Android 13 Battery Drain Issue: How to Fix [10 Methods]

In this guide, we will show you various methods to fix the battery drain issue on your device running Android 13. The latest iteration of the OS is more of a polished version of its predecessor rather than bringing something drastically new to the table. And it was all along the expected lines as we had already seen some massive changes in Android 12.

With that said, the latest OS still packs in some nifty features, such as the expansion of the Material You theme, the ability to edit Clipboard, the addition of a QR Code quick setting tile, restrictions imposed on sideloaded apps, etc. However, it seems all these functionalities are having an adverse impact on the overall battery life. Right after installing the latest Android 13 update, many users have voiced their concern that they are witnessing an excessive battery drain on their devices.

What is even more concerning is the fact that in some instances, the battery is getting exhausted even when the device is in idle mode. With that said, there do exist numerous nifty workarounds that shall help you rectify this issue. So without further ado, let’s check them out.

Table of Contents

How to Fix Android 13 Battery Drain Issue

It is recommended that you try out each of the below-mentioned workarounds and then see which one spells out success for you. Do note that while the names of the features listed below might be slightly different for your device [depending on how your OEM has named it], but the end result should be the same that we have managed to achieve- the preservation of battery! So on that optimistic note, let’s get started.

FIX 1: Restrict App’s Battery Usage

We will start off by restricting the issue-causing app’s uncontrolled battery usage in the background. So let’s first identify the culprit app and then apply the said restriction:

To begin with, head over to the Settings menu on your device.
Then go to Battery > Battery Usage section.
Now refer to the apps under the ‘App usage for past 24 hr’.
Tap on the first app in that list and select Restricted from the menu.
Likewise, do so for all the apps that occupy a higher position in that list.
Once done, verify if the Android 13 battery drain issue has been fixed or not.

FIX 2: Disable Always On Display

Always on Display has ‘always’ been notoriously infamous for draining an astronomical amount of battery juice. So as of now, it’s better to keep it disabled.

To do so, head over to the Settings page on your device.
Then go to Display > Lock Screen.
Within that, disable the Always Show Time and Info toggle.
Check if it does any good in fixing the Android 13 excessive battery drain issue.

FIX 3: Disable Mobile Data Always Active

Even if you are using WiFi, your device will still continue to have the Mobile Data active. This is because if your device isn’t able to pick up the WiFi signals, then it will automatically switch over to the carrier data.

On the plus side, there will be no considerable productivity loss and you will continue to be online. But on the flip side, it is sure to result in a drop in the battery percentage. Therefore you should consider disabling this feature, which could be done as follows.

First off, you will have to enable Developer Options. So go to Settings > About Phone > Tap on Build Number 7 times.
You will now get a prompt that you are now a developer. Now go to Settings > System > Developer Options.
Within that, scroll to the Mobile Data Always Active option and turn it off.
Check if it is able to fix the Android 13 battery drain issue.

FIX 4: Lower the Screen Timeout

Screen Timeout is the duration after which your display will turn off. Every extra second the ‘pixel’ display is turned out, it will consume a minute amount of battery. But this when combined over the due course of time will lead to uncurbed battery use. So it’s better to limit its usage, using the instructions given below.

So head over to Settings > Display on your device.
Then go to the Screen Timeout option.
Now select either 15 seconds or 30 seconds at the very max.
Check if manages to fix the Android 13 battery drain issue.

FIX 5: Disable Tap to Wake

Tap to Wake is an accessible feature (kind of) that allows you to wake up your device, check the pending notifications and carry out other related tasks, without the need to unlock your phone. While it is quite a handy feature, but it comes at a cost of lavish expenditure on the battery quota. So as of now, the best bet is to disable both its associated features, which could be done as follows:

Start off by going to Settings > Display.
Then go to the Lock Screen section.
Now disable the Tap to Check Phone and Lift to Check Phone features.
Verify if it was enough to fix the battery drain issue on Android 13.

FIX 6: Use Battery Saver Mode

You all saw this coming, didn’t you? On a serious note though, this method gave out the best mileage when it comes to rectifying the battery issue. But why have we listed it in the end? Well, it’s because upon enabling it, you will have to sacrifice some other features.

