How to put apps to sleep on Samsung phones to save battery

If you're like most people, you have hundreds of apps on your Android phone, but you probably use fewer than 10 of them on a regular basis. Of course, just because you don't use those other apps on a daily basis doesn't mean you should delete them. You might need them later.

 

However, those apps can still waste your battery life by running in the background. Luckily, Samsung phones let you put unused apps to sleep so they don't run in the background and waste battery. Let's see how you can enable this feature in the settings.

How to put apps to sleep on Samsung phones

Before we get into the steps, you should first understand what putting apps to sleep actually does. Samsung phones divide background restrictions into three categories: Sleeping apps, Deep sleeping apps , and Never sleeping apps . Here's what they mean:

1. Sleeping apps : These apps will run in the background, but only occasionally. Notifications from these apps may be delayed and app updates will not happen as often. Ideal for apps you use from time to time, but not very often.
2. Deep sleeping apps : These apps will never run in the background and will only be active when you open them. They may not receive updates at all and you may also miss any notifications that are sent. Ideal for apps you rarely use.
3. Never sleeping apps : These apps can always run in the background. They are unrestricted and can use battery life when needed. Ideal for apps that are essential and used frequently.

 

Please note that system apps like Phone, Camera, Clock, Messages, Bixby , etc… cannot be put to sleep as they are an integral part of the phone's operating system.

Here's how to put apps to sleep on a Samsung phone:

1. Go to Settings > Battery and device care .

2. Tap Battery > Background usage limits and turn on Put unused apps to sleep to let your phone automatically put apps to sleep based on your usage.

3. To do it manually, tap Sleeping apps or Deep sleeping apps , then tap the + icon , select your desired apps and tap Add.

4. For apps you use frequently, tap Never sleeping apps and follow the same process.

Remember, putting an app to sleep is different than just stopping it on your phone. When you force stop an app, it usually restarts itself shortly after. This puts more workload on your device than if you did nothing and just left it alone.

However, when you put an app to sleep (deep sleep to be exact), you are essentially telling it to stop using and interacting with your phone's resources, namely the battery. And without power, the app can't perform its normal functions or run in the background. This is why putting apps to sleep is better than force-quitting them.

 

How to decide which apps to put to sleep

If you need help deciding which apps to put to sleep, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing and parental controls .

2. Tap the Screen time bar to see your most and least used apps throughout the week.

3. Tap View more to see a full list of used apps. Put the least used ones to sleep, the most used ones to never sleep, and the ones used infrequently to deep sleep.

If putting them to sleep doesn't work and you're still getting a lot of unwanted notifications or updates, it's best to delete these apps from your phone. You can always download them again when you need them.

Putting apps to sleep is one of the many ways you can save battery on your Android phone . It reduces the phone's workload because it doesn't have to allocate resources to unnecessary apps.

Of course, you can always delete apps you haven't used in a long time, which is a more efficient solution. Regardless, it's always good to save as much battery as possible.