THIS IS AN UNSUPPORTED EXPERIMENTAL BETA APPLICATION, BUGGY, USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE POST BEFORE USING.
About
SuperPower attempts to save battery power by controlling various power hungry components and features of the device. Its features include managment of the cellular data connection, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, CPU speed and 2G/3G band. It does all this automagically based on the options you configure.
There are more battery saver apps out there, but none that work the way I want them to. It is however meant to work relatively simply. If you want uber-fine-grained control use one or a combination of the other applications available.
SuperPower also serves as somewhat of an Android port of WMLongLife.
BETA, Development & Testing
This application is in beta stage and far from finished. There will be bugs, and the list of things that still need to added, changed, refactored, streamlineed, etc is long.
Primary testing and development is done on a Galaxy S (unbranded, EU, I9000) device, but I also run tests on a G1 and a Hero. Other users have reported it (mostly) works on the Droid, Milestone, Nexus, Desire, Pulse, EVO.
Android version
SuperPower requires Android 1.6 or newer. Some features require newer versions, and some features have a different code path on different Android versions.
For example, Bluetooth features require Android 2.0, while the download speed tracker (to not disable data while downloading) requires Android 2.2. Features are automatically disabled if they are not available for your Android version.
Main features
Control over
- Cellular data
- Wi-Fi
- WiMAX * Android 2.2+ *
- Bluetooth * Android 2.0+ *
- CPU speed * ROOT *
- Bands (2G/3G) * ROOT *
- GPS * ROOT, PATCH, Android 2.2+ *
- Auto-Sync
- Background data * ROOT, PATCH, Android 2.2+ *
Automatic management of the above based on
- Screen state
- Wi-Fi network connection state
- WiMAX network connection state
- Lock screen visibility state
- Download speed
- Foreground application
- Tethering state
- Sleep mode
- Low battery state
- Charging state
Other
- Schedule data connection to be available at certain times
- Schedule night mode
- Informative toasts in response to user actions
- Status bar notifications about the current state, which you can tap to change
- Provides handy shortcuts you can add to the home screen for easy access of a number of functions
Additional features
- Enable/disable data is non-persistent. APNs are not modified! This is no longer true on Gingerbread (2.3) and newer due to changes in Android security. Here either data is disabled entirely (Settings -> Wireless and network -> Mobile networks -> Use packet data, or APNs are modified (Access Point Names in the same menu).
- 2G/3G switching is supported in two different ways: RIL injection (highly experimental, any ROM, possible side effects) and Sidekick (AOSP ROMs signed with platform test keys, or using patching)
- Completely event based, no polling, ever.
Future features
I have a LOT of them already in my to-do list. However, if you have any ideas feel free to post them. To name a few that are already on my list: configuration wizard, widget, GPS control, mapper, signal-strength based 2G/3G. Of course improvement to current features, fixing bugs, etc are also on my (perpetual?) to-do list.
Screenshots
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Conclusion, copyright and download
NOTICE: At this time I may not respond to each and every posts and questions. I do guarantee I will read every post and take what you write under consideration! Please report all your findings.
Copyright: This app is fully my copyright. You may not distribute it without prior explicit consent from me! So no, you're not allowed to include it in your ROMs either
----
Release notes: The changelog (a few posts down) contains links to version-specific release notes, if there are any.
SuperPower can be found on Market under the name "SuperPower XDA-BETA". The QR code below will take you there:
Direct market link: market://details?id=nl.morose.superpower
Appbrain link: http://www.appbrain.com/app/nl.morose.superpower
It is on Market instead of being for download here because Market tracks force closes. This will help me debug
(Original APK downloads <<< 0.60: 705)
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Index
- General
--- Will this prolong battery life ?
--- I want feature X, but it isn't included
--- I expected X to happen, but Y happened
--- I found a bug
- Data connections
--- The connection state changed, but didn't change back when I expected it to
- System popups
--- The PIN screen pops up sometimes
--- The locks screen pops up sometimes
- 2G/3G
--- A band switch is being performed even though I'm already in the mode it is switching to
--- What is the difference between the RIL injection and the Sidekick method ?
--- Even though I have root, the 2G/3G switching options are disabled (CDMA)
--- Band switching takes too long, is this a bug ? Can it be improved ?
--- I'm in 2G mode but my device switched back to 3G
- CPU
--- The device never wakes from sleep
--- Using tool X shows me that CPU speed is never changed
General: Will this prolong battery life ?
Quite probably, yes, significantly! BUT, there is never a guarantee. It all depends on how you use your device, the current conditions, and how you configure SuperPower. Some options in general save a lot of battery, but may be too inconvenient for you to use (specifically 2G/3G switching), and if you still want to use them, some playing with the various options may be needed to get it to work with the least amount of inconvenience to your usage pattern.
If you are a very heavy user, no amount of software is going to help you (much). You need a bigger battery (or a spare). If all you use your device for is streaming YouTube, chances are battery life improvements you will see are little to none.
CPU scaling may have less effect than expected. The amount of battery it saves has differed wildly between tests on different devices.
Using Wi-Fi may use significantly less power than using 2G/3G. Or, 2G/3G may use significantly less power than using Wi-Fi. It depends on the situation, the signal strength of both cellular and Wi-Fi, the transfer speed, etc.
Using 2G instead of 3G will generally speaking use less battery for most users, but this is not a given. It depends on the situation.
All in all however, the default SuperPower configuration will provide you with a setup that will save a lot of battery for the average user, with little to no inconvenience to the user.
