Samsung's Android 11 update has one big problem

You'll need to use a workaround to make sure your apps can work properly in the background.

What you need to know

• Samsung is now the top Android manufacturer on the DontKilllMyApp chart.
• DontKillMyApp is a website that ranks Android manufacturers based on how aggressively they kill background apps on their phones.
• Before it released the Android 11-based One UI 3.0 update, Samsung was placed third on the list.

Samsung has done a phenomenal job with its Android 11-based One UI 3.0 rollout so far. Nearly all of its 2019 flagships have already been updated to Android 11, and the update is now heading to the company's budget and mid-range devices. While the latest iteration of Samsung's One UI brings several new features and improvements, it appears the company has started killing background apps even more aggressively with Android 11.

DontKillMyApp, which is a website that ranks Android OEMs based on how aggressively they kill background apps, now ranks Samsung at the top (via Android Authority). The team behind the website says Samsung has "introduced a new severe (default ON) restriction" with Android 11, which makes it impossible for apps to hold wake lock in foreground services. While it may not be a cause of concern for everyone, the website points out that the restriction breaks the ability of health apps from collecting data from different sensors.

Fortunately, you can prevent apps from being aggressively killed in the background by excluding them from battery optimizations. To do this, you'll have to tap Settings > Apps > Your App > Battery > Battery optimization > All apps > Your app > Don't optimize.

While Google did introduce a few changes with Android 11 to prevent manufacturers from killing background apps, it doesn't look like those changes have had any real impact.