When it comes to battery life, there can never be enough. You need a Samsung Galaxy S5 with about 800% battery. While that may not be possible, there are a few tips, tricks, and apps we can show you to make the most of the battery in your S5. So, if you are bummed because you get more messages “Battery Low” messages than text messages, this article was meant for you.
There have also been some new battery issues found after some Lollipop updates. Before you roll back the updates and lose all of the improvements you do want, let’s try a few things first. While most of these tips are intended specifically for the S5, several battery life extending techniques can carry over to other types of phones.
Our intent is not to trade a quality experience for more battery, but instead, to scale back on things you never use or when you aren’t currently using them. Or to use better and more efficient replacements. Or, find an app to do these things for you. Some approaches may be more drastic than others. Find the best fit for you to get extended battery on the Samsung Galaxy S5.
Method 1: Replace TouchWiz
Sure, TouchWiz is cool, but it’s also gluttonous. It’s like having a friend who comes over and eat almost ALL of the pizza. You don’t have to get rid of your friends, but do consider other launchers.
These instructions are for Nova Launcher (and they are pretty simple), but some alternative options are also given below. The only way to entirely rid your S5 of TouchWiz is to root your phone. Also, see more on rooting immediately below. This is a great method to get extended battery for Galaxy S5.
Must Read: How to Root Samsung Galaxy S5 to Blast Past the iPhone
Go to Google Play to Download Nova Launcher
Download Nova Launcher
The launcher changes the appearance of your home screen and how it works, so if you don’t like this look, there are others.
Run Nova Launcher Instead of TouchWiz
Alternate Launchers:
- Action Launcher 3 – Allows you to import from other launchers, even TouchWiz.
- Apex Launcher – Highly customizable, yet fast.
- Google Now Launcher – Offers easy access to Google Now.
- S Launcher – 5000+ icon packs and themes.
Method 2: Replace the Battery
You are not messing around. You are looking for a permanent fix. Or maybe your current battery is just hopeless. If you have a new or alternate Samsung S5 replacement battery handy, there’s how to install it. Ensure that it is properly installed before you turn it back on. You can extend battery life on Galaxy S5 by starting anew.
Remove the Rear Case
Using the slot on the left side, gently pull the rear cover off of the device.
Remove the Battery
Slip your fingernail or a small tool into the divot in the bottom right-hand corner and carefully dislodge the battery.
Align the New Battery into the Same Opening and Press Down Gently to Secure
Replace the Rear Casing
Press on the back cover until you hear it click into place.
Method 3: Give Your Battery Pick-Me-Ups Throughout the Day
If they would allow us to take naps at work maybe I wouldn’t feel as though I have to have it–but since they don’t–I need my coffee. Your S5 is working really hard, too, juggling a lot of tasks.
Why not consider carrying a small portable charger to revive your phone over the course of the day? Here are some portable chargers that can more than accommodate the S5’s large battery. This is a surefire way for how you can extend battery life on Galaxy S5.
Option 1) Poweradd Pilot 2GS Portable Charger $18
- You can get about two charges out of this for your S5, which hopefully will be more than enough to get you through the day.
Option 2) Samsung Spare Battery Charging System $34
- This option is a bit more expensive, as you can see, but this is for someone who is taking this quest very seriously.
- This kit comes with an extra battery and wall charger, as well as a charging case for on-the-go.
Option 3) Skiva PowerVault Lightning External Battery Pack $30
- It’s conveniently small and therefore, portable.
- It touts a 2600 mAh battery, which is only slightly smaller than the 2800 mAh the S5 comes with.
- Recharging a dead battery takes about 2-3 hours.
Option 4) EC Technology 22,400 mAh Battery Pack $33
- If you are looking for a battery pack with some serious capacity, take a look at this one.
- It’s also very portable, at .99 lbs.
- It comes with 4 LED indicators to apprise you of the power status.
- It can charge up to 3 devices simultaneously.
Method 4: Go Battery Saver &Power Widget
This app allows you to fine-tune your battery saving from general to extreme, or you can even create your own custom mode.
