How to put apps to sleep on a Samsung Galaxy phone

By · 2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 5 October 2026

Short answer

Open Settings, Battery, Background usage limits. Leave Put unused apps to sleep on, then tap Deep sleeping apps and the + button to add apps that should never run in the background. Apps that must always work, such as a messenger, go under Never auto sleeping apps.

Device
Android
Shown on
Samsung Galaxy A57 5G (SM-A576B), One UI 8.5, Android 16
App
Settings
Path
Settings › Battery
Real screenshots
6 of 6 steps
Checked
October 2026
Sources
1 official, linked below

Step by step

  1. Android screenshot: Open Battery

    Open Battery

    Open Settings and tap Battery.

  2. Android screenshot: Tap Background usage limits

    Tap Background usage limits

    It is below Power saving on the Battery page.

  3. Android screenshot: Leave Put unused apps to sleep on

    Leave Put unused apps to sleep on

    With this switch on, apps you have not used for a while are put to sleep by themselves.

  4. Android screenshot: Open Deep sleeping apps

    Open Deep sleeping apps

    Deep sleeping apps never run in the background. They only work while you have them open. Sleeping apps is the milder list: they run in the background only now and then.

  5. Android screenshot: Tap + to add an app

    Tap + to add an app

    Tick the apps you want to stop and confirm. Apps the phone added by itself are listed under Automatically added.

  6. Android screenshot: Protect the apps that must keep working

    Protect the apps that must keep working

    Back on Background usage limits, tap Never auto sleeping apps and add apps such as WhatsApp, your alarm or a fitness tracker. A sleeping messenger may deliver messages late.

About this guide

Apps you rarely open can keep running in the background, using battery and data. One UI can freeze them until you open them again. On our phone, six apps had already been put into deep sleep automatically.

The screenshots are from a Samsung Galaxy A57 5G with One UI 8.5 and Android 16. Other Galaxy phones on One UI 8 use the same menus; on older One UI versions a few names and positions differ.

Good to know

If notifications from an app stop arriving, check that it is not in Deep sleeping apps. Open it once and remove it from the list.

Deep sleep does not uninstall anything or delete data. The app wakes up when you open it.

More ways to save battery: Samsung Galaxy battery draining fast? 6 fixes.

In short: Settings, Battery, Background usage limits: Deep sleeping apps + for apps to stop, Never auto sleeping apps for apps that must work.

Sources

Links checked on 4 October 2026. Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.