General: I want feature X, but it isn't included
Feel free to request the feature in this thread, even if this feature is already listed in these posts that it will be implemented sooner or later. If feature X is posted about 10 times, and feature Y only 3 times, that may have an effect on the priority of implementation.
General: I expected X to happen, but Y happened
Please go through the entire configuration to make sure you haven't configured anything that causes this behaviour Y before posting here. Also read through this FAQ and the known issues. It is of course possible you have found an undocumented bug, if so please report it here (see "I found a bug")
General: I found a bug
If you post it here, perhaps we can do something about it. But first, please check your configuration first to make sure it is unexpected behaviour. When posting about a bug, always include the relevant SuperPower configuration options, exactly which device you are using, which ROM, etc. More information is usually better !
Data connections: The connection state changed, but didn't change back when I expected it to
In the default configuration, SuperPower will "upgrade" connection states as soon as possible, but general only "downgrade" them when you aren't looking.
For example, turning on data will be done as soon as you need it; while turning off data will generally be done only a while after the screen goes off. The same goes for for example 2G/3G. Switching to 3G will happen as soon as possible, switching to 2G will not be done immediately.
This does all depend on your SuperPower configuration, though!
System popups: The PIN screen pops up sometimes
On some devices certain actions can cause the PIN screen to popup when for example bandswitching or coming out of airplane mode.
If you enter your PIN code in the SuperPower configuration and you have such a device, SuperPower will attempt to automatically enter the PIN code for you - IF it understands it was one of SuperPower's actions that caused the PIN popup. An overlay screen will be presented to you while the PIN is entered and the SIM unlocked.
This is however an experimental feature, may not work 100% of the time, and can cause some inconvenience. If you find this highly annoying, but you do want to use the features SuperPower provides that may cause this behaviour, you can disable the PIN screen altogether in the device's settings application.
System popups: The lock screen pops up sometimes
Like the PIN screen, on some devices certain actions can cause the lock screen to popup. SuperPower actively counters this behaviour while it is performing actions. Should it still happen, please report it (and the exact situation that caused it), specific code that prevents this behaviour may need to be added to code in additional places.
2G/3G: A band switch is being performed even though I'm already in the mode it is switching to
It is not always possible to detect the current 2G/3G state. In that case, SuperPower will treat the current mode as undefined, and any trigger that will cause either 2G or 3G mode will result in a band switch being performed, regardless of what the current actual state may be. This is also a reason to not use the device's settings app (or any other app) to switch between 2G/3G when SuperPower is also using 2G/3G functionality. Always use SuperPower (and only SuperPower) to perform the band switch!
2G/3G: What is the difference between the RIL injection and the Sidekick method ?
RIL injection is as hackery as hacks come, and is currently only available for GSM devices. It completely circumvents most of Android and tries to force commands to be sent to the radio.
Sidekick on the other hand will use the same method as the device's settings screen to trigger a band switch, and is therefor both safer and faster to use. It does unfortunately require a compatible ROM. Carrier / manufaturer ROMs are usually not compatible, and not all custom ROMs are compatible either. Sidekick is available both on GSM as well as CDMA devices.
If your ROM is Sidekick compatible, Sidekick will always be used instead of RIL injection.
Both methods have not been extensively tested on a wide range of devices yet. So neither method may be compatible with your device. Please post here if neither method works on your device.
2G/3G: Even though I have root, the 2G/3G switching options are disabled (CDMA)
RIL injection is currently only supported on GSM devices. Only the Sidekick method supports CDMA at the moment.
2G/3G: Band switching takes too long, is this a bug ? Can it be improved ?
Band switching will take time, and inconvenience you. There is no way around this. The phone has to drop the network connection and completely reconnect to the tower.
However, in some cases it does take longer than in other cases. The Sidekick method provides the fastest band switching available, but is not compatible with many ROMs. If your ROM is compatible, though, Sidekick will be installed and used automatically instead of RIL injection.
When the RIL injection method is used (which will probably be for most users), band switching speed depends heavily on the device. Some devices are fairly quick with RIL injections, others are slow. If you have a device that requires your PIN code for operations such as band switching and coming out of airplane mode, band switching will also take significantly longer.
Depending on all these factors, band switching can take anywhere between 10 seconds and a minute. Band switching will usually save a lot of power, but you have to consider wether the extra battery life is worth the inconvenience.
2G/3G: I'm in 2G mode but my device switched back to 3G
Some devices are known to do this. If it happens to you, please post about it. An attempt a viable workaround is on the to-do list.
CPU: The device never wakes from sleep
Not all devices work perfectly with CPU scaling. If this happens, reboot your phone, go into SuperPower configuration, and switch the "ondemand" setting under "Root features". If that doesn't work, you'll just have to disable CPU scaling.
CPU: Using tool X shows me that CPU speed is never changed
The CPU speed cannot be easily changed on all devices. Some devices/firmwares are "perflocked". Disabling perflock is beyond the scope of SuperPower, and thus SuperPower will make no attempt to disable it. There are tools out there that can disable perflock on many devices that have it, for example, check out SetCPU.
Known issues
- IMPORTANT BUG - WARNING In various Android 2.1 (Eclair) builds there is a bug with push email. In case there is no data connection available, the background email service will go absolutely insane. It will use quite some CPU power constantly, and it will not let the device go to sleep - ever! I do not know if this bug existed before 2.1, and I have not seen the issue on 2.2 ROMs. If you are suffering from this, or suspect you are suffering from this, disable all the options in SuperPower to disable the cellular data connection.
