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[Q] Battery usage on custom roms

Hi there,
I am currently running on HTC stock rom with 2.3.4 but currently considering applying a custom ROM to get better battery mileage (i.e. more hours).
I see that all custom roms mention that one should get better battery usage because they have applied some optimizations. But is this real?
What I have understand so far is that battery life varies for every user because everybody uses the phone different with different applications (probably there aren't 2 phones with the same configuration) so any benchmarks are meaningless...
But... If you have used the stock rom and moved to a custom rom , what is your experience did battery life improve? I am assuming that you continued to use the phone in a similar way...
Currently I get between 12-16h hours on my stock rom, what should I expect if I move to custom ROM?
Currently considering moving to Android Revolution HD 3.6.3 XE.
Before being flamed, I looked and searched for the answer to this question but could not get any answer...
Thanks

for me the experience has been reverse... when on stock rom, i get better battery life but when i use custom roms I get worst battery...
Currently running Sense 3.5 and it has something really annoying with battery.. sometimes it would stick at 100% for one hour and then when i start using it for 10 mins it would come down by 20% in no time...
With ARHD 3.6.3 my battery would take too long to charge but with sense 3.5 it takes half the time to charge...
So using custom Roms you will never figure out how ur battery works..

jjdoctor said:
for me the experience has been reverse... when on stock rom, i get better battery life but when i use custom roms I get worst battery...
Currently running Sense 3.5 and it has something really annoying with battery.. sometimes it would stick at 100% for one hour and then when i start using it for 10 mins it would come down by 20% in no time...
With ARHD 3.6.3 my battery would take too long to charge but with sense 3.5 it takes half the time to charge...
So using custom Roms you will never figure out how ur battery works..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is misleading as this might be your experience but not everyone's.
I get excellent battery life with Sense 3.5 and I don't get any bad battery readings either.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App

My battery life improved noticeably with a custom rom. However, when you get a custom rom, you usually also pair it with an overclocked kernel which ups the speed but also reduces battery life a bit.
I'm running ARHD 4.1.3 with faux's kernel running at 1.5ghz and am still getting better battery life then stock. I can use my phone for a full day, not charge it at night, and then still be able to last to about just after lunch time the next day. With the stock kernel, battery life was even better but the phone was also slower.
There are a lot of settings that you can tweak to try and conserve battery life. I keep bluetooth and gps off, and I think that using the GSM antenna only instead of both GSM/CDMA helps, stuff like that.

pms said:
Hi there,
Currently I get between 12-16h hours on my stock rom, what should I expect if I move to custom ROM?
Currently considering moving to Android Revolution HD 3.6.3 XE.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really? I never got anywhere near close to that. Best was about 6 hours if I used the phone for anything other than talking.
I am currently on the revolution 3.6.3 XE rom and I can't stop smiling. I get a bout a good 8 hours of usuable (xm streaming, surfing, gaming and some slingbox as I have a hour commute each way every day) and about 10 hours with little to no activity. Light years from where I was. I have tried quite a few roms, but this one is a keeper. Try it

moshe22 said:
This is misleading as this might be your experience but not everyone's.
I get excellent battery life with Sense 3.5 and I don't get any bad battery readings either.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
misleading in what? this is exactly how I feel...
ricanbandit said:
really? I never got anywhere near close to that. Best was about 6 hours if I used the phone for anything other than talking.
I am currently on the revolution 3.6.3 XE rom and I can't stop smiling. I get a bout a good 8 hours of usuable (xm streaming, surfing, gaming and some slingbox as I have a hour commute each way every day) and about 10 hours with little to no activity. Light years from where I was. I have tried quite a few roms, but this one is a keeper. Try it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get 5-7 hrs with heavy usage.. with non stop video streaming and wifi, i get 3 hours...

jjdoctor said:
for me the experience has been reverse... when on stock rom, i get better battery life but when i use custom roms I get worst battery...
Currently running Sense 3.5 and it has something really annoying with battery.. sometimes it would stick at 100% for one hour and then when i start using it for 10 mins it would come down by 20% in no time...
With ARHD 3.6.3 my battery would take too long to charge but with sense 3.5 it takes half the time to charge...
So using custom Roms you will never figure out how ur battery works..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 on that. My battery life was horrible on CM7. I tried everything to fix from other kernels, radios and every battery calibration tip, tool and app. I just went back to stock. I was dropping 6-7% battery life while my phone was in standby. If the phone was in airplane mode it was fine. I also tried turning off wi-fi but that didn't help.

