Samsung Battery Optimization: How to Turn It Off for One App

To turn off battery optimization for one app on a Samsung Galaxy phone, open Settings > Apps, tap the app, then Battery, and choose Unrestricted. Then add the app to Never sleeping apps: Settings > Battery > Background usage limits > Never sleeping apps.

Samsung changes these menus between One UI versions and models, so a name on your phone can be slightly different. If you cannot find one, type "battery" or "sleeping" into the search bar at the top of Settings. To see your One UI version, open Settings > About phone > Software information.

What battery optimization does on a Samsung phone

Like every Android phone, a Galaxy pauses apps in the background to save battery. Samsung adds a second layer on top: it puts apps you have not used for a while to sleep, or to deep sleep. A sleeping app runs in the background only now and then. An app in deep sleep does not run in the background at all, so it can miss notifications and stop syncing.

That is fine for most apps. For an app that must keep running, such as a messaging app, an alarm, or an SMS gateway app, you need to turn both layers off for that one app.

Turn off battery optimization for one app (One UI 4 and newer)

1. Open Settings > Apps.
2. Tap the app. If you do not see it, tap the sort or filter button and show all apps.
3. Tap Battery.
4. Choose Unrestricted.

On One UI 3 (Android 11)

1. Open Settings > Apps, tap the app, then Battery.
2. Tap Optimize battery usage.
3. Change the list at the top to All.
4. Find the app and turn its switch off.

Add the app to Never sleeping apps

1. Open Settings > Battery. On some models this is Settings > Battery and device care > Battery.
2. Tap Background usage limits.
3. Tap Never sleeping apps.
4. Tap the plus button, select the app, and tap Add.

While you are on this screen, also open Sleeping apps and Deep sleeping apps and make sure the app is not in either list. Samsung can move apps into these lists by itself, and an app in Deep sleeping apps will not run in the background.

Turn off "Put unused apps to sleep"

On the same Background usage limits screen there is a switch called Put unused apps to sleep. When it is on, the phone puts apps you have not opened for a while to sleep, even ones that need to run.

If you have an app that works in the background but you rarely open it, such as an SMS gateway app, turn this switch off. Adding the app to Never sleeping apps also protects it if you prefer to keep the switch on for other apps.

Check Power saving mode

Power saving limits background apps for the whole phone. Pull down from the top of the screen and check that the Power saving tile is off. Also check that it does not turn on by itself: open Settings > Battery, tap Power saving, and switch off any option that turns it on automatically. A routine in Modes and Routines can also turn it on.

Our guide on how to turn off battery saver on Android covers this for every brand.

Samsung background apps: how to see them and which to keep

To see which apps use the battery in the background, open Settings > Battery and tap the battery usage chart. Apps that used power while you were not using them are listed there.

Keep messaging apps, alarms, health trackers and any app your business depends on, such as an SMS gateway app, in Never sleeping apps. Leave everything else as it is, so your battery lasts.

After a big software update, check these lists again. Samsung can move apps back into the sleeping lists after an update.

Running WaSMS on a Samsung phone?

The WaSMS SMS app shows these exact steps on your Samsung phone, opens the right settings page where it can, and starts again by itself after the phone restarts. Set up your SMS phone to get the app.

What to read next

• Battery optimization steps for every phone brand
• Keep an app running in the background on Android
• How to turn off battery saver on Android
• Gateway offline: fast fixes