Samsung Battery Drain After One UI 8.5: 7 Fixes That Work
Samsung battery drain after the One UI 8.5 update isn’t hitting every phone, but if yours is dropping faster than it used to, you’re not crazy. I went through the settings on my Galaxy S26 and came away with seven things that help.
Six of them are small settings changes. The seventh is a buggy Samsung Keyboard, which looks like the real culprit and was fixed through a keyboard update rather than a system update, so that’s where I’d start.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Update the Samsung Keyboard first. Version 5.9.30.81 or newer is the one reported to contain the fix.
- After that, cut down the background activity: clear the One UI Home cache, switch off Now Brief, and use Deep sleeping apps.
- Nearby device scanning and Auto restart can cause side effects for some people, so read the notes under each one before you switch them.
- Your phone needs a week or two to settle after the update, so wait before you decide whether any of it worked.
Prefer to watch? Here’s the video, and each fix below links to its moment in it.
Start with the Samsung Keyboard update
When One UI 8.5 came out, a bad version of the Samsung Keyboard was running in the background and using more battery than it should. Samsung’s fix isn’t part of a system update. It’s a keyboard update, so unless you’ve updated the keyboard yourself, you could still be on the buggy version.
As for Samsung confirming it, Sammy Fans reported on April 25, 2026 that a Samsung moderator told users on the Samsung Community forum the keyboard was to blame, and that version 5.9.30.81 has the fix. I couldn’t find an official announcement, only that forum reply.
Open the Galaxy Store, search for Samsung Keyboard, and if there’s an Update button, tap it. On my S26 it already said up to date, so Samsung had patched mine. To compare versions, look under Settings > Apps > Samsung Keyboard > Storage. Mine is 5.9.30.81, and anything newer is fine too.
On some phones the Samsung Keyboard doesn’t show up in the Galaxy Store at all. It’s a preinstalled app, and the listing isn’t there for every model or country. If that’s yours, open Settings > General management > Samsung Keyboard settings > About Samsung Keyboard, which should show your version and let you update, or just run a Software update from Settings.
IF THE KEYBOARD LOOKS HUGE
One viewer found the keyboard using 17.58 GB under Storage on a Galaxy S26+, even though it was up to date, and says Samsung support told them to clear its data and restart. I can’t confirm that, and clearing data erases your keyboard settings and saved words, so I’d only try it if the number looks way out of line.
Watch this step in the video (6:36)
Clear the One UI Home cache
One UI Home is Samsung’s launcher, basically your home screen. Big updates can leave junk in its cache, and a corrupted cache makes the launcher work harder in the background than it should. Clearing it is safe, and your layout, apps and folders stay as they are.
Go to Settings > Apps, search for One UI Home, open Storage and tap Clear cache. There was 50 or 60 MB in mine.
BEFORE YOU TAP
Tap Clear cache, not Clear data. Clear data is the one that wrecks your layout.
Watch this step in the video (0:50)
Turn off Nearby device scanning
This setting has your phone checking for other devices it could connect to, all day in the background, and that costs some battery. It’s at Settings > Connections > More connection settings, right at the top as Nearby device scanning.
Switching it off isn’t risk-free, because it’s part of how some devices connect quickly. If you use Galaxy Buds or a Galaxy Watch, leave it on, and I’d do the same if you use Android Auto. Otherwise switch it off, then check that your car, watch and any trackers still connect, and turn it back on if something doesn’t.
Watch this step in the video (1:25)
Turn off Now Brief
Now Brief is one of the newer Galaxy AI features. It puts together a personalized summary and keeps refreshing it, and to do that the phone has to wake up in the background again and again. You can find it under Settings > Lock screen and AOD > Now bar > Now brief. Mine was on, so I switched it off.
If you actually use it, keep it. Menu names also move around between updates, so if you can’t find it where I did, look through the Now bar settings.
Watch this step in the video (2:26)
Set up an automatic restart
Under Auto optimization, my S26 showed "last auto restart: off", which means it had never once restarted itself. A computer that runs for weeks without a restart gets sluggish, with things piling up in the background, and a phone is basically a small computer. Samsung lets you schedule a restart so it happens while you sleep.
