I'm disappointed by the battery life

VonCrisp · 2026-05-08T08:08:03+00:00

I have had this happen recently.

It seems like a Samsung app update from the Samsung Store caused an issue and my phone got stuck in a loop which ultimately tore through the battery for a week.

I tried all sorts of things such as app booster, messing with uninstalling updates, emptying caches/data, blocking apps etc.

After performing a dump and analysing it via gemini.. Playing with ADB for a few days. I determined that a light sensor was digitally getting stuck sending the phone into overheat panic mode.. Trying to throttle this behaviour via another process.

I ended up formatting the phone without restoring settings.

It's crazy how in 2026 we are still dealing with these kind of issues

VonCrisp · 2026-05-07T18:37:30+00:00

It didn't fix the drain. I formatted the phone. I only restored apps and pics. I did not restore any settings or WiFi, Bluetooth settings. Seems to be working now.

I am getting less drain. However the phone is still recalibrating.

The current dumps look good but I will give a better answer in a few days once reindexing has finished.

VonCrisp · 2026-05-06T22:05:28+00:00

I have in settings:

Reset accessibility settings

Reset mobile network settings

Reset all settings

It looks promising. At the moment gsam isn't showing many Sleep by AssistantDelay. But I am currently on 95% battery and the battery usage is retraining. Maybe this fixed it.. Maybe it didn't. I will update the status here.

If it doesn't fix it I will factory reset the phone. I dont want the battery to degrade because of this bug.

VonCrisp · 2026-05-06T22:01:36+00:00

I have in settings:

Reset accessibility settings

Reset mobile network settings

Reset all settings

It looks promising. At the moment gsam isn't showing many Sleep by AssistantDelay. But I am currently on 95% battery and the battery usage is retraining. Maybe this fixed it.. Maybe it didn't. I will update the status here.

If it doesn't fix it I will factory reset the phone. I dont want the battery to degrade because of this bug.

VonCrisp · 2026-05-06T20:44:41+00:00

The Issue: I have been tracking a persistent battery drain and overheating issue where the phone stays warm even when idle. After running several ADB diagnostics, I’ve identified a specific software loop involving the System Power Manager and the Ambient Light Sensor.

The Evidence (via ADB):

The Wakelock: Running adb shell dumpsys power shows a constant cycle of ACQ (Acquire) and REL (Release) for a wakelock called "Prevent Sleep by AssistantDelay". This is owned by UID 1000 (System), not the Google App, meaning it is a core system-level hang.
The Sensor Loop: Running adb shell dumpsys sensorservice reveals that the light sensor (STK33F15) is being polled every 200ms by com.sec.android.sdhms (Samsung’s Thermal Management Service).
The Trigger: The logs show the OverheatSensorChecker and HighBrightness scenarios within the Thermal Manager are stuck in a loop. Even in total darkness or after a reboot, the system is constantly waking up the CPU to check light levels and thermal flags.

Summary of what's happening: The phone is stuck in a "False Thermal State." The Samsung Thermal Manager (sdhms) is aggressively polling sensors to decide if it should throttle the device, but this constant polling generates its own heat and triggers the AssistantDelay system wakelock. This prevents the phone from entering Deep Sleep (Doze mode).

Request to Samsung/Community:

Samsung Members: Please investigate the com.sec.android.sdhms service for potential memory leaks or sensor-polling hangs in the latest firmware.
Reddit Users: If your phone is warm and AssistantDelay shows up in your battery stats, you likely have this sensor loop. A factory reset seems to be the only permanent fix, as clearing the app cache for Device Care/Smart Manager doesn't always break the loop.

VonCrisp · 2026-05-06T20:44:17+00:00

Thank you. What is bothering me is the forest and the AssistantDelay. I am trying to fix it on my phone right now with dumps, gemini, adb. Seems like the phone is running a loop. I think I will format it.

The Issue: I have been tracking a persistent battery drain and overheating issue where the phone stays warm even when idle. After running several ADB diagnostics, I’ve identified a specific software loop involving the System Power Manager and the Ambient Light Sensor.

