Samsung stops background recording — the One UI settings that matter

What Samsung's sleep states actually do

One UI classifies background apps into buckets:

• Sleeping apps — restricted background activity; the app may still run occasionally.
• Deep sleeping apps — the app never runs in the background until you open it again. This one is fatal for continuous recording and for schedules.
• Never auto sleeping apps — an explicit allow list. This is where a recorder belongs.

Phones can move rarely-opened apps into these buckets automatically, which is why a recorder that worked for a week can quietly stop afterwards without you changing anything.

The One UI path, step by step

1. Settings → Battery → Background usage limits.
2. Open Deep sleeping apps — if your recorder is listed, remove it.
3. Open Sleeping apps — remove it there too.
4. Open Never auto sleeping apps — add it.
5. Go to Settings → Apps → your recorder → Battery and choose Unrestricted.
6. Check Settings → Apps → your recorder → Notifications is allowed.
7. In Power saving, make sure the mode is off during recordings.
8. In Device care, review Auto optimise daily — it can re-restrict apps overnight.
9. Restart the phone so the changes settle, then test.

Menu names vary by device and OS version, so treat the paths below as a guide and search your Settings app if one doesn't match. Older One UI versions label some of these "Put unused apps to sleep" or "Adaptive battery".

Why the short test passes and the long one fails

Deep sleep restrictions usually apply after a stretch of inactivity, not immediately. A 10-minute locked-screen test can pass while an overnight session ends after a few hours. Build the ladder:

1. 15 minutes locked.
2. One hour locked.
3. Overnight or a full workday.

If steps 1 and 2 pass and step 3 fails, the sleeping lists are still the prime suspect — check whether the app has been moved back into one.

Samsung-specific extras worth knowing

• Auto optimise daily in Device care can re-apply restrictions after you clear them; turn it off if the problem returns.
• Power saving on Samsung restricts background usage aggressively; "Maximum" ends most background work.
• Secure Folder copies of an app have their own separate settings.
• A second profile or work profile likewise needs the settings applied in that profile.

Where BlackBox fits

BlackBox runs as an Android foreground microphone service with a persistent notification and writes hourly files, so on a Samsung you can see precisely which hour a sleep restriction cut in. The One UI allow-lists above still take priority over any app — set them once and re-check after a One UI update.