- SuperUser: SuperPower does use a lot of root commands if you have root. You might want to configure SuperUser to not show toast notifications for every single request.
- State: Current state detection is not perfect yet and needs some improvements. I would advise trying to limit changing options in the application to times when Wi-Fi is off and you are in 3G mode as much as possible, just to be sure.
- Wi-Fi: Occasionally Wi-Fi and cellular data states will conflict, causing cellular data to be set to active when Wi-Fi is on. Happens sporadically.
- CPU Scaling: On the I9000 and family, you should (in my experience) enable the "ondemand" option if you are using CPU scaling. If you don't, and the device is in "suspend" mode, an incoming phonecall may crash the device.
- CPU Scaling: SuperPower makes no attempt to detect or disable perflock. If you have a perflocked device, you need to use SetCPU (or some other tool) to disable perflock on boot.
- CPU Scaling: SuperPower attempts to detect the possible CPU speed settings, and will choose the nearest value below half the maximum CPU speed as "low speed" frequency. The actual number chosen is stated in the description of the relevant option.
- CPU Scaling: I know some overclocked ROMs require the device to always be at this overclocked speed to prevent the device crashing during sleep. If you are using an overclocked ROM and encounter the "sleep of death", disable CPU Scaling.
- Roaming: SuperPower has not been tested while roaming at all. I suspect - but am by no means sure - there may be issues regarding the cellular data connection while roaming and you have set the device to disallow data entirely (while roaming). Let me know if you encounter any that seem directly related to roaming.
- Application specific: Applicatoin specific settings do not go into effect if the app is reached through the back-button, only if started through the launcher (or by some other app)
- Lock screen: Even if the "dont do ... while lockscreen visible" options are enabled, these actions may still happen if triggered by an application specific options
- 2G/3G: On some devices the device itself will automatically switch back to 3G, it will not stay in 2G for very long
Changelogs
14.03.2011 - v0.80 BETA - Release Notes
- Adjusted reboot code
- Adjusted preference save/load code
- Adjusted Sidekick install code (hopefully for the better)
- New version of Sidekick
- Uses ITelephony data controls on pre-Gingerbread
- Uses secure settings patch, Sidekick, or APN-based data controls on Gingerbread, depending on availability
18.11.2010 - v0.75 BETA - Release Notes
- Adjusted some description in config app
- Adjusted shortcut text for "wake up"
- Added "running" notification. This will make sure that there is always a SuperPower notification in the statusbar while SuperPower is running
- Adjusted when some notifications show or do not show based on other notification states
- Added WiMAX notification + 4G icons
- Added WiMAX shortcuts + 4G icons
- Categorized the shortcut selection screen
- Options the device is not capable of are now disabled in the shortcut selection screen
- Added low battery mode override: charging
- Added low battery mode override: screen on
- Added low battery mode override: lock screen
- Fixed option to disable cellular data when WiMAX is connected to a network
- Added "reboot" permission, may fix issue with patch on some devices
- Adjusted screen-on timeout cancel code
- Added option to delay service start at boot. May solve issues with users running a temp-root-at-boot like VISIONary (warning: not tested)
- Adjusted "application requires data when screen is off" handling
- Added option to kill app on screen off (partially working on 2.2)
- Added option to use "3G-only" mode for 3G to root features
- Fixed an issue with bandswitching (would sometimes detect "complete" before switching started)
- Fixed an issue with bandswitching (would not re-evaluate state after leaving lock state)
- Reworked state and wakelock clearing at screen on / screen off / unlock (fixes lockscreen data/wifi/etc on issue)
- Added option to not disable "other" interfaces (Wi-Fi, WiMAX, etc) while download speed is over X KB/s
- Update on MIUI issue: bug report submitted to MIUI devs. Hopefully they can devise a workaround
- Update on Wi-Fi error: still not properly reproducable. No closer to finding a solution (or the problem, even)
- Update on App Specific options: Still needs an overhaul and a lot of extra options!