Must Read: 10 Best Battery Saver Apps for Android: Give Your Phone a Boost
Download and install Go Battery Saver & Power Widget from Google Play.
You will need to grant permissions and accept terms and conditions.
Open and Explore All of the Features the App has to Offer.
Estimated battery life (in hours and minutes)
- It also gives you a breakdown on temperature, voltage, and capacity.
- It presents power consumption as a graphical display.
Launch Go Power Master when charging
- Via Settings
- Various charging options
Power Consumption Info for individual app or function
- Located under “Rank”
- Time display is on
- Time of CPU in use
- Upload and download data in MB
- With built-in options to Force Stop, Install, or Cancel
System Trash
- Percentage of storage deemed as trash
- Comprised of “Residual Junk”, temporary files, cache files, etc.
Lock List
- Allows you to set what apps are off limits when it comes down to power usage optimization
Quick Options
- Disable Wi-Fi
- Display Data Usage
- Disable GPS
- Toggle Settings for:
- Brightness
- Ringer
- Airplane Mode
- Auto rotate
- And more
Power Optimization with the click of a button
Decide Which Mode Works Best for You and Toggle Accordingly
General
- Leaves mobile data on and brightness automatic
Super
- Disables network connections and reduces brightness
Extreme
- The network will be turned off and Smart Saving enabled
- Smart Save Options
- Turn off Wi-Fi when the screen is off
- Turn off Bluetooth when not in use
- Auto-Sync
- Very short screen display time
- Smart Save Options
Method 5) Turn Off Air Wake Up
Air Wake Up consumes a lot of battery. It’s probably not worth it considering the minimal effort it requires to press a button to turn the screen on.
Open the App Drawer
Or, you can also swipe downward from the top of the screen to open the Notification Panel.
Go to Settings
Hint: It’s the gear icon.
Select Personalization
Tap Accessibility
Select Dexterity and Interaction
Toggle Air Wake Up to the Off Position
Method 6: Disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Data Until You Actually Need Them
You shut off the lights in your home when you aren’t there, right? Even when you are there, you probably still shut off lights in any room you aren’t currently using. Yet you constantly ask your S5 to maintain its Wi-Fi and/or data connection and complain about its battery. Seems a little unfair, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s an inconvenience to have to turn these things on and off again, but it truly doesn’t take long and it saves on battery.
Navigate to Apps from the Home Screen
Select Settings
Tap Wi-Fi
Choose More
If you don’t see that option, tap the Menu icon on the upper-right.
Tap Smart Network Switch
From here, you can turn Smart Network Switch on or off.
This will prevent your phone from automatically connecting to the network.
Depending on your carrier, the wording and process may be slightly different:
- You may need to go to Mobile Networks>Connections Optimizer>and uncheck the Auto Select Best Network instead.
Turn Off Data
Swipe Down the Status Bar with Your Finger
Locate and Tap Mobile Data to Turn It Off
Go to Settings
Tap the Indicator Next to Bluetooth to Turn It Off
Method 7: Use a More Power-Efficient Form of GPS and Get Rid of Ever-Searching Wi-Fi
Use the network or even nearby Wi-Fi as opposed to satellites to estimate your location and tell Google and your applications to stop being nosy–you mean it.
Go to Settings
Gear icon
Drag your finger down the display screen starting from the top edge.
Visit Network Connections
Locate Location
Select Mode
Press Power-Saving
Pay another visit to Settings
Select Wi-Fi this time
Choose Advanced
Disable Always Allow Scanning
Uncheck the box.
This will prevent your S5 from scanning for Wi-Fi networks even when Wi-Fi is off. No is no. Apparently you have to tell it twice.
Conclusion
We know you just can’t get enough of your S5 and, therefore, need a lot of battery power. Get every last ounce of juice out of it with the methods listed above. You can also resort to a Factory Reset of your Android.
Which tips and tricks work the best for you or what advice do you have on how to extend your smartphone battery? Have you found other apps that work just as well or better? If your phone is overheating, check out the link below. Send us your thoughts on all of these topics.
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