaxy S21 Battery Drain Issue

Troubleshoot your Samsung Galaxy S21 series device to fix the battery drain issue. Identifying the cause of the problem allows you to apply the necessary solutions to resolve the issue.

But, no worries. Below are proven-and-tested troubleshooting tricks and solutions to help you determine and fix Galaxy S21/S21+/S21 5G Ultra battery drain issues.

1. Restart your phone.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	4
Duration	40 seconds

Restarting a device is a simple method of soft resetting the system and shutting down all processes and apps running in the background. This allows your phone to refresh its memory and boost its performance once it boots back up.

A soft reset is an effective way to fix issues caused by minor bugs or errors on any device. Plus, it’s quick and easy to do, so it’s a generally accepted rule to use this method before trying anything else.

Follow the steps below to restart your Galaxy S21 series device:

• Swipe down the notification panel twice.

• Click the power symbol.

• Click Restart in the power menu.

• Give it some time to complete the bootup process.

Note: You can also press/hold the volume down and side buttons simultaneously to access the power menu.

If you’re experiencing a frozen screen that’s unresponsive to touch controls, you should force restart the device instead.

Forcefully restart your phone using these steps:

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	3
Duration	50 seconds

• Press/hold both the volume down and side buttons.

• Keep holding until you see the Samsung logo.

• Give it some time to complete the bootup process.

2. Switch to Dark mode.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	3
Duration	7 seconds

Another simple way to fix Galaxy S21 series battery drain issues is by limiting your phone’s battery consumption. You can do this by using the dark mode feature.

The dark mode switches the color of your phone’s display theme to black, saving it more power. That can be advantageous as a dimmer display is also gentler on your eyes, especially at night or in places with low lighting conditions.

Follow these steps to switch to dark mode:

• Open Settings.

• Click Display.

• Select/click Dark.

3. Reduce the screen’s brightness.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	3
Duration	7 seconds

Adjusting the brightness level of the display screen gives you better control of your battery consumption. Compared to dark mode, this method could be more effective.

Think of it as a light bulb. The brighter your display is, the more power it consumes, especially when you consider the fact that it’s turned on the most when the phone is active.

Use these steps to adjust the screen brightness:

• Open Settings.

• Click Display.

• Slide the brightness bar to the left to lower its level.

Pro tip: Toggle on Adaptive brightness to enable your phone to adjust its brightness level based on the ambient lighting conditions.

4. Turn off Always On Display (AOD).

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	3
Duration	7 seconds

Samsung’s AOD feature allows information such as time, date, battery percentage, and more to appear on your phone’s screen even when it’s turned off. This is a convenient way to access this information without picking up the device.

While the screen is technically turned off during this, this feature still runs on the battery’s power, and even a tiny amount of juice can quickly pile up as time passes.

Follow these steps to turn off AOD on the Galaxy S21 series:

• Open Settings.

• Scroll down/click Lock screen.

• Toggle the Always On Display switch off.

5. Use the standard refresh rate.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	5
Duration	10 seconds

The Galaxy S21 series’ 120Hz display allows for a visually pleasing and smooth user experience at the cost of more power consumption. This can be overkill for people who only use their phones for mundane tasks such as web browsing and social networking.

If you fit this criterion, the longer battery life you’ll get without this feature far outweighs the visual improvements it offers. Save yourself some trouble and switch to a standard refresh rate to help overcome your Galaxy S21 battery drain issues.

Change your phone’s refresh rate using the steps below:

• Open Settings.

• Click Display.

• Click Motion smoothness.

• Select/click Standard.

• Click Apply to save your preference.

6. Lower the phone’s screen resolution.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	5
Duration	10 seconds

Aside from the refresh rate, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has the option to change the display’s resolution. This can go up to 3088×1440 (WQHD+), resulting in a clear and higher-quality display screen.

However, there’s a price to pay for this. The sharper visuals come at the cost of increased battery use, likely to cause your phone’s rapid battery drain.

Lower the screen resolution using the following steps:

• Open Settings.

• Click Display.

• Scroll down/click Screen resolution.

• Select/click FHD+ (2316×1080).

• Click Apply to save your preference.

Note: FHD+ is the recommended resolution, but you can go as low as HD+ (1544×720). This will save you a lot of power and fix the issues of the Galaxy S21/S21+/S21 5G Ultra battery drain.