04.11.2010 - v0.71 BETA - Release Notes
- Fixed FC on Sidekick install fail OK click
- Fixed checkmark on Sidekick install cancel remaining
- Bluetooth support changed to API level 5 and up (Android 2.0)
- WiMAX suppport changed to API level 8 and up (Android 2.2)
- Airplane bug fixed. Cause: WiMAX functions do not work on pre-2.2, SuperPower switches to airplane mode instead of turning off WiMAX
- Secure settings patch and force sidekick install limited to API level 8 and up (Android 2.2)
- Adjusted patching text for modify secure settings
03.11.2010 - v0.70 BETA - Release Notes
- AdFree workaround (may cause delay during first-time-since-reboot load)
- Updated AdMob SDK
- Fixed bug with AdMob
- Modify secure settings (Patch, ROOT), required for GPS and background data options
- Alternative method for Wi-Fi on/off
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WiMAX, GPS, "turned off by screen off" states now persistent, will survive crashes
- Persistent states cleared on boot
- If service is restarted due to crash, it is now loaded correctly
- Fixed crash when entering app-specific screen
- Modified "changed settings" update in background service, should reduce lag in config app
- Renamed "sleep mode" to "night mode"
- PIN code setting now (correctly) states it requires 2.0 if older version detected
- Implement setting Auto-Sync (Android 2.0+) and Background Data (Patch, ROOT) based on network connectivity
- Added master switch to en/disable application specific options
- Nightmode bluetooth on wake is now disabled if bluetooth not supported
- Added GPS options (Patch, ROOT)
- Adjusted multiple config settings: if no root is detected but is needed, options now have the correct "root required" summary
- Added WiMAX functionality
- Scheduled data wakeup during sleep mode disabled
- Adjusted a number of default settings
- Scheduled data is now performed automatically when coming out of night mode
- Intensely modified handling of Sidekick-based switching to accomodate some devices
- Sidekick switching now disables the data connection before attempting a switch
- Added scheduled wake up time to night mode quick list
- Alternative Sidekick installation path for non-AOSP ROMs with root
28.10.2010 - v0.64 BETA (DEBUG)
- Attempted fix for WiMAX detection force close (Market reported crash)
- Additional logging in startup screen, hopefully help finds the problem for the "blank screen" issue
- Additional logging to test WiMAX features
- Possible fix for app-specific options listed apps that are no longer installed
27.10.2010 - v0.63 BETA
- Adjustment to data off during low battery, no longer turns off when battery low but charging and "do not turn off while charging" is set, when leaving airplane mode
- Adjustment to data off during lock screen, scheduled data and charging states now override this setting
- Adjustment to service keep-alive
- Refactored settings screen (50% code reduction)
- New functionality - sleep mode
- New shortcut - sleep mode
- New shortcut - wake up
- New notification - sleep mode + tap to wake up
- New sleep mode launcher + statusbar icon
- New wake up launcher icon
- Implemented set alarm detection code
- Added some code to detect set alarms. This is not available through an API so is trial-and-error. Seems to work on most devices I've tried.
- Added "Do not switch to 3G when Wi-Fi network is connected" option
24.10.2010 - v0.62 BETA
- Attempted fix for CPU functions force close on unknown model (Market reported crash)
- Attempted fix for AsyncCreate.onPostExecute force close (Market reported crash)
- Temporarily disabled AdFree detection, until a workaround can be devised
22.10.2010 - v0.61 BETA
- Left Sidekick in testing mode. Caused it to be unavailable. Fixed.
21.10.2010 - v0.60 BETA
- State detection improvements
- Changed GSM: RILD_AUTO --> RILD_GSM_WCDMA (for Nexus 1, works according to Jug6ernaut)
- Changed CDMA: RILD_AUTO --> RILD_CDMA_EVDO (for Droid, works according to Captainkrtek)
- Added download speed check option, before turning off data or switching to 2G. API Level >= 8
- Modifications to detecting application start, no longer requires root + bug fix
- Click app title opens thread on XDA-Developers
- Re-arranged user interface into sections
- Ad-supported version no longer runs when AdFree is installed
- Created APK that disables ads (for donator version)
- Removed a LOT of SU calls
- Data schedule aborts when airplane mode detected
- Bandswitch aborts when airplane mode detected
- Last wanted data-state / band-state applied when coming out of airplane mode
- Post-wakelock-release vibration now optional (debug section)
- Added per-app selection of 3G / data during sleep (new) options
- Adjusted some item titles and summaries
- Many speed and load improvements across several functions
- If PIN code is entered in configuration, SuperPower will show a screen and unlock the device during certain operations, if needed. API Level >= 5
- Added option to switch to 3G when tethering
- Bluetooth options added. API Level >= 5
- Screen off states no longer set when screen goes off due to phonecall+proximity sensor
- Added low battery mode
- New shortcut - override low battery mode
- New shortcut - cancel override low battery mode
- New notification - low battery mode + tap to override
- New notification - low battery mode overriden + tap to re-enable
- New notification - 2g mode + tap to switch to 3g
- New notification - 3g mode + tap to switch to 2g
- New notification - nag
- New generic statusbar icon
- New 2G launcher icon + statusbar icon
- New 3G launcher icon + statusbar icon
- New low battery launcher + statusbar icon
- New low battery override launcher + statusbar icon
- Application specific settings: re-arranged order, configured at top
- Added lock screen options, to specify wether or not actions may be performed during screen on or only after unlock
- Improved detection that band switch is complete
- New known issue: applicatoin specific settings do not go into effect if the app is reached through the back-button, only if started through the launcher
- New known issue: even if the "dont do ... while lockscreen visible" options are enabled, these actions may still happen if triggered by an application specific options
14.10.2010 - v0.51 BETA
- Settings activity: modified descriptions of "root features" to show why they are disabled, if they are disabled
- CreateShortcut activity: ads added
- Settings & CreateShortcut activities: automatic shutdown, prevents popping up the main screen when clicking a shortcut
- Portrait lock (prevents lengthy re-loading at rotate)
- Added screen state detection for API Level >= 5 (reflection)
- CPU scaling: detect if ondemand or conservative is available, and set it if current governor is something else. Should support more devices.
- CPU scaling: fixed a number of possible FC's by adding missing NullPointer checks
- Service load is now multithreaded (prevents ANRs)
14.10.2010 - v0.50 BETA - Initial release
Tested on the Moto Droid running CM6, works well tested some features
Thank you. Will also test your application.
Interesting for me is the function, turning of data connection when wifi is active because this month, I've only gprs speed.
My Galaxy S downloaded Asphalt through the Data Connection although wifi was available...and I did this 2 times -_-
One "error", maybe missconfigured: If the screen is off, and I turn it back on I've no network.
Even the network from my provider was not active. So there is no phone connection nor receiving sms possible.
