The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Lollipop update delivers new fixes, new features, and new enhancements for the curved Galaxy Note 4 flagship. According to some Galaxy Note Edge owners, it also brings battery life problems along with it. With that in mind, we want to take an in-depth look at how to potentially fix bad Galaxy Note Edge battery life before and after Android 5.0 Lollipop.
In September, Samsung took the curtain down from around its Galaxy Note Edge. As expected, the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge debuted with all sorts of bells and whistles including a new design, an improved display, a solid camera, and Android 4.4.4 KitKat. At the time, Android 4.4.4 KitKat was the most current version of Google’s mobile operating system.
Given the Galaxy Note Edge’s status as a flagship, it was no surprise that it was among the first Samsung Galaxy smartphones to get Google’s new mobile OS, Android 5.0 Lollipop. The Galaxy Note Edge Lollipop update started rolling earlier this year and it delivers some big time features to Galaxy Note Edge users. Some have already gotten a taste of the changes, others are still waiting for the update to start rolling out.
While the Galaxy Note Edge Lollipop update brings some huge changes to the device, it also brings Android 5.0 Lollipop problems including the usual array of battery life issues. Complaints about bad Galaxy Note Edge battery life have started to pick up as the software’s moved out to more variants and more regions around the world including the United States.
Battery life issues always seem to plague Galaxy users after a new Android update though most of the time it’s not the actual update that’s causing the problems. Apps and other services are usually the culprit. For the moment, these Galaxy Note Edge battery life problems appear to be somewhat isolated though we do expect them to grow as more updates roll out.
How to Fix Bad Galaxy Note Edge Battery Life
With that in mind, we want to try and fix bad Samsung Galaxy Note Edge battery life for you. This guide delivers help to get better battery life on Samsung’s current flagship.
These fixes should work if you’re on Android 4.4 KitKat or if you’re on Android 5.0 Lollipop. We’ve geared this towards Android 5.0 Lollipop users but we know that plenty of people remain on the older version of Google’s software.
Find Apps Eating Up Your Battery
The first recommendation we always make to people suffering from bad battery life is to check out third-party applications before doing anything else. Some people listen, some don’t. If you want to fix your bad Galaxy Note Edge battery life, you’re going to want to keep an eye on your applications for potential problems.
Third-party apps have a tendency to put a huge dent into the battery life on smartphones regardless of the software that’s running on board. If you use an application a lot, it’s going to drain your battery but there are also times where bugs or issues might cause an app to go rogue and start abnormally draining the device’s charge.
The first thing you’ll want to do is head into your settings and start taking a look at the effect that Galaxy Note Edge applications are having on the device’s battery life. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, it’s time to dig in.
If you think an app is draining more battery life than it should be, try reinstalling it to see if that corrects the issue. If the problem persists, try uninstalling it to see if that has a positive effect.
If you can’t figure out which app might be causing trouble, you’ll want to boot the Galaxy Note Edge into Safe Mode in an effort to single out potential troublemakers. Booting the device into Safe Mode disables third-party apps and allows you to isolate apps that could be causing the problems.
Here’s how to boot the Galaxy Note Edge into Safe Mode:
- Power down the device. Then, press & hold the Power button and volume down key.
- Once it boots up, you can let go of the power button but keep the volume key held down.
- When you have successfully entered into Safe Mode, you will notice the text ‘Safe Mode’ at the bottom left corner of the screen.
Restart the Galaxy Note Edge
If you start noticing weird battery drain and or your Galaxy Note Edge starts heating up, you should try performing a simple restart to see if that returns things to normal.
Most of you know how to restart the Galaxy Note Edge but we’ll remind you anyway. Hold down the power button, confirm that you want to turn it off, and then hold the power button down to turn it back on. We recommend doing this a few times a month to flush your device’s cache.
Disable Unnecessary Services
If your apps aren’t the problem and a simple restart doesn’t work, it’s time to start fiddling with some settings and working on some of your daily habits.
In our experience, disabling features when they aren’t in use tends to have a positive impact on overall battery life. We recommend shutting off Wi-Fi connectivity when you don’t need it, Bluetooth connectivity when you don’t need it, NFC when you don’t need it, GPS when you don’t need it, and cellular data when you don’t need it.
You can turn all of those off from inside the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge’s settings and you can easily monitor them with a quick swipe down from the top of the device’s screen.
One thing that we’ve noticed is that poor cellular coverage is often to blame for bad Android battery life. When your Galaxy Note Edge needs to search hard for a signal, it runs the battery down faster, so keep that in mind when you’re in spotty areas. You may need to turn on Airplane Mode when there isn’t a strong 4G or LTE signal in the area.
Try Using a Black Wallpaper
Switching to a black wallpaper could help deliver better Galaxy Note Edge battery life thanks to the way Samsung’s Super AMOLED displays consume power. The device does not come with a default black wallpaper but you can search online for one. There are tons of them out there.
After you’ve downloaded one, go to Settings, Wallpaper, Home and Lock Screens, More Images, and then set your black Galaxy Note Edge wallpaper. It’s a quick fix but there’s a chance that it will help.
Start Using Its Built-in Software Features
The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge comes equipped with two software features that you should know about if you’re experiencing bad battery life or if you’re concerned about the potential for bad Galaxy Note Edge battery life.
If you head into the device’s Settings, you’ll notice two features. One is called Power Saving mode. The other is called Ultra Power Saving Mode.
These features allow you to block background data and turn on grayscale mode which can help to limit the amount of juice being sucked up. You can also slow down the processor, reduce screen performance, turn off the lights on the buttons, and turn off GPS to save battery life.
We also recommend getting familiar with the the Galaxy Note Edge’s brightness slider. The Galaxy Note Edge’s powerful display can suck up battery life so you’ll want to monitor the brightness of the screen if you’re starting to notice bad Galaxy Note Edge battery life. If auto-brightness isn’t working out, try doing it manually.
Replace the Stock Launcher
You also might want to consider replacing the stock TouchWiz launcher on the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge with something new.
Samsung’s TouchWiz launcher has been known to hinder performance and it can be replaced. There are tons of different launches to choose from though the Nova Launcher is one of Android’s most popular choices. Give that a try if these other simple fixes don’t work out.
Downgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat
If you’ve already moved to Android 5.0 Lollipop, and some of you have, note that you can return to Android 4.4 KitKat in the event that Android 5.0 isn’t to your liking.
We recently put together a guide on how to accomplish this so that’s going to be a great starting point for those of you that want to drop back down to Android 4.4.
Factory Reset the Galaxy Note Edge
If you don’t want to downgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat and you can’t find any fixes for your battery problems, you can factory reset your Galaxy Note Edge. This will wipe all of your files so you’ll need to make a backup before going this route.
To factory reset the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, go into Settings, User & Backup, and select Backup and Reset. From there, select Factory Data Reset. From there, select Reset Device and then Delete All.
If nothing works, contact your carrier or Samsung. If you’re under warranty, you might be able to finagle your way into getting another device, or at the very least, a replacement battery.
How to Fix Bad Galaxy Note Edge Battery Life is a post by Adam Mills from Gotta Be Mobile.