Re: Galaxy S4 battery draining after NG6 update

[RiceOwl]

Another disgruntled S4-NG6 user here. Battery is consistently draining very quickly and heating up in my pocket or on my desk at work when it is IDLE. Low power chargers used to be able to charge it, albeit slowly, but now they can't even keep up with the battery drain. OEM charger keeps up, fortunately.

I called VZW support this morning, was quickly referred to Level 2, and then shuttled off to Samsung tech support. Solution? Ship your device in to Samsung for evaluation and repair. They'll no doubt hard reset it, see that it's operating fine after the reset, and send it back to me. No loaner (have to talk to VZW about that), giant pain in the neck to have them to do something I can do myself. And based on the posts here, no confidence it will help! Sheesh...

C'mon, Verizon & Samsung - please find a better solution!

Frustrated in Houston

[ferno1188]

Well, as my phone begins to get hot and the battery begins to drain faster, this is what I notice....any idea why Kworker is going nuts? I imagine this is abnormal.

GSam Labs - Battery Monitor - Export Data

Kernel (Android OS)

Nov 19, 2014 12:51:56 PM

Usage Details

CPU Usage:1h 13m 4s
App UID:0

Wakelock Detail

Included Packages

Included Processes

init
kthreadd
ksoftirqd/0
kworker/0:0
kworker/u:0
khubd
kworker/u:1
kswapd0
kworker/0:2
krtccd
mmcqd/0
kworker/u:2
kworker/u:3
mmcqd/2
ueventd
jbd2/mmcblk0p29
healthd
vold
netd
zygote
pkgld
kworker/u:5
flush-179:0
thermal-engine
mpdecision
kworker/1:1
irq/36-synaptic
irq/651-SSP_Int
kworker/1:0
dhd_watchdog_th
dhd_dpc
dhd_rxf
kworker/0:3
ksoftirqd/1
kworker/1:3
kworker/2:0
bdi-default
kworker/u:4
jbd2/mmcblk0p16
jbd2/mmcblk0p18
debuggerd
flush-254:10
kworker/u:7
kworker/u:8
kworker/u:9
kworker/u:11
kworker/u:12
kworker/u:13
kworker/u:18
kworker/u:23
kworker/u:27
kworker/u:28
kworker/u:30
kworker/u:32
kworker/u:33
kworker/u:35
kworker/u:36
kworker/u:38
kworker/u:39
kworker/u:40
jbd2/mmcblk0p10
kauditd
kworker/u:6
kworker/u:10
kworker/u:14
kworker/u:15
kworker/u:16
kworker/u:17
kworker/u:19
kworker/u:20
kworker/u:21
kworker/u:22
kworker/u:24
kworker/u:25
kworker/u:26
kworker/u:29
kworker/u:31
kworker/u:34
kworker/u:37
kworker/u:41
kworker/u:42
flush-179:32
kworker/0:1
sync_supers
ecryptfs-kthrea
loop3
kworker/1:2
kworker/2:1
jbd2/mmcblk0p26
ssp_sensorhub_t
file-storage
dhd_sysioc
wl_event_handle
irq/662-cypress
loop5
loop9
loop0
loop2
loop4
loop7
loop8
msm_slim_ctrl_r
loop10
loop1
kworker/3:0

[osustu]

I decided to create an account and post a comment just to echo all of the annoyance here.  I have been dealing with extraordinary battery issues for nearly a month.  And they seem to have gotten worse.  I can unplug my phone at 7 a.m. and it dies before noon.  This is so ridiculous unacceptable that I almost find it humorous.  I have tried both the OEM battery and other batteries that I have. 

I have taken almost all of the suggestions offered in this topic except the FDR.  Thank you for the suggestions.  Hopefully, it will help.

Verizon, get your act together and fix this issue!

[NorthernPaladin]

Try this:

Settings -> More -> Application Manager

Facebook -> Force stop

Messenger -> Force stop (this is the Facebook messenger app, if you have it)

I have my phone plugged into a 1 amp charger and I can watch the battery drain just doing nothing, even with 1 amp coming in. I stop Facebook and it starts going back up.

I don't think it was the phone update but the Facebook app update that's causing it. Anyone here NOT have the Facebook app installed?

[bbonz001]

I do not have any Facebook apps installed on my phone.

But then again, mine seems to have come back to life. No idea how or why. I just did many things that i shouldnt have had to do in the first place. Very inconvenient thats for sure.

I think were all yelling at a brick wall here anyway. Verizon hasnt given a reply for a fair amount of time from what i have noticed. Probly hoping people will just give up

[NorthernPaladin]

They probably have no idea, either. Probably only Samsung or Google can say for sure what's going on.

I'm also thinking it may not be Facebook, specifically, but something in particular their app calls, which is likely called by other apps. Perhaps anything related to GPS sets it off? Or any app that tries to find a wifi connection? Who knows. Killing Facebook definitely turns my battery around for me so it may just be a question of finding out what your own mystery troublesome app is.

And this doesn't necessarily mean it's the app's fault. They may be calling something correctly which is simply broken in the latest update. Every app that tries it ends up freaking out the phone and draining the battery.

[szurlo]

Well, on the upside, a quick Google search shows that this is now being reported more widely then it was right after NG6 went out. There are now a number of threads here and at a number of other sites complaining about extreme power consumption issues after NG6.  Hopefully VZW/Samsung/Google is looking into this by now.  If not maybe it will be fixed when the GS4 gets Lollipop next year .

[Zudnic]

I took mine to Best Buy and had the Samsung guy reflash the software. Not

perfect but significantly better. In a week since doing it I have had a

"drain day" twice.

I am a tech guy and was skeptical of giving my phone to a guy who asked if

it was "jailbroken" (*facepalm). But it worked out and the process did not

wipe my device.

[hauntedwolfman]

I only wanted to add that I've got the same issue as outlined in the dozens of other threads. I just got this phone in July and I can't believe it's been wrecked so quickly by something over which I have no control. Despite being months old, the phone's battery acts more like one that's about 3 years old.

It's a good thing I decided to jump into a multi-year contract with Verizon only to be quickly punished for not buying the latest, most expensive phone! Their spambot support puppets have no answers, and Verizon itself has likely reviewed the percentage of us with this phone and have deemed it unworthy of their effort / attention to address it.

I'll be changing providers at the first opportunity. Until then, I'll have to try and make-do with what used to be an amazing piece of technology before an unwanted, forced update from our lord and savior VZW ruined it.

[AndrewDS]

Dear Verizon,

I am having the same problem with periods of high battery drain, where a battery monitor program is reporting the culprit as System Process krtccd. This is very disappointing as prior to the recent update my Samsung Galaxy S4 had a decent battery life.

Thanks

AndrewDS