7. Disable your unused 5G connection.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	5
Duration	10 seconds

Samsung says that 5G networks are currently limited to data connections and still aren’t optimized for calls and messaging. Galaxy devices will continue to use 3G or LTE connectivity to supplement this limitation, resulting in battery drain.

When not in use, we recommend turning your 5G network off to overcome Galaxy S21/S21+/S21 5G Ultra battery drain issues that result from this.

Follow the steps below to disable your 5G connection:

• Open Settings.

• Click Connections.

• Click Mobile networks.

• Click Network mode.

• Select/click LTE/3G/2G (auto connect).

8. Restrict push notifications.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	4
Duration	10 seconds

Do you receive a lot of notifications every day? If you do, that could be a big contributing factor to why your Galaxy S21 series device drains its battery faster than normal.

If possible, we recommend limiting the number of notifications you receive by restricting apps you don’t often use from sending you notifications. This should help fix the Galaxy S21 series battery drain issue you have.

Turn off app notifications using these steps:

• Open Settings.

• Click Notifications.

• Scroll down/click More.

• Toggle off the switch beside the app you want to restrict.

9. Optimize your Galaxy device.

Samsung optimization feature allows you to improve the phone’s performance and fix minor issues involving your apps, the battery, or the device’s storage. 

Once you run the optimization, your phone will shut down apps in the background, improving its performance and battery life in the process. Thankfully, you can use this feature regularly to fix Galaxy S21/S21+/S21 5G Ultra battery drain issues.

Use these steps to optimize your phone:

• Open Settings.

• Scroll down/click Battery and device care.

• Click Optimize now.

10. Put unused apps to sleep.

Of all the installed apps on your phone, it’s likely that at least half of them run a process in the background and use some of your device’s resources like mobile data.

This is why you’re battery sometimes drains quickly even when the phone is idle.

To combat this, Samsung implemented the sleeping apps feature, allowing you to disable apps and prevent them from doing anything without your consent.

Put to sleep unused app by following these steps:

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	5
Duration	10 seconds

• Open Settings.

• Scroll down/click Battery and device care.

• Click Battery.

• Click Background usage limits.

• Toggle Put unused apps to sleep on.

You can also manually put apps to sleep or deep sleep. Sleeping apps will occasionally run processes in the background but there will be delays; deep sleeping apps are fully restricted and will never run any processes unless opened.

Add apps to the sleeping or deep sleeping list using these steps:

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	3
Duration	7 seconds

• Select/click Sleeping apps or Deep sleeping apps.

• Click the add button (+) on the upper-right-hand side.

• Select the apps you want to sleep or deep sleep.

• Click Add to confirm your choice(s).

11. Disable unused network and location services.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	2
Duration	4 seconds

Most apps rely on network connections and GPS. Thus, it only makes sense that these services enable the apps to run their processes in the background and receive notifications.

In addition, mobile data repeatedly scans for better access points whenever you’re in an area with weak signal reception, resulting in more battery use. When not in use, keeping them active will only do more harm than good.

Follow these steps to disable network and location services:

• Swipe down the notification panel twice.

• Toggle off the switches for the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Mobile data, and Location services.

Pro tip: Turning Airplane mode on will temporarily disable all network services simultaneously.

12. Enable the power saving mode.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	2
Duration	4 seconds

Power saving mode is the best tool for cutting down battery use on any Galaxy device. Thus,  it’s also the most effective way to overcome Galaxy S21/S21+/S21 5G Ultra battery drain issues.

Power saving mode drastically cuts down battery use by limiting certain features and functionalities on your device. This is effective for extending and improving the lifespan of Galaxy S21’s lithium-ion batteries due to their limited charging cycles.

Enable power saving mode on Galaxy S21 using the steps below:

• Swipe down the notifications panel twice.

• Toggle Power saving mode on.

13. Update the device’s software.

Difficulty	Easy ●●○○○
Number of Steps	6
Duration	40 minutes

Samsung updates are your best bet for getting performance enhancements and battery efficiency improvements on your Galaxy S21 series device. If you’re still on an older software version, it could be why you’re getting battery drain issues.

