If you’re a Samsung Galaxy S20 user experiencing overheating and battery drain it can affect the device’s performance and overall user experience. The causes of overheating and battery depletion can vary. Most of the possible causes are:

1. Third-party apps consume excessive resources.
2. system bugs. 
3. physical damage such as a fall or water exposure.
4. The battery reaching the end of its lifespan.

In this guide, we have included 06 practical solutions to help you address and resolve the overheating and battery drain on your Samsung Galaxy S20. By following these steps, you will be able to extend its battery life while operating at its optimal temperature.

Note: Solutions in this guide will work on any Samsung Galaxy S20 model (S20, S20 Plus, S20 Fe, and S20 Ultra models.)

Editor’s note: We created these instructions using a Samsung Galaxy S20 running Android 13. Depending on your device’s software version, some steps and menu positions may look slightly different.

Fix 01: Check Your Galaxy S20 For Any Physical/Water Damages

When your Samsung Galaxy S20 overheats and experiences battery drain, first you need to check the device for any physical or water damage. 

Such damages can disrupt the normal operation of the phone’s internal components, leading to increased heat generation and battery drain. For example, a damaged battery or compromised circuitry due to a fall can cause short circuits, which in turn can result in overheating and battery issues.

To check for physical damage, inspect your Galaxy S20 for any noticeable dents, cracks, or deformities on the casing or screen. Pay attention to the corners and edges, which are common impact points during a fall. 

For water damage, you can look for any signs of corrosion or discoloration, especially around the charging port and SIM card tray. Galaxy S20 comes with a water damage indicator (LDR) sticker located inside the SIM card slot, which turns pink or red when exposed to moisture.

If you discover any signs of physical or water damage, or if the phone has recently suffered a significant impact or been exposed to liquids, you should take your Samsung Galaxy S20 to a Samsung repair center. Attempting to fix such issues on your own could lead to further damage or void any remaining warranty on the device.

Fix 02: Clear the Cache Partition

The system cache on your Samsung Galaxy S20 plays a crucial part in the device’s functions by storing temporary data that helps the system load more quickly. 

However, when this cache becomes corrupt, it can lead to issues such as overheating and battery drain. This is because the device may work harder than necessary to access or write to the corrupted cache, leading to excessive power consumption and heat generation.

To rule out these possible issues, you can clear the system cache. This will remove all temporary files that the system has stored, without affecting your personal data or settings. 

Here’s how you can clear the cache partition on your Samsung Galaxy S20:

1. Turn off your Galaxy S20 and plug it into the charger.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Bixby / Power button simultaneously.
3. Once the Samsung logo appears, release both buttons.
4. Use the Volume Down button to scroll through the options and highlight “Wipe cache partition.”

5. Press the Power button to select this option.
6. Use the Volume Down button to highlight “Yes” and press the Power button to confirm it.

7. Once the wipe cache partition process is complete, “Reboot system now” will be highlighted.
8. Press the Power button to restart the device.

After you have completed all the steps your Galaxy S20 will restart with a cleared system cache. Monitor your device to see if the overheating and battery drain issues have been resolved.

Fix 03: Optimize Battery Settings

Optimizing battery settings on your Samsung Galaxy S20 can significantly increase battery longevity and reduce overheating. The “Battery and device care” feature in device settings allows you to monitor battery consumption and manage the performance of your device for optimized efficiency. 

By reducing the workload on the device’s processor and other components, you can minimize heat generation and slow down battery drain.

To access and use the “Battery and device care” settings, follow these steps:

1. Open the “Settings” app on your Galaxy S20.
2. Scroll down and tap on “Battery and device care.”

3. Inside this menu, you will find the “Battery” section which provides insights into your battery usage.
4. Tap on “Battery” to see a breakdown of which apps and services are consuming the most power.

To further optimize your battery settings:

• Turn on the “Optimized” mode by toggling the switch in the “Power mode” section. This mode will automatically adjust your phone’s settings to balance performance and battery life.
• Turn on “Sleeping apps” to prevent apps you don’t regularly use from running in the background and draining your battery.
• Based on the battery usage data, consider uninstalling apps that consume a high amount of power and are not important to your daily use.

To enable “Optimized” mode and “Sleeping apps”, follow the steps below:

• Tap on “More battery settings” and enable “Optimized” and “Put unused apps to sleep.”

Fix 04: Reset All Settings

Misconfigurations within the system settings can lead to excessive power consumption and overheating, as certain features or sensors may be running unnecessarily in the background.

To fix this, you can reset all settings, which will revert all system settings to their default state without deleting personal data. 

To reset all settings on your Samsung Galaxy S20, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap on “General management”.
3. Tap “Reset”.

4. Select “Reset all settings”.

5. Enter screen lock PIN, password, or pattern if you have set up one.
6. Finally, tap Reset settings again to confirm.

Once you complete these steps, your Galaxy S20 will restart with all system settings restored to their original defaults. After the reset, monitor your device’s performance to see if the overheating and battery drain issues have been resolved.

Fix 05: Do a Software Update

Software glitches or bugs can also cause your Samsung Galaxy S20 to overheat and experience battery drain. Samsung frequently releases software updates that contain critical bug fixes and performance improvements that can resolve such existing issues.

Therefore, update your Samsung Galaxy S20 to the latest software version by following the steps below:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Scroll down and select “Battery and device care”.
3. Tap on “Software update”.

4. Choose “Download and install”. Your device will check for available updates.

5. If an update is available, follow the on-screen instructions to download and install it.

During the update process, your Galaxy S20 will restart a couple of times. This is a normal part of the update process.

Fix 06: Take the Device to a Repair Center

If the previous solutions fail to resolve the overheating and battery drain issues on your Samsung Galaxy S20, it’s possible that the problem is more severe and may be due to a hardware malfunction such as a faulty battery or problems with the device’s motherboard, which are not fixable through software troubleshooting methods.

In such cases, take a backup of your data and take your Samsung Galaxy S20 to a Samsung repair center. To locate the nearest Samsung repair center, use the following link: Samsung Service Locations.