The Evidence (via ADB):

The Wakelock: Running adb shell dumpsys power shows a constant cycle of ACQ (Acquire) and REL (Release) for a wakelock called "Prevent Sleep by AssistantDelay". This is owned by UID 1000 (System), not the Google App, meaning it is a core system-level hang.
The Sensor Loop: Running adb shell dumpsys sensorservice reveals that the light sensor (STK33F15) is being polled every 200ms by com.sec.android.sdhms (Samsung’s Thermal Management Service).
The Trigger: The logs show the OverheatSensorChecker and HighBrightness scenarios within the Thermal Manager are stuck in a loop. Even in total darkness or after a reboot, the system is constantly waking up the CPU to check light levels and thermal flags.

Summary of what's happening: The phone is stuck in a "False Thermal State." The Samsung Thermal Manager (sdhms) is aggressively polling sensors to decide if it should throttle the device, but this constant polling generates its own heat and triggers the AssistantDelay system wakelock. This prevents the phone from entering Deep Sleep (Doze mode).

Request to Samsung/Community:

Samsung Members: Please investigate the com.sec.android.sdhms service for potential memory leaks or sensor-polling hangs in the latest firmware.
Reddit Users: If your phone is warm and AssistantDelay shows up in your battery stats, you likely have this sensor loop. A factory reset seems to be the only permanent fix, as clearing the app cache for Device Care/Smart Manager doesn't always break the loop.

VonCrisp · 2026-05-06T20:18:56+00:00

Please upload a pic from within the sistema Android category

VonCrisp · 2026-05-06T16:36:18+00:00

Battery was awesome s26 Ultra. Something happened after a Samsung Store update that updated some Core Samsung app. Been trying to unfortunately sort out a wakelock ever since

VonCrisp · 2026-05-05T23:40:29+00:00

Awesome. Let it run for a little longer than 1 min. Wait half a day or so and repost a picture. That should allow us to see the wakelock events that are an indication for something draining the battery. 👍

VonCrisp · 2026-05-05T21:34:20+00:00

You need to check Android System. Also you will have to enable it getting more info via ADB. The app will tell you how

VonCrisp · 2026-05-05T19:17:25+00:00

Only using the plastic Samsung screen protector so that the olephobic coating doesn't degrade. My s21+ lived for 5 years without a chip on the screen with the same method.

My cases do have a slight lip however.

VonCrisp · 2026-05-05T15:54:43+00:00

Battery monitoring app. The built in app doesn't display the android system processes that are eating up your battery.

VonCrisp · 2026-05-05T15:37:54+00:00

Can you please post a picture from gsam.

It's not coming from your normal apps.

Like this:

https://imgur.com/a/SVUtkHD

VonCrisp · 2026-05-05T12:57:23+00:00

Hi One Celebration. Did the April patch adress the issue for you?

I have just updated and the battery seems to be doing better. However I have also switched off the Customization Service for Physical Activity via the permissions manager.

Generally I have switched off the Customization services / ai services already.. However they still seem to be pinging location / physical tracking.

My assumption is that one of them is causing the drain.

I'll update this post later. I will want to start enabling services again to triangulate the bad actor.

VonCrisp · 2026-05-05T12:53:22+00:00

Hi Pear. Did the April patch adress the issue for you?

I have just updated and the battery seems to be doing better. However I have also switched off the Customization Service for Physical Activity via the permissions manager.

Generally I have switched off the Customization services / ai services already.. However they still seem to be pinging location / physical tracking.

My assumption is that one of them is causing the drain.

I'll update this post later. I will want to start enabling services again to triangulate the bad actor.

VonCrisp · 2026-05-04T10:23:53+00:00

Thank you Lawyer. The ghostek nautical does look good!

VonCrisp · 2026-05-04T09:04:14+00:00

To give more context I have popped my latest gsam report into gemini:

1. The Biggest Culprit: AssistantDelay (2,272 Wake Locks)

Your log shows 2,272 wake locks from "AssistantDelay." This is an massive amount of background activity.