When I turn the screen back on, it rapidly connects to my provider.
Maybe you can give me a hint what I missconfigured
great app, it is working very well for me. Turns off data connection when screen is off and turns on every 15 minutes for 2 minutes to allow autosync. Exactly what I need for power saving since with 2g only and no active auto-sync I am saving a LOT of power.
Works Excellently
Nice App on 2.2 JPM THX mate
will test it and report back to you
for now; THANKS
Madic said:
Thank you. Will also test your application.
Interesting for me is the function, turning of data connection when wifi is active because this month, I've only gprs speed.
My Galaxy S downloaded Asphalt through the Data Connection although wifi was available...and I did this 2 times -_-
One "error", maybe missconfigured: If the screen is off, and I turn it back on I've no network.
Even the network from my provider was not active. So there is no phone connection nor receiving sms possible.
When I turn the screen back on, it rapidly connects to my provider.
Maybe you can give me a hint what I missconfigured
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you mean the network is not "active", do you have a "white circle with a line through it" icon ?
Do you have 2G/3G switching enabled ? The above is exactly what would happen if:
- You have enabled switch to 2G when screen goes off, and you turn on the device while the device is switching to 2G
- You have enabled switch to 3G when screen goes on
In both cases it is a temporary situation that takes about 10 seconds to resolve. Unfortunately switching between 2G and 3G takes time.
Thanks Chainfire. I will try this app and I’ll let you know if I find any bug or I got any suggest.
I really like the option to disable data when the screen is turned off, it’s very good for those who sometimes forget to deactivate 3G when. The only bad pint that I can see to this particular feature is that I could stop downloads of big files unless you have the screen always turned on. By the way I still really like that feature.
titooo7 said:
Thanks Chainfire. I will try this app and I’ll let you know if I find any bug or I got any suggest.
I really like the option to disable data when the screen is turned off, it’s very good for those who sometimes forget to deactivate 3G when. The only bad pint that I can see to this particular feature is that I could stop downloads of big files unless you have the screen always turned on. By the way I still really like that feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something is planned for this problem
mrruin said:
great app, it is working very well for me. Turns off data connection when screen is off and turns on every 15 minutes for 2 minutes to allow autosync. Exactly what I need for power saving since with 2g only and no active auto-sync I am saving a LOT of power.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where can I set that data turns on every 15minutes?
Thanks
Chainfire said:
Something is planned for this problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you have something planned like a watchdog to see if there is any data transfer before stopping the connection. If thats the case I think it might be not so easy as some apps could be connected to the internet with very small data transfer. However, you are the expert on this.
I just tested in my SSGS with froyo 2.2 (JPM). I'm just using default options (disconnect data when the screen is turned off) and I have realised that when the data gets disconnected the phone makes a small vibration. It would be cool if we can avoid the vibration as it also spends some battery
Birba said:
Where can I set that data turns on every 15minutes?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Under "Schedule data connection" section in SuperPower
titooo7 said:
I guess you have something planned like a watchdog to see if there is any data transfer before stopping the connection. If thats the case I think it might be not so easy as some apps could be connected to the internet with very small data transfer. However, you are the expert on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Likely it will be related to the download speed itself, not sure yet though.
I just tested in my SSGS with froyo 2.2 (JPM). I'm just using default options (disconnect data when the screen is turned off) and I have realised that when the data gets disconnected the phone makes a small vibration. It would be cool if we can avoid the vibration as it also spends some battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As stated in the first post the vibration is a debug option. It will be removed / turned off in a later version. Remember this is beta
Chainfire said:
When you mean the network is not "active", do you have a "white circle with a line through it" icon ?
Do you have 2G/3G switching enabled ? The above is exactly what would happen if:
- You have enabled switch to 2G when screen goes off, and you turn on the device while the device is switching to 2G
- You have enabled switch to 3G when screen goes on
In both cases it is a temporary situation that takes about 10 seconds to resolve. Unfortunately switching between 2G and 3G takes time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I activated both options.
Ok, if this is intended behaviour and just happens if I switch the screen back on, than it's fine.
Thank you
Madic said:
I activated both options.
Ok, if this is intended behaviour and just happens if I switch the screen back on, than it's fine.
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note that if you turn off the "Automatic switch to 3G" option, SuperPower will switch to 3G when you start any of the programs selected in the "Applications requiring 3G" instead of every time you turn on your screen.
Wow this is great! I'll download and try when I upgrade to JPM this weekend! Nice to see a great Dev working on the SGS!
Nice app mate thanks, look forward to more development. And damn you have TONS of phones, mind giving us a HD2? haha.
Bug Report!
Bug Report!
Force closed on I9000M on when switching back from another app back to SP
reloaded SP and it went in properly
I9000M became unresponsive after enabling 2G/3G option
Force closed again...
still hung, can't do much with SP, need to uninstall to return SGS back to normal
no option to uninstall, it does not appear on Titanium backup or any apk manager
A common complaint among Android users is short battery life. As we all now, Google’s platform has numerous benefits, but state-of-the-art features and constantly being connected seem to come with one drawback: comparatively large battery consumption.