This includes bidding adieu to the high refresh rate, the auto-sync feature, and the likes. So if you are ready for this trade-off of gaining a few additional battery juices in return for a not-so-optimal usage experience, then here’s what you need to do:

To begin with, head over to the Settings menu on your device.
Then go to Battery > Battery Saver.
Now enable the toggle next to Use Battery Saver.
You will now definitely witness some positive results when it comes to fixing the battery drain issue on Android 13.

FIX 7: Enable Extreme Battery Saver

If you wish to take an even more aggressive approach, then consider enabling the Extreme Battery Saver Mode as well. This mode will pause the functionality of most apps and services. At the same time, it gives you the option to add the desired apps to the whitelist, that is, they wouldn’t be affected by this mode.

So before going to bed, you could consider enabling this feature and then turning it back on in the morning. At the same time, make sure that all your essential apps are added to the whitelist so that they don’t get affected by this feature. On that note, here’s how to enable and use this feature on your Android 12 device:

Head over to Settings > Battery > Battery Saver option.
Then go to Extreme Battery Saver > When to use and select Always Use.
Now go back and go to the Essential Apps section and add your desired apps there.

FIX 8: Turn off Adaptive Connectivity

One of the most underrated culprits of this issue seems to be Adaptive Connectivity. For the unaware, this feature helps your device to automatically switch from 5G to 4G whenever it deems fit. For example, when you are using an instant messenger app or just scrolling through feeds, then the Adaptive Connectivity feature will switch from 5G to 4G to preserve the battery life.

On the other hand, if you are streaming a movie, then it will again switch back to 5G. However, at the time of writing, various users have voiced their concern that Mobile Network Standby is draining an excessive amount of battery on their devices. Since the Mobile Network Standby is part of Adaptive Connectivity, turning off the latter has worked wonders in preserving the battery juice. Here’s how to do the same:

To begin with, head over to the Settings menu on your device.
Then go to the Network and Internet section.
After that, scroll to Adaptive Connectivity and disable the toggle next to it.
Check if it fixes the excessive battery drain issues on your Android 13 device.

FIX 9: Disable Physical Activity Permission

If you have a Samsung Galaxy smartwatch, then you must be having the Samsung Health app installed on your device. And as of now, one of its components is proving to be a major culprit both in terms of battery drainage and device overheating. It’s the Physical Activity permission of the app that is hogging excessive resources.

For the unaware, this permission allows your device to count the steps, without depending on your smartwatch. However, as of now, the app isn’t optimized for Android 13, so it’s better to restrict its aforementioned permission, which could be done as follows [Some users are speculating that Pixel has specifically done so to push their upcoming smartwatch! Well, we leave it up to you to decide!]

To begin with, head over to Settings > Apps > See All Apps.
Then select the Samsung Health App and go to its Permission section.
After that select the Physical Activity permission under Allowed.
Now change its permission to Don’t Allow and check out the results.

FIX 10: Downgrade to Android 12

If none of the aforementioned methods managed to spell out success, then your last course of action should be to downgrade your device to the earlier stable Android 12 update. However, do keep in mind that Google has implemented an anti-rollback mechanism, so the steps are a tad different this time around for Pixel devices.

While performing a downgrade, you will still have to be on the Android 13 bootloader. All this has been explained in this guide, do check out- Downgrade Pixel 6A/6/Pro from Android 13 to Android 12: Bypass Anti Rollback. Moreover, the process will wipe off all the data from your device and could nullify its warranty, so proceed ahead with caution. If you have any other device, then do check out our downgrade articles here.

That’s it. These were the ten different methods that shall help you fix the excessive battery drain issues on your device running Android 13. Do let us know which method spelled out success for you. Likewise, if you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.

About Chief Editor

Sadique Hassan

administrator

A technical geek by birth, he always has a keen interest in the Android platform right since the birth of the HTC Dream. The open-source environment always seems to intrigue him with the plethora of options available at his fingertips. “MBA by profession, blogger by choice!”

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