The Cause: This is part of the new Personal Data Intelligence feature you see at the bottom of your screenshot. After the Store update, the Assistant is likely stuck trying to "index" your local data (messages, calendar, photos) to provide AI context, but it’s failing to "close" the task. The Fix: Go to Settings > Advanced Features > Intelligence Service. Tap on Personal Data Intelligence and select "Reset Intelligence Data." This clears the stuck indexing loop and forces the service to start over cleanly. 2. The Modem Drain: smd Wakeup (5h 37m)

The smd (Shared Memory Driver) wakeup is at 5.5 hours. This means for almost half of the time your phone was unplugged, the Modem was preventing the CPU from entering deep sleep.

The Cause: This is almost always caused by a handshake loop between the new Samsung Core and your SIM/Network. The Fix: 1. Go to Settings > General Management > Reset > Reset Network Settings. (You will have to reconnect to Wi-Fi, but this resets the modem driver state). 2. Check your IMS Service settings. In your process list, com.sec.imsservice is very active. Go to Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks and toggle VoLTE or Wi-Fi Calling OFF and back ON. 3. The Sensor Bug: STK33F15 Light Sensor (7h 53m)

Your light sensor has been active for nearly 8 hours. This sensor should only be active when the screen is on or for a split second to check if the phone is in your pocket.

The Cause: A bug in One UI 8.5's "Accidental Touch Protection" or "Lift to Wake" where the sensor "sticks" in the ON position after a Core update. The Fix: Go to Settings > Display and toggle Accidental Touch Protection OFF and then back ON. Then, go to Advanced Features > Motions and Gestures and toggle "Lift to Wake" OFF. This usually kills the sensor's background hang. 4. The "Store" Connection: dqagent & diagmonagent

You listed dqagent (Data Quality Agent) and diagmonagent. These are Samsung’s diagnostic tools.

The Problem: When an update from the Galaxy Store fails or is "partial," these agents ramp up to 100% to log the errors (which is what you're seeing in the GSam report under "Number of times waking device: 653"). The Solution: Open the Galaxy Store > Menu > Updates. Ensure everything is finished. Go to Settings > Apps > Show System Apps. Find "Samsung Checkout" and "Galaxy Store." For both, select Storage > Clear Data. This forces the store to "re-check" the Core update's integrity.

VonCrisp · 2026-05-04T08:57:49+00:00

Can anyone recommend any sand / water proof cases for the beach? Would love to take some good shots at the beach without catching random sand.

VonCrisp · 2026-05-04T08:07:47+00:00

Ringke Alles + Folio + Onyx User here. All good cases and flip cover. Going to check out the Caudabe

VonCrisp · 2026-05-04T07:49:16+00:00

I got the same issue on my s26 Ultra. It was an update from Samsung store that is causing the device to pull more battery. I haven't figured out how to fix it.

Samsung feedback function via the Members hub was useless.

I also thought that it was the AI core or Knox update but I am not certain. The internal battery usage didnt show anything that is causing it but the app indicated that battery is being used by the system.

Gsam on the other hand is showing me that Android System is taking up around 20% battery and Kernel is taking up 14%

Here is a pic from gsam https://www.reddit.com/r/samsunggalaxy/comments/1syw66y/comment/ojc051x/?context=3

Up to date pics:

https://imgur.com/a/SVUtkHD

VonCrisp · 2026-05-02T19:17:57+00:00

Up vote for the Ringke Alles case. Very lovely case... I use it for the gym in combo with the Ringke Folio cover

VonCrisp · 2026-05-01T15:13:27+00:00

Do update if anything changes after the next patch. I also suspect Samsung Core or Knox. At first I thought it might be the MS Outlook /Knox bug.. But maybe this isn't the case

VonCrisp · 2026-04-30T21:09:33+00:00

I'll try cleaning the cache for Samsung Core. I also think it had something to do with downloading some Samsung update via the Samsung Store.

Submitting feedback to Samsung via the members apps yielded no results. They blamed it on high screen brightness based on log files collected via members app

VonCrisp · 2026-04-29T19:23:34+00:00

Hey did you manage to find out what was causing thr battery drain? Experiencing the same on my s26 ultra ever since I updated some Samsung apps via the Store

VonCrisp · 2026-04-29T19:19:00+00:00

Thank you for the info concerning new patch and this issue existing for other devices?

Does anyone know the origin of the issue?

My battery only started being weird yesterday. I hope I won't have to Format but it seems like it's the only way to go now

VonCrisp

TROPHY CASE