I don’t suggest that you should stop taking advantage of the things that make Android great, such as streaming music players that allow you to walk around with millions of songs in your pocket, location-aware apps, background updates or all the wireless options. Still, if you’re frustrated by how often you need to connect your charger, it’s good to know what types of apps and activities that eat the most battery, so you can make an active decision whether or not it’s worth the extra juice. Use the GPS Wisely
The GPS uses the battery like there’s no tomorrow. Location-aware software is one of Android’s many fortes, but they can be real battery drainers. The Power control widget is useful for switching the GPS on and off, and you should keep an eye on your notification bar: an icon will appear whenever the GPS is activated.
Turn off Bluetooth When You’re Not Using It
Perhaps an obvious tip, but it’s best to disable Bluetooth whenever you’re not actually using it. The quickest way to switch Bluetooth off and on is via a widget on your homescreen.
Disable Wireless Network Positioning
When your device learns your location via wireless network triangulation, it requires less battery than if it had used the GPS. But using both methods simultaneously will of course use the most power. The GPS can handle location tasks by itself, albeit a bit slower. Also, wireless network positioning is used to gather anonymous Google location data in the background, which will drain the battery further. You can turn it off from Settings > Location > Use wireless networks.
Switch off Wi-Fi, or Keep it Always On
If you’re close to a reliable WLAN during the better part of the day, having Wi-Fi always turned on may be favorable from a battery point of view, since the Wi-Fi radio uses less battery than the 3G radio. And when Wi-Fi is on, 3G is off. You can confirm Wi-Fi always stays on by going to Settings > Wireless networks > Wi-Fi Settings. Press the Menu button, tap on Advanced, Wi-Fi sleep policy and select the Never option.
On the other hand, if you’re not close to a strong Wi-Fi signal for extended periods of time, disable Wi-Fi from a homescreen widget or from Settings > Wireless networks > Wi-Fi. Disable Always-On Mobile Data
The Always-On Mobile Data option is on by default, and can be disabled from Settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile networks > Enable always-on mobile data. It allows your phone to be connected non-stop, but does it need to be? I have disabled the setting, and I still get push Gmail and even Google Talk seems to perform as usual, as well as the few apps I have that use automatic updates. However, if you have a lot of apps that regularly connect to the Internet, disabling this option may actually be a bad idea, since turning the data connection on and off will require more energy than simply having it on all the time.
Kill 3G if Your Phone Often Struggles to Find It
When your Android attempts to decide which signal to lock on to, it strains your battery. If your phone often switches between GSM and 3G in your area, it can be preferable to simply disable 3G altogether, and hence abolishing the need for your phone to try and find a suitable network. Go to Settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile networks > Network mode > GSM only. Use a Quick Screen Timeout
After a certain time of inactivity, your screen is automatically turned off, and that’s the Screen Timeout. To use such a low value as 15 seconds can be annoying, but one minute is on the other hand likely too long. I use 30 seconds. You can alter this option from Settings > Screen & display > Screen timeout. Turn Down the Screen Brightness
Android’s Automatic brightness (Settings > Screen & display > Brightness) setting is recommended. If your phone doesn’t have this option, set a reasonable value at roughly 30 % and see if that suits you.
Live Wallpapers Will Use More Power than a Static Background
Oh yes, live wallpapers can be awesome. But they will obviously use precious battery juice, albeit evidently not as much as one could think, talking the eye-candy into consideration and what they can do. Have an AMOLED Display? A Dark Wallpaper Will Spare the Battery
When having dark backgrounds, phones with AMOLED display will use less power, because each pixel on OLED screens is photoemissive and will actually generate its own light. Since there’s no need for a backlight, the pixel can essentially turn off its light source and go total black. As a result, you can save a teeny-weeny bit of energy by having a dark or black background on AMOLED screens. Use Widgets Wisely
A few days ago, we mentioned 10 cool homescreen widgets, and it’s great that Android supports them. Most widgets will only have a negligible effect on your battery life, but those that automatically pull info from the interwebs can be power hogs. Use Reasonable Intervals for Automatic Updates
I personally don’t need to have automatic updates on my phone, except for emails that I want to be notified of the moment they arrive. I prefer launching the apps at my convenience and see what’s new. Most applications that connect to the Internet have an option to update upon launch, and that’s all I need. By lowering the update intervals, or by even turning them off completely, you can definitely make your battery last longer. I recommend that you reduce them to your own minimum values.
If you have an Android phone with HTC Sense, you can make sure the HTC Mail Client, the HTC Weather App, Facebook, Flickr, Stocks and Twitter update themselves as often as you want them to. This is mainly done from Settings > Accounts & sync. It’s also a good idea to look over third-party apps that grab data from the Internet, particularly the official Facebook app and the various Twitter apps, since they usually have background updates on by default.
Streaming Apps Will Use a Lot of Battery
In a recent Droid vs Droid special, Andrew did a rundown of music streaming apps, and I certainly don’t think you should avoid this type of application on your phone. But bear in mind that software that stream audio and similar apps will use plenty of power. Learn What’s Been Drinking the Juice
Unless you have the doubtful pleasure of still running Cupcake, you can check out a built-in Android feature that tells you precisely how much your apps use the battery. You can then start using battery drainers less often, or simply uninstall them. Go to Settings > About phone > Battery > Battery use and press the items in the list for further info. You can also use JuicePlotter to analyze usage patterns.
I have gotten good results by making the tweaks and changes above, and I hope you will too. Do you know of any more tricks that can make our dear Android stay on his feet a bit longer before it needs to be charged? In case you don’t want to keep all this in mind, an app such as JuiceDefender is a good option
Use setcpu app or any other one that involves controlling CPU and set a profile to make your CPU very low(this one helps a lot but your gonna notice a little lag when your unlocking your screen)
Y U WANNA KNOW FROM WHERE SENT??