Plus, it’s also your only means of getting security updates to protect your phone from malicious entities. Luckily, updating the software isn’t rocket science as it only takes a few clicks to perform.

Perform a software update using these steps:

• Open Settings.

• Scroll down/click Software update.

• Click Download and install.

• Click Download.

• Click Install now.

• Give it some time to complete the update process.

14. Wipe the device’s cache partition.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	9
Duration	50 seconds

The cache partition is where the device stores temporary files and data which allows it to reload them quickly when needed. This allows your phone to run smoother when visiting or using sites and apps the next time around.

However, If the files and data stored here were to become corrupted, it may instead cause problems on your device. That’s why it’s advisable to clear its content when you’re experiencing issues such as rapidly draining your battery.

Use these steps to wipe the cache partition:

• Insert a USB cable into the device and connect it to a PC.

• Swipe down the notification panel twice.

• Click the power key.

• Click Power off on the power menu.

• Press/hold the volume up and side buttons simultaneously to enter recovery mode.

Note: In this mode, you can only use the volume buttons to navigate the options. The side buttons are used to confirm the selections.

• Select/click Wipe cache partition.

• Select/click Yes.

• Give it some time to complete the wiping process.

• Select/click Reboot system now.

15. Check your battery’s health.

Difficulty	Very Easy ●○○○○
Number of Steps	5
Duration	12 seconds

The lithium-ion batteries in the Samsung Galaxy S21 series have an average lifespan of two years based on normal usage. This could be shorter or longer depending on how extensively it’s used and how fast it completes its charging cycles.

Unless you’re counting every time you fully discharge and charge your phone this would be difficult to track normally. Fortunately, the Samsung Members app lets you diagnose the battery health of your Galaxy S21 series device.

Use the Samsung Members to diagnose your battery as shown below:

• Open Samsung Members.

Note: It will ask you to log in to your Samsung account when you open the app for the first time.

• Click Get help.

• Click Go to Phone care.

• Click Interactive checks.

• Click Battery.

If the diagnosis report shows that your phone’s battery life is poor, no amount of troubleshooting will fix the Galaxy S21/S21+/S21 5G Ultra battery drain issues you’re experiencing.

We recommend immediately getting in touch with Samsung support via the Samsung Members app. That way, they can help you book an appointment with a nearby service center to have your phone’s battery replaced as soon as possible.

Use these steps to install the Samsung Members app:

• Open the Galaxy Store.

• Click the search icon.

• Search for Samsung Members.

• Click the Samsung Members app.

• Click Install.

Tips to Improve Samsung Galaxy S21 Battery Life

When it comes to your battery life, it pays to be proactive. If you’re looking for effective ways to improve the battery life of your Samsung Galaxy S21 series device, the tips listed below should be timely.

1. Always use power saving mode whenever possible.

Power saving mode lengthens your phone’s uptime, so you don’t have to discharge and charge it as often. This allows you to slowly reach the battery’s charging cycle and keep it healthy for much longer.

2. Don’t forget to turn off/disable features you don’t use.

Network services, display settings, and many other Galaxy device features are usually left untouched by most regular users. Taking the time to disable them will also save you juice that would otherwise be wasted on them if they were left active.

You have to make a hard decision here. If you really would like to prioritize your battery, A good example here is to disable WiFi and Bluetooth scanning as much as possible. 

3. Avoid using fake charging accessories.

Anything damaging the battery will eventually cause your phone’s battery life to tank. Make it a habit to avoid using unsupported charging products as much as possible.

Many fake chargers will attract you with their lower price. But in the long run, you could be sabotaging your Samsung Galaxy S21, a premium flagship phone, and pay a steeper price in the process.  

4. Keep your apps updated.

Aside from the system software, apps also receive optimization updates that let them work more efficiently. Update your apps regularly in the Galaxy Store or the Google Play Store.

In a way, it pays to be mindful. If you are constantly on the lookout for software updates, you’ll not only extend your battery life for longer but also have the best user experience. 

Wrapping Up

Learning how to fix Galaxy S21/S21+/S21 5G Ultra battery drain issue is a breeze when you have our complete guide. However, you must be efficient to be effective, so we recommend you don’t skip a step and start from top to bottom. 

FAQs About Galaxy S21/S21+/S21 5G Ultra Battery Drain Issue