Software updates are meant to improve the performance of devices and fix bugs. However, they may also occasionally introduce some new issues. This seems to be the case with a recent Samsung update. Apparently, the July 2026 security patch is causing problems for a lot of Galaxy S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra models.
Over the past couple of days, users have taken to the brand’s community forums to report the issues they’ve been experiencing since downloading the update. These include severe battery drain and overheating. According to one Galaxy S25 Ultra owner, their phone’s battery life had been normal prior to downloading the update.
After installing the patch, the battery went from 85% at midnight to around 5% by the middle of the following day. During this period, the device only had around two hours of screen-on time. The user also claimed that the handset was losing roughly 5% to 7% of battery per hour when completely idle.
Meanwhile, another user reported experiencing a similar issue, with their device’s battery going from 85% to 25% in just two or three hours. On top of that, the user noticed that their phone was also overheating, even when not in use. Other additional problems include slow charging, although this isn’t exactly new. These aren’t isolated incidents either, as the reports have been piling up across online spaces.
A possible cause
While Samsung has yet to address these issues, some users may have identified the problem. According to Reddit user u/dapotatopapi, the battery drain and overheating woes can be traced back to a stuck WhatsApp backup. Apparently, something with the security update may be disrupting the app’s backup process.
The Redditor noted that WhatsApp could not finish backing up their chats, and would keep trying to finish the process in the background. Stopping the backup seemed to solve the overheating problem, but the app did continue to consume more power than usual. A few other users have also claimed that stopping the backup process resolved the battery drain issues. So, should this be the root cause, disabling WhatsApp backup for the time being would be a good idea.
Of course, if you are among those experiencing the same issues, then this is only a temporary fix, and not an ideal one as it leaves you at risk of losing WhatsApp data should anything happen to the device. Some users have pointed out that disabling encryption allows the backup to complete, though this does come with its own risks. In any case, one should hope that Samsung rolls out a fix sooner rather than later.
(Source: Android Central, u/dapotatopapi via Reddit)