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1830576
And do not use task killer. I think it's one of the reason that drain your battery quickly
all pretty good tips.
I have a problem on my phone where the cpu will not enter deep sleep mode but im sure its my fault. It says the android system is taking alot of battery in battery usage.
I would highly suggest staying away from any task killing related software, they generally aren't good for Android and can lead to problems down the road. There's an application called Juice Defender on the Google Play store and it's been working for me. I can easily turn off battery hogs like GPS and 3G while your device is inactive.
Closed, redundant thread
Please take this as (shared) information merely meant to make one think about & eventually consider someone else’s experience, rather than opinionated directions – which is NOT. I, myself see all this as a flexible, changeable, never ending process where further optimizations are definitely probable and possible. While I am definitely willing to share more details if someone’s interested, I will not respond to challenges or confrontations.
On some other thread someone suggested that without a screenshot it doesn't exist, so here you have the proving screenshots. During the first part of the day I've had a light/medium usage (receiving & sending about 10 emails, light online browsing, reading a couple of articles offline, etc). The vertical drop represents a reboot after generating a nandroid backup in TWRP and then the second part of the day was sort of medium/heavy usage with more time online and significant continuous screen-on time. (no 2D/3D games) I went to bed at 11:30PM with still 48% of battery left.
SPECIFIC environment and running parameters:
- Stock JB 4.2.2, rooted, SGH-I337M (Canadian)
- Lots of manually uninstalled/frozen apps/processes (through TB) – details available upon request.
- Under Mobile Networks I force WCDMA only (unless I’m out, downloading larger files - case in which I temporarily switch to WCDMA/LTE/GSM). Reasoning: Despite later networks optimizations, LTE is still a power hog and since it’s only used for data transfer (no voice over LTE yet – called VoLTE), no point in keeping it On permanently especially when 4G (HSDPA) can render up to 15-18Mb/s.
- WiFi On permanently (unless I’m away from “Home” for days - or longer - case in which I eventually consider manually toggling the WiFi). Reasoning: With the idea of automatically turning OFF the WiFi service when not connected and then turning it back ON when close to “Home” or “Work”, I have extensively tested various location based optimizations/monitoring methods (Tasker, Llama, Easy Profiles, Locale). So, it became clear that even when the location was monitored ONLY based on cell networks (by far the most power efficient method), the background monitoring process took (significantly) more power than the WiFi (dormant) services – especially since the recent Google’s API implementation of fused location services (go figure!!!). In other words it’s more power efficient to just leave WiFi services On when going out and about and then coming back to a “Home”/”Work” location where WiFi connection is used – then to use a background location monitoring service to toggle WiFi service On/Off.
- Sync OFF (Reasoning: I simply don’t need it – your case may be different here, no arguments).
- Location services OFF (Reasoning: I use Tasker to automatically turn the GPS On when certain apps are in the foreground and then automatically turn it back Off when the app is closed (no longer in the foreground)). This way I have 100% control over both, determining/monitoring exact location and power consumption.
- Auto Start Manager (from ROM Toolbox Pro) to control the receivers/intents that load (or not) at boot. Reasoning: This method can be used in conjunction with (or instead of) freezing apps in Tasker since some apps may act funny after being frozen/unfrozen (i.e. If TalkBack is once frozen, then you’d most likely get the voice talking back to you (in some native apps) even when TalkBack gets restored to its original state and/or everything else is off, including all the dependent services – quite annoying. Same goes for “Software Update”. I’d rather disable the intent that activates the service at boot (in ROMToolbox), than freeze the service/app (in Tasker) because freezing may render the process unusable even after being restored/unfrozen. There are lots of possibilities here but this takes patience and trial & error.
- Tasker is probably the only one app that makes me never leave Android environment. I use it heavily and the possibilities for optimizations (and amazement) are truly endless. When I mention Time/Location/Position/Variables/Apps optimizations/Sensor-based actions I merely scratch the surface. It takes a little bit of time and dedication to learn the ropes but it’s definitely worth the effort.
- Facebook (Notifications On + auto sync every 1 hr), Google+ (Manual sync - since Sync is Off)
- Aqua Mail Pro (all other email clients like Gmail or stock Email are frozen or uninstalled)
- Boat Browser Pro (all other Internet browsers are frozen or uninstalled)
- Screebl Pro (keep screen on) – rather than Samsung’s Smart Stay (a much better/efficient solution - although it seems to no longer be supported)
- I mostly use the screen on Auto-Brightness but occasionally, in low light conditions (night/indoors) I use LMT Gestures/Tasker with 4 brightness presets (double swipe Up/Down/Right/Left – works wonder, even over a locked screen!!!)
- RoboForm with a decent internal browser and an excellent security, solves the ordeal of remembering (or carrying them insecurely) lots and lots of login/passwords. Just to give you some food for thoughts, I often do online banking transactions on the phone – but only using RoboForm’s internal, secure browser.
I found the S4 much better optimized than any other phone I've had so far, in terms of power consumption when idle (screen off), however the SCREEN and the MEDIA SCANNER (running after every reboot) are the two major (I mean major) consumers that, despite careful optimizations, are still taking most of the battery – and there is not much we can do about it.
