Nintendo Switch owners are scratching their heads wondering why their consoles are draining batteries while in sleep mode. The latest battery drain bug has been aggressively depleting charge within a few hours of turning off the display resulting in flat devices and constant charging.
It all started with the latest Switch Firmware Update 19.0.0. The update was released in early October and reports of the battery drain have slowly been spread online. It isn’t widespread yet so Nintendo has yet to acknowledge the bug. However, users claim that putting their Switch consoles into sleep mode would in fact, not put it off. So while the display was turned off, the device would operate and rapidly drain the battery.
I personally had this bug happen this past weekend. Both Nintendo Switch consoles I own magically went flat without use. My Switch OLED was warm at the back the entire day as if I were using the device. However, the screen was turned off. A few hours later, I went to play a game and the battery went from 80% down to 7%.
My other Switch was on the table after reaching 100% charge. A few hours later, it was down to 20%. I didn’t play on the unit at all. Keep in mind that this is the first time I encountered the bug even though my console has been on version 19.0.0 since it was rolled out. So it seems like the issue randomly takes place. Updating your console doesn’t guarantee the bug.
On Reddit, users have complained about the same thing. Users say the console isn’t going into sleep mode even though the display is turned off.
Since the latest update to 19.0.0, has anyone else found that your Switch remains warm in sleep, even at full charge on the dock hours after any gameplay? It’s as if it isn’t able to reliably and consistently go into full sleep mode anymore. Along with the heat, it seems that faster battery drain can be seen when undocked, since it can’t really sleep anymore.
One user who tested a handful of units says the issue is random. Some days the battery drains as normal while other days it depletes within hours. So it is difficult to nail down the exact trigger.
Regardless, if you are suffering from the bug, be sure to contact Nintendo customer support to raise the issue with them.