I get better battery life using the latest IC Rom. Not a heavy user, a few calls, few texts, 10 +/- emails, decent amount of web and twitter use though, little gaming. Take it off charger at 7am, and when I put it back at 11pm, I usually have 30%-40% of my battery still left.

I am using CM7 alpha9, which is very far from being release-quality. I had thought it was doing very well - 6 hours and still at 80%. But then I had a phone call drop using WiFi Calling, and I had to reboot to regain the use of the dialer. I was at 20% after reboot...

I noticed a huge difference with Revolution HD (no-sense script) compared to the stock ROM.
Very happy with the switch.

Best I got with ARHD and a stock 1.2 Ghz kernel was 1 day, 5 hours, and the best Ive had with ARHD and Faux kernel was about 12 hours.
Typically I was seeing about 8-10 hours with ARHD and Faux kernels. I just decided to try bricked last night so I cant really report too much, although today looks really good so far. I'm already at 10 hours 20 mins as I type this with 30% left. Typically I would be plugging my phone in after work getting in the car on the way home with the Faux kernel. I just flashed this kernel last night so it hasnt even "settled in" yet. Both non-stock kernels are running OC at 1.5 Ghz.
~T.J.

A lot of times people forget when flashing roms and such is to clear the battery stats, this will increase battery by a surprising amount.
When people flash New roms they don't wipe battery stats and that's why there battery life sucks. And yeah sometimes it is the Rom and or the way they use there phone.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App

I have ARHD latest realise with 3.5 sence
Battery life is not bad, but i had better with stock rom.
I get 14-15hr on one charge, but I noticed a lot activity when screen is off.
Can someone please tell me how can I clear battery stats?

bakili said:
I have ARHD latest realise with 3.5 sence
Battery life is not bad, but i had better with stock rom.
I get 14-15hr on one charge, but I noticed a lot activity when screen is off.
Can someone please tell me how can I clear battery stats?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So... what led you to use ARHD? if you are not getting better battery life, what led you to ARHD? Better performance? Is that really noticeable? If yes, can you please give some examples?
Thanks!

pms said:
So... what led you to use ARHD? if you are not getting better battery life, what led you to ARHD? Better performance? Is that really noticeable? If yes, can you please give some examples?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perfomance is better, but the main reason is Sense 3.5. I cant say it effected battery life badly.

CM7 has excellent battery savings.

[Q] Best ROM for battery life?

I get horrible battery life with nearly every ROM Ive used on my Sensation, sometimes drains 10 percent an hour with the screen OFF. I have all data off, no wifi on, no apps running, juicedefender ultimate, and underclock when screen is off, and I read about people who can get a full day while using the total potential of the device. I had the same problem on my old device, so I returned it to T-Mobile and still have problems on the device I got in return. I dont expect to get two days on battery, I just find it crazy that I can barely use my device without the battery draining rapidly. I've considered undervolting but every rom ive downloaded didnt support it, so I was curious if you guys know of any efficient ROMs that save a ton of power and can be undervolted. I'm not very experienced with this kind of stuff and every ROM ive used has been poor on battery life, so help would be appreciated.

I am using InsertCoin ROM and it is running fine.