I am looking for any and all feedback, bug reports, suggestion, or feature requests on my first real app. I know battery managers and screen dimmers have been done before, but I wanted something that was lightweight and simple to understand for non-power users. BUM is a battery manager that includes:
*Battery drained x percent in y hours alert
*Custom auto brightness with temporary bright control
*Wifi enabled or disabled based on location
*Mobile data turned off with screen, background updates on fixed intervals (except on 5.0+ - I'll add support for rooted devices if that's something you guys think would be useful)
*Low battery alerts
*Extra savings settings when alerts occur
*Custom screen timeout (any value between 0 seconds and 60 minutes)
* Coming soon - network activity detection before turning off wifi or mobile data
* Coming soon - expanded screen dimmer notification bar controls
A select few customization options are paid features but all of the core functionality is free. The only non free feature is the temporary brightness notification button for the screen dimmer.
Play Store link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.compass.bum
Thanks to everyone for taking a look at my app. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
What auto brightness notification bar controls would be most useful to people?
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Man, if you could implement something like this for rooted users, It would be awesome
When WiFi = Off Then
Mobile Data on for 2 minutes, then Mobile Data off for 8 minutes - Repeat routine, only happens when screen off
Mobile Data on when screen On
I could definitely do that. I'll work on that soon.
Two minutes is actually the time it re-enables mobile data when screen is off, and the paid version let's the interval go down to 15 minutes but I could easily change that to go as low as 10 minutes. That would give the exact cycle you requested. Every ten minutes it enables mobile data for two minutes, give or take. I use inexact timing to save power.
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If you're willing to test it, send me your Gmail account associated with your Google play. I don't have a rooted device to verify it's working so I'll need some help testing.
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Alright, I have a build with possible android 5+ mobile data operation. I'll post it this evening.
If anyone with android 5 and android 5.1 rooted phones could let me know if it works for them that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, everyone.
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It doesn't state explicitly for rooted users right? So I assume that non-rooted users will be able to test out as well?
eden1988 said:
It doesn't state explicitly for rooted users right? So I assume that non-rooted users will be able to test out as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct, root would only be needed for people on android 5+ and only for the mobile data option due to Google locking down programatically managing mobile data. Everything else is this app does not require root.
Published root mobile data access for 5.0+ but I don't have a rooted android 5 phone to test. Can someone verify, please?
I also added a check for network traffic before disabling. There is a 10 second delay after screen goes off and then it checks network traffic every 20 minutes until it can shut down data. This let's you stream music.
I'm experimenting with some Bluetooth management as well.
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So I added functionality to turn bluetooth on when driving and off when no longer driving. Hoping to help out the people who tend to leave bluetooth on all the time so they can sync with their cars stereo. Please let try it out and let me know what you think.
Ultra Battery Saver is an application that design to prolong your battery life by using ADVANCED SYSTEM SETTINGS TWEAK and ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. The Free version is already functional and powerful, Pro version would unlock more advanced features that required root access.
Link to Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=exa.free.ubs
If you want to try the Pro version too (Paid App):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=exa.pro.ubs.r
HIGHLIGHTED FEATURES:
Auto Pilot:
Enable the application to work in artificial intelligence mode, it will automatically choose the best settings for your system.
No Useless Animation:
Usually, there are a lot of battery saving apps out there, with a lot of useless animation and effect, which is unnecessary and drain battery power. Since our policy is focusing on functionality, there are no such animation or effect in this app.
Privacy Care and No Ads:
Before displaying ads, application would need to download ads content over internet, which will waste bandwidth and battery power, also user data will be collected which in most case a privacy risk to user. Since its violet the policy of this application, we have make sure there are NO ADS in this application, in both free and pro version. Also we make sure data that processed by this application would never leave user's device.
APPLICATION FEATURES:
Smart Wifi:
When this feature is turned on, application would automatically turn off wifi when device's screen turned off, and turn it back on when device's screen is unlocked, user could choose to turn on or turn off wifi only in pro version.
Smart Sync:
This feature is used to minimize the time of sync run on the device. By Default, when this feature is enabled, device would TURN ON SYNC 5 MINUTES FOR EVERY 1 HOUR. User could choose more time duration in pro version.
Smart Brightness:
When this feature is turned on, application would automatically adjust device screen brightness base on the battery level to archive battery saving, user could choose auto mode ,day mode, or night mode in pro version.
Power Charging:
This feature could speed up battery charging by limited some features of device during charging, such as turn off wifi. We recommend only enable this option when you are not using your device during charging. User could choose to which option to apply during charging in pro version.
Wake Lock:
Note: This is not a battery saving feature and should only used when need only.
Wake Lock is a feature that ensure the device screen never turn off automatically when you need to do activity that need the screen to stay on, Example : Using GPS.\n\nBut this feature may drain extra battery power on some condition, so please turn it on only when needed and clear the wake lock after used.
FAQ:
Q1: Why we don't have task killer feature?
A1: Since we know about how android device works, and we even investigate the way of task killer work before, we can't add this feature because it violate our policy. When killing a service using task killer, android system would always automatically restart that service, then task killer will try to terminate that service again, just like a never-ending cat mouse game. Also, restart a service in most case will use more battery than leaving it run in the background, the only way to safely stop a service is using the android built in Force Stop feature, which is ONLY AVAILABLE IN OUR PRO VERSION.
Thanks for reading
Before putting a bad rating at the Play Store if you encountered a bug or problem, you can contact me or leave a post below, so I can see and repair the problem or you
mod edit - thread closed as per OP request
the new thread here
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-ultra-battery-saver-solution-to-t3726088