Samsung Users!

[Stadler]

I have a Galaxy 4 for work (which I hate, by the way). 

Two questions: 

One, do the batteries on those suck?  I can rarely get through a day without the battery draining down to zero.  I have looked to see what might be running, but I'm not 1000% sure I got everything.

Two, I have occasion to use the phone as a tether for my laptop.   The menus are such that I have to go through like four or five screens to get to the "on/off" switch for the tethering.   Is there a way of making an "icon" on the screen that I can tap and turn the tether on or off?   I have zero app programming experience, FYI. 

[Kwyjibo]

When I reduce the brightness of the display, so that it is still looking good but not at full brightness, my battery lasts twice as long.

[Stadler]

I'll try that.   

FYI, I solved the hotspot/tethering issue.  Widget!

[King Postwhore]

Also get an app that cools down your phone.  It closes apps that run all the time.

[lordxizor]

My S4 goes through battery very quickly. I keep it plugged in at my desk the majority of the say. Granted, I'm listening to music on it a lot and it's a few years old at this point. Even if I don't use it much, I still have a hard time making to bedtime without it dying.

[Grappler]

I have a 2 and a half year old Galaxy S5 and have the same issue.  I have a belief that phones are engineered to lose battery power after a few years to convince us to buy a whole new phone, rather than just a new battery.  It's convenient that Samsung doesn't sell new batteries for the S5 anymore.  "Gee, guess I have to just buy a new phone!"

I usually just run the battery down via music playing and use, then charge the phone back up in the afternoon for my commute home.   On weekends, when I'm not looking at my phone as much, I can get through a full day without needing to charge it (vs. when the phone was brand new and I could go all weekend without a charge and an entire weekday without one).

Supposedly, Android as an operating system opens and closes apps automatically, though I really have no idea how much truth there is to that.  I do have a battery monitoring app (GSAM) and that lets me find rogue apps that are constantly running and draining the battery very quickly.  Aside from that, I really don't know what to believe when it comes to phone batteries.  I find differing opinions everywhere (close apps vs. leave them open for android to close, etc.).

[Implode]

I recently switched from a Galaxy S6 because the battery life was abysmal. It's something they've yet to figure out.

[cramx3]

The battery problem is a problem that affects all phones, including Apple phones (maybe moreso or less so, not sure).  Batteries lose their ability to hold charge over time and charges.  A galaxy 4 is VERY old (for a smart phone).  You can do things like darken the screen, close apps, use wi-fi when available and that'll help.  I can't last a day without charging my S7.  There are apps that help with this or you can manually do it yourself to help.

Luckily the fast charge on the samsung phones works really well, can get a full charge very quickly but the S4 is before that feature was made I believe.

[Kotowboy]

I make my phone last all day. When i'm home it's charging and when i'm out I'm not on it every minute.

I also close all apps i'm not using, use low power mode and darken the screen.

And my iPhone 5S is 3 - 4  years old.

[Stadler]

The battery problem is a problem that affects all phones, including Apple phones (maybe moreso or less so, not sure).  Batteries lose their ability to hold charge over time and charges.  A galaxy 4 is VERY old (for a smart phone).  You can do things like darken the screen, close apps, use wi-fi when available and that'll help.  I can't last a day without charging my S7.  There are apps that help with this or you can manually do it yourself to help.

Luckily the fast charge on the samsung phones works really well, can get a full charge very quickly but the S4 is before that feature was made I believe.

Granted on the physical age part of it, but it seems like the Galaxy is worse.  If it's 100% when I wake up, it's usually less than 30% when I get home from work, and it WILL be dead when I wake up in the morning.   My Apple - assuming I'm not using GPS which sucks battery like a champ - can last as many as three days or even more.   And don't get me started on my Blackberry; I would lose charging cables because I wouldn't need them. 

[JayOctavarium]

I just buy new batteries on Amazon (Anker brand, comes in a 2 pack and a charger for like $30) every couple months. 

[Stadler]

Can I change the batteries on a Galaxy 4 myself (without having to buy a shit ton of tools I'll never use again)?

[cramx3]

If you aren't using it much, Im not sure what your usage is, it sounds like something may be running in the background because there is no reason for the battery to drain without usage so quickly.  Or the battery could just be shit.

I don't know exactly how these batteries work, but our servers at work all have a battery (to protect data being written to a hard drive in case the power just cuts) and there are two things in terms of charge of a battery.  One is absolute state and relative state.  The absolute state is how much charge the battery can hold compared to the rating of the battery.  This goes down over time and when the battery goes through charge cycles, it'll slowly eat into the absolute charge.  The relative charge is the actual charge of the battery compared to the absolute charge.  I am believing, and I have no source just my own knowledge from working with server batteries (which may or may not be the same/similar to cell phone batteries) that the % you see on your phone is actually the relative charge.  It's very possible your absolute state of charge never actually gets to 100%, maybe it is operating at 50% due to age/usage/other factors.  I have no idea if that's where you are at, but it's possible your battery is just shit at this point. 

BUT I would download one of these power saver apps to see what it has to say about applications running in the background because even if your charge isn't good, having apps run in the background will still cause the battery to drain faster.  Samsung is also known for "bloatware" where they have a lot of apps installed that you can't remove, but you may be able to disable them through a power saver app or through your application manager on the phone.

Can I change the batteries on a Galaxy 4 myself (without having to buy a shit ton of tools I'll never use again)?

Very easy to change on your own (and meant to, meaning its not meant to go to an apple store for a genius, but meant for anyone to replace), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBIEkbjs8Ms video tutorial.  Sadly they took the removable battery out of these phones which is a huge negative IMO.  Loved that feature.

[King Postwhore]

That was only the S6.  The S7 is removable I believe.

[cramx3]

That was only the S6.  The S7 is removable I believe.

Nope, I have an S7 they have not brought that back.

[King Postwhore]

I wonder about the S8 that they are about showcase?

[cramx3]

I wonder about the S8 that they are about showcase?

I havent followed so not sure, I'd hope so but I don't feel optimistic about it.

[pogoowner]

If you don't have an app along the lines of JuiceDefender running, definitely look into it.