Samsung phones will display more detailed information about battery usage

Samsung is giving in to users who have been clamoring for the return of a section with detailed information about the device’s operating times, measured since the last battery charge.

Until relatively recently, Galaxy phones and tablets had an easy way to check screen time and battery usage statistics since the last charge. But with the update to One UI 6.0 Samsung has removed this information in order to give users a simplified experience. But simpler is not necessarily better, with users relying on this information to get an overview of their device’s health having no choice but to turn to dedicated third-party apps (eg AccuBattery).

The latest version of the Device Care app (13.8.06.11) brings back the “Since Last Charge” option, selectable above the battery life graph. Although the update is yet to be rolled out officially, the new version can be downloaded from APK Mirror and can be installed regardless of whether the phone is running One UI 6.0 or One UI 5.1.

If in the current formula the battery usage statistics are only shown for the current day, by switching to the alternative display mode you will be able to see the full usage statistics, measured since the last charge cycle was completed. For example, you will be able to find out what is the actual usage time (screen time) that you obtained since the last charge, thus more easily evaluating what is the real autonomy of the phone and possibly, if the battery shows signs of wear.

These aren’t the only improvements Samsung has made to battery management. Phones updated to One UI 6.1 use AI to increase battery longevity by tracking your device’s usage pattern to plan for optimal battery charging. For example, if you leave your phone on charge overnight, the full charge will be delayed until the last part of the night, so that you have the phone with 100% battery right when you wake up. The argument would be that the less the phone’s battery sits at full charge, the less it will suffer from chemical oxidation processes, even if it was still charged to the capacity listed in the spec sheet.

Samsung has also introduced multiple mechanisms for managing applications running in the background, intervening more precisely on applications that use the battery unnecessarily, without inconvenient receiving notification alerts, email messages and using messaging applications.

And Google is working on improvements that will benefit all Android users. Thus, Android devices will be able to display accurate information about the state of “health” of the battery and even recommend its replacement when the level of wear exceeds a certain threshold, or symptoms that foretell imminent failure appear.