Samsung brings back a battery feature it previously removed

A Leonid Afremov painting displayed on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra's more vivid display
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • The ‘since last charge’ battery tracking feature appears to have been reinstated by Samsung.
  • The feature was removed by Samsung when it released One UI 6 in 2023. 
  • It has appeared in a new Device Care update.

When Samsung unveiled One UI 6 in 2023, it decided—perhaps controversially—to dispense with the ‘since last charge’ battery tracking metric. Instead, it replaced it with stats showing battery usage over the past 24 hours. Now, it appears Samsung has decided to reinstate the original battery tracking option.

According to Samsung tipster Tarun Vats on X, a new Device Care update (13.8.6.11) has reintroduced the ‘since last charge’ screen. Here, users are given insights into how much time the screen has been on, what apps have been used, and an estimate of how long their battery will last before it needs charging again. 

Screenshot of the 'since last charge' screen

(Image credit: Tarun Vats)

It appears that while Samsung has reintroduced the ‘since last charge’ metric, it has decided to keep the ‘Today’ section, which tells users how much battery has been consumed on that particular day. Users can decide which way of monitoring battery consumption will be most useful to them.

The Device Care update has yet to arrive on the Galaxy Store, although it is expected imminently. In the meantime, anyone who is desperate to see the return of this battery tracking tool can sideload it via APKMirror. It still isn’t clear why Samsung decided to remove this metric in the first place, but there are sure to be lots of people who are delighted to see it return. 

This update looks set to coincide with the rollout of One UI 6.1, which started today in China and is expected to appear in other parts of the world later this week. Initially, One UI 6.1 is expected to cover the Galaxy S23, S23 Plus, and S23 Ultra before arriving on the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, and Tab S9 series later.

Steven Shaw
Writer

Steven Shaw is a full-time freelancer, but before he changed his career at the start of 2021, he was in the retail industry, leading teams to achieve goals in selling technology products, such as smartphones, tablets, and more. Graduating from the University of Cambridge with a Masters in Medieval History, he's always had a passion for the topic, alongside technology and many Simpsons quotes.