Tizen 3.0 update kills battery life on some Gear S3 watches

Samsung’s latest Tizen update for the Gear S3 classic and Gear S3 frontier is killing battery life on some devices. Many users are reporting a “significant hit” after installing the update, but it’s not entirely clear what is causing the problem.

The issue rears its head after updating to the Tizen 3.0 Value Pack, which Samsung rolled out last week. It brings a slew of new features, including Samsung Connect, a Gear VR controller, contacts and calendars, and more. But it’s not all good news for Gear S3 owners.

SamMobile reports that many are experiencing significant battery life problems after installing the update. The root cause of the problem is yet to be identified, but it seems a bug is causing drain that forces users to recharge their wearable more frequently than usual.

Users are advised to factory reset their Gear S3 after upgrading. This will eliminate another bug with using custom watchfaces, and could also help with the battery issue. However, another update may be required to fix battery drain permanently.

As of writing this story, Samsung hasn’t acknowledged the battery drain problem, so all we can do for now is wait.