Samsung S21 Google Play Services Cause Battery Drain (Fix)

Our smartphone’s battery has become a major concern these days. Since a lot of features are introduced every year, the battery is what keeps our smartphones alive while allowing us to experience those top-notch features. 

Speaking of the battery and performance, Google services are the core elements of the Android operating system. Despite its performance, Samsung Galaxy S21 users experience an annoying issue with it. According to them, the Google Play services caused the battery drain of their Galaxy S21, leaving them with no solution.

Lucky for you, we decided to cover up the problem. If your Samsung S21 Google Play services cause battery draining, this is the guide you should follow to fix this issue.

Note: Solutions in this guide will work on any Samsung Galaxy S21 model (S21, S21 Plus, S21 Fe, and S21 Ultra models.)

Editor’s note: We created these instructions using a Samsung Galaxy S21 running Android 12. Depending on your device’s software version, some steps and menu positions may look slightly different.

Why Google Play Services Cause Battery Drain on Samsung Galaxy S21?

If you wonder why your Samsung S21’s battery drains, it is due to Google Play services. In short, it is either a bug in Google Play services or there is an issue within the Android operating system.

As we mentioned earlier, the Google Play service is one of the core services in any Android smartphone. It stores your account details and syncs with other devices you own. Also, you cannot use the Google Play store without Google Play services. Therefore, it is always running in the background to serve you with its updated features.

However, the Android system usually optimizes the battery usage of Google Play services and should not cause a lot of battery-draining issues. That is why it could be a bug with the Google Play services that drains your battery. 

Sometimes, even the Android system can cause battery draining, and you question how battery optimization is responsible for controlling the usage of apps on the battery. Simply put, if it fails, then any service like Google Play services can cause a huge loss of battery even if it is doing nothing in the background.

Now you know what could possibly cause the Google Play services to drain the battery on your Samsung Galaxy S21. 

Let’s get into the solutions.

Fix 01: Clear the Cache of Google Play Services

If there is any caching issue that causes Google Play services to drain your battery, it can be easily fixed by clearing the cache. 

First, you have to stop Google Play services and clear the cache after. You don’t need to be worried about your Google accounts because cache data doesn’t hold any details of them. When you clear its cache, it will get generated once Google Play services start running again.

So here is what you need to do:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Apps.
3. Scroll down and find Google Play services. Tap on it.
4. Tap on Force stop.
5. Then, tap on Storage or Manage storage.

6. Tap on Clear cache.

7. Restart the device.

If you restart the device, Google Play services will start running again. You can then go to your device’s battery usage (Device care > Battery > Battery usage) to see if the solution worked.

Fix 02: Enable Updates for Google Play Services

As you already know, software updates and app updates usually carry various bug fixes as well as performance and security improvements to the app/Android system.

With this, you need to check for updates on Google Play services and update it. However, there is a better way to do it, which is turning on auto-updates for Google Play services. Here is how:

Note: This solution will also work if you recently updated your Samsung S20 Android software.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on About phone.
3. Tap on Software information.
4. Tap on Google Play system update.

5. Turn on Auto updates or tap on Check for update.

Once you do this, it will automatically check and install any update available.

Fix 03: Turn On Battery Optimization

You can check and enable the battery optimization setting if it is turned off. Once it is enabled, your Galaxy S21 will identify apps and services that use battery heavily and reduce their battery usage.

To enable battery optimization, here is what you need to do:

1. Open the Device care app.
2. Tap on Battery.

3. Tap on power mode.
4. Select optimized.

5. Restart the device.

Fix 04: Clear Data of Google Play Services

Clearing data is not recommended if you have accounts saved in your device whose passwords cannot be recalled by you. But if you can add them later, then you can proceed to clear the data of Google Play services. How? Check these out:

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Google Play Services
2. Tap on Force stop
3. Go to Storage
4. Tap on Manage storage

5. Tap on clear data
6. Restart the device

Once you restart your Galaxy S21, add your accounts by going to Settings > Accounts.

Fix 05: Turn Off Location and Location History

Sometimes, the location service can also cause battery draining on your Samsung S21. Although location doesn’t have anything to do with Google Play services, users have reported that turning it off worked for them.

Not only the location but there is also a history of your location in the Google location history. You can clear that, too, to increase the chance of fixing the battery drain.

1. First, swipe down the notification bar and turn off the location.
2. Then, go to Settings > Privacy.
3. Tap on Google location history and turn it off.

Fix 06: Repair Apps

There is a feature in many Samsung smartphones (including Samsung S21) that optimizes the apps to make them run smoother and power efficiently on the device. To use this feature, you have to put your Galaxy S21 into recovery mode. Here is how to do that:

1. Turn off your device.
2. Press and hold the power button + volume up button until your phone boots into recovery mode, then release the keys.
3. Use volume keys to navigate and highlight “Repair apps” option.

4. Press the power button and confirm to run the app optimization.

Once it is completed, you will see the recovery menu again. Navigate to “Reboot device now” and press the power button to restart your device.

Wrapping Up

Nobody likes to see their smartphone’s battery draining so fast. That is why most people consider the battery capacity and performance when buying a smartphone. Even smartphone manufacturers try so hard to optimize both software and hardware to make the battery last longer. 

However, some apps and services might get defective over time, causing the battery draining problem on our respective devices. 

We hope you are able to fix the battery-draining issue on your Samsung Galaxy S21 with the help of this guide. 

If you have any questions regarding this guide, leave a comment, and we will be there to help.

Have a nice day!