The path is Settings > Device care > Auto optimization > Auto restart, then turn on Restart on schedule. I set mine for around 3 am on a night or two a week, when I’m asleep and won’t notice.
Samsung’s support page says the scheduled restart only runs when the screen is off, the phone isn’t in use, the battery is above 30% and SIM lock is off, so if it never seems to happen, check that last one. Keep in mind that after any restart the phone stays locked until you unlock it, so some apps may not deliver notifications or alarms until then. If you depend on an alarm app or on messages arriving overnight, restarting by hand once a week is the safer choice.
Watch this step in the video (3:26)
Put apps into Deep sleep
The Deep sleeping apps list on my phone was empty, so every app on it was free to run in the background all day. That surprised me. Apps in deep sleep do nothing until you open them.
You’ll find the list under Settings > Battery > Background usage limits. "Put unused apps to sleep" just above it was already on for me, and it should be on for you too. Then open Deep sleeping apps, tap the plus and pick the apps you don’t need running. I’d leave out messaging and alarm apps, because notifications from apps in deep sleep may show up late.
The same menu has a Never auto sleeping apps list for anything that has to keep running, like Android Auto or an alarm app, so that’s where those go.
Watch this step in the video (4:35)
Try Samsung’s Good Guardians
Good Guardians is a free Samsung app, and you get it from the Galaxy Store, not the Play Store. Two parts of it matter for battery. Galaxy App Booster optimizes your apps so they run leaner, and mine showed 546 ready to go. Tapping Optimize Now takes about 15 minutes and the phone warms up a little, so I started it and left it alone.
The other part is Battery Guardian. With App power saving switched on at the top, it keeps watch over the apps that use the most battery. The options inside it can differ between phones.
Good Guardians isn’t available in every region, and plenty of the comments on my video are from people who can’t find it in their store. If it’s missing for you, skip this step, because the other six don’t depend on it. I wouldn’t chase it with a VPN or a random APK site, since that’s an easy way to pick up malware.
Where I’d start
If you only do one of these, make it the keyboard update. After going through all of these on my S26, my battery lasted about two hours longer. It’s quick, and it targets what looks like the actual bug. The other six are cleanup, but they add up, and I’d read the notes under Nearby device scanning and Auto restart before switching those two on or off.
After that, give the phone a week or two. Some of the drain after a big update fades on its own once the phone finishes catching up, so watch your screen-on time over that stretch before deciding whether you need to do anything else.
Questions people ask
Why is my Samsung battery draining after One UI 8.5?
Some extra drain after a big update is normal while the phone settles in. A buggy Samsung Keyboard also looks like the real cause for some people, so check that first.
I can’t find Samsung Keyboard in the Galaxy Store. What now?
It’s a preinstalled system app, and the store listing doesn’t exist on every phone. Check the keyboard’s own settings under General management, or run a Software update from Settings.
Good Guardians isn’t in my Galaxy Store. Can I still fix the drain?
Yes. It’s only one of the seven fixes, and it isn’t offered in every region. Skip it and do the other six.
Does this work on the Galaxy S25 and S24?
I tested everything on my S26. These should work on the S25, the S24 and most Galaxy phones on One UI 8.5, although menu names can differ a little from model to model.
Will clearing the One UI Home cache delete my layout?
No, as long as you tap Clear cache. Clear data is the one that resets your home screen.
Should I turn off Nearby device scanning if I use Android Auto, Buds or a Watch?
I’d leave it on if you use any of them, because it’s part of how they connect quickly. If you do switch it off, check that everything still connects afterward.
How long until I know if it worked?
Plan on a week or two. If the drain is still bad after that, it’s worth getting the battery checked by Samsung support.
Should I limit charging to 80%?
That’s a separate thing from this update’s drain. Recent Galaxy phones have a Battery protection option under Settings > Battery that caps the charge, and it’s aimed at long-term battery health.
If one of these fixed it for you, tell me in the comments which one and what phone you have. It seems to behave differently from model to model, so I’m curious.