One UI 5.1 update off to a rough start as users report severe battery drain

It looks like the One UI 5.1 update is not working out so well for many users who installed the new software over the past few days. Several reports of severe battery drain have started popping up on Samsung’s forums across different countries. Some Galaxy phone users are also reporting that their devices are heating up quickly after the One UI 5.1 update.

Samsung was very quick to push out the 2GB One UI 5.1 update. It rolled out almost simultaneously for the Galaxy S22 series, Galaxy S20 series, and the company’s older foldable phones. Most complaints about the battery drain issue are coming from Galaxy S22 and S21 users. SamMobile reports it has also received reports of the problem from several users.

Apart from the One UI 5.1 update, it’s unclear what’s causing the battery of these older Samsung flagships to run out quickly. However, a Reddit thread points out that the Samsung Keyboard app could be the culprit. A user found that it’s guzzling more juice after the One UI 5.1 update. When they contacted Samsung support, they were instructed to clear the cache and data of the app and then restart their phone.

If you’re thinking of trying the fix suggested by Samsung support, know that all the data of the Samsung Keyboard app will be reset, including its language, symbol layout, and other customizations. You can always use another keyboard app, though.

Meanwhile, 9to5Google also found several reports about other One UI 5.1 bugs that break Bixby Routines and Samsung’s design language color palette.

It’s possible Samsung will patch up all these issues with another software update. Until then, you might want to hold off upgrading to One UI 5.1.