How to fix Galaxy A5 (2017) battery drain issue (after an update)

Battery drain issue is not an issue problem to fix. In this article, we try to show a Galaxy A5 (2017) user what to do about it.

Problem: Galaxy A5 (2017) battery drain issue starts after installing update

Hi Team, I am also facing battery draining issue on my Samsung A5 2017 model after Aug 2018 update. Currently i am on Oreo version. list of issues:

1) when I was on nougat battery used to last for 1.5 days with heavy usage and wid OSD on.

2) Post Oreo update in Aug 2018, Battery last for 5-6 hours I researched a lot on youtube and read many article including this site. Problem faced after update: I tried draining my battery completely till 0% and then charged till 100% for a week but still facing issue. I also cleared cache, tried safe mode method nothing worked. Tried Ultra saving mode, extended battery saving mode, power saving mode option too Nothing worked Off sync, bluetooth, GPS still same issue. I tried to downgrade the software but it got failed in ODIN. Downloaded firmware from Sammobile site but not able to downgrade my software even after 10-12 attempts. Updated till Dec 2018 security patch, thought it will get fixed but nothing changed i also ON battery dump after seeing one of the youtuber recommending it to do so I on developer option as well and reduced animation speed, kept background limit to 1 process at one time. still no improvement. formated the phone 2-3 times still no improvement in battery performance. I also replaced my battery by going to Samsung Authorized service center. Still same issue even after doing steps mentioned on this website for A5 2017.

Now in latest news it’s been said that this model will get Android Pie. I am just imagining after I update my phone to Pie my battery will last for 1 hour then 🙂 after experiencing Oreo update. Let me know if you have any other solution apart from above steps and also let me know how to downgrade it successfully because I am unable to do so because it says latest security patch on mobile thus unable to downgrade and i get FAILED as status in ODIN. Please suggest if any solution. Thanks for taking out time for reading this query. Regards.

Solution: When it comes to battery drain issue, there’s a lot of variables that must be considered making it difficult to pinpoint the exact cause. If your Galaxy A5 (2017) appears to suddenly start showing battery drain problem after installing a system update and the usual dose of troubleshooting did not help, there may be a problem with one or some of the installed apps. This can be due to incompatibility or poor coding. Again, we are not counting the possibility of other factors there but we usually find apps and other combination of factors to blame.

Power management issues varies wildly depending on the device. That’s because there are a lot of many different things in every unit. Even phones on the same model can show wide differences when it comes to battery drain. As a general rule, there are basic things that you must try in this case. These are some of the steps that you must do:

Clear the cache partition.
Install app updates.
Reset app preferences.
Factory reset.

Install app updates

The items above are the general solutions for common causes of battery problems. Since you’ve already cleared the cache partition, the next best thing to do is to ensure that all apps are updated. Updating the OS does not necessarily mean that apps become updated as well. In fact, leaving apps not updated is one of the reasons for bugs after an update. Make sure to visit Google Play Store app and update all apps from there. If you have apps taken outside the Play Store, you have to ensure that they are not incompatible with the Android version running on the device. Poor coding is usually the reason for poor app performance, or outright app crashes.

Reset app preferences

This troubleshooting step aims to ensure that the system has all the necessary core or default apps running. Most apps can only work when a default Android app is working. If one of the default apps has been turned off or disabled by mistake, it can cause some apps or Android to not work properly. To reset app preferences and enable all default apps, follow the steps below:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
Select Reset app preferences.
Restart your Galaxy A5 (2017) and check for the problem.

Factory reset

Last but not the least, you want to ensure that you wipe the phone and return all software settings to their defaults if the above solutions won’t help. You can do that by wiping the device with factory reset.

Create a backup of your data.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

Other causes of battery drain

Battery drain is a complex issue and oftentimes caused by a combination of factors. There’s no direct way to know what is behind the issue so you’ll have to continue narrowing down the factors should none of the above solutions work.

If your device continue to drain battery power fast after a factory reset, the next good thing to do would be to lessen the number of apps installed. The more apps there are, the higher the chance that one of them is causing the trouble. Get rid of apps you haven’t used in the last 2 weeks. Chances are, you don’t need them and they may be contributing to the problem. Delete them and see what happens. You can always re-install them anyway if a need arises.

Also, make sure to lower screen brightness. Decrease screen brightness to the lowest comfortable level to avoid adding pressure to the battery.

The older a battery gets, the weaker it becomes. If you plan on extending the battery life on your device, you must modify your usage habits to avoid charging it every day. Lithium-based batteries only have a limited charge cycles. Some batteries may last well enough after its first year but others of the same type may start showing decreased performance months after leaving the factory.

Since you said your Galaxy A5 now sports a newly installed battery, we think that the problem may be caused by changes to the operating system. As Android evolves, battery demand may change as well. Unfortunately, Samsung does not really provide accurate or official statements whether or not a certain firmware version is impacting the battery negatively or not. As a user, all you can do is to continue isolating possible reasons and hope that you’ll resolve the issue.