I used to have a 3% battery drop per every hour the phone was sleeping on stock rom and ARHD ics. Then I tried Virtuous Inquisition and it fixed the issue. Be sure to install the rom with its appropriate radio.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App

ICS isn't fully stable yet, but seriously.. give that a try. My battery has doubled its lifespan. I have NO idea what htc/google did, but I get about 12 hours moderate usage and still around 50%. Getting 12 hours back then was what I was hoping I could hit! Now it lasts beyond my expectations
I've also read that you tried undervolting and everything. I just stayed stock and it's great, no effort! no custom kernel, OC/UC , it's amazing. If you read through the threads, I'm not the only one experiencing awesome battery
If you must know, I'm using InsertCoin but I think ARHD and all the other ICS roms will pretty much solve your problem

Thaxtonator said:
I get horrible battery life with nearly every ROM Ive used on my Sensation, sometimes drains 10 percent an hour with the screen OFF. I have all data off, no wifi on, no apps running, juicedefender ultimate, and underclock when screen is off, and I read about people who can get a full day while using the total potential of the device. I had the same problem on my old device, so I returned it to T-Mobile and still have problems on the device I got in return. I dont expect to get two days on battery, I just find it crazy that I can barely use my device without the battery draining rapidly. I've considered undervolting but every rom ive downloaded didnt support it, so I was curious if you guys know of any efficient ROMs that save a ton of power and can be undervolted. I'm not very experienced with this kind of stuff and every ROM ive used has been poor on battery life, so help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im still using stock rom. it using 1% nearly 3-4 hours when its in sleeping
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App

Ok thanks guys ill try various ICS roms over the next week and see if there's a difference.

[Q] What drains my battery life after installing cyanogenmod 10 for lg p500?

Hi, noob here.
I'm in fact happy to upgrade from my horrible and outdated firmware (2.2) of my LG p500 to Cyanogenmod 10. there is only one (major) problem: my battery life fell to roughly 12 hours even when the screen is mostly off and the battery statistics tells me that it is mostly drained by the screen (50-70%, which does not make sense). I tried installing Easy Battery Saver only to see that it gives me the same stats and does nothing I can't do via the settings.
I don't want to disable wi-fi or mobile networks when the phone is sleeping, I need them. I don't want to deep sleep it. I just want to know what causes this sharp fall in battery life.
Is it because of the updated OS, kernel, whatever? Is it another service that I didn't have in the old firmware? Or is it just my battery being worn out when I was struggling with it trying to install a custom rom for the first time?
Thanks in advance for all the replies.

Think its the kernel, try reflashing it
Sent from my ST25i using xda app-developers app

Go to Settings > Battery, and it tells you what's consuming most of your battery.
If the battery usage doesn't seem to reflect your actual usage pattern, you can try re-flashing.

ppasha said:
Go to Settings > Battery, and it tells you what's consuming most of your battery.
If the battery usage doesn't seem to reflect your actual usage pattern, you can try re-flashing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the replies. by re-flashing, do you mean I have to flash the rom all over again or just the kernel? and how can I do it?

Make sure that your phone is able to go into deep sleep. If not, your battery will be drained as well.
adilu said:
Hi, noob here.
I'm in fact happy to upgrade from my horrible and outdated firmware (2.2) of my LG p500 to Cyanogenmod 10. there is only one (major) problem: my battery life fell to roughly 12 hours even when the screen is mostly off and the battery statistics tells me that it is mostly drained by the screen (50-70%, which does not make sense). I tried installing Easy Battery Saver only to see that it gives me the same stats and does nothing I can't do via the settings.
I don't want to disable wi-fi or mobile networks when the phone is sleeping, I need them. I don't want to deep sleep it. I just want to know what causes this sharp fall in battery life.
Is it because of the updated OS, kernel, whatever? Is it another service that I didn't have in the old firmware? Or is it just my battery being worn out when I was struggling with it trying to install a custom rom for the first time?
Thanks in advance for all the replies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

i have samsung 9001 and it was stock GB rom. after installing JB on it my battery time was reduced by around 10-20%. i think ICS and JB need little more battery than GB. or am i wrong?

HUGE battery drain with Viper ROM

Hey,
I just switched to the new Viper ROM for the DHD.
It works rockstable and very smooth, but the drain is immense.
The telephone app uses 49% power. How is that possible?
Any ideas on how to fix this bug?
Greetings from cologne.
PS: sry for posting this here. I'm still not unlocked for the developers forums
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using xda app-developers app

I did change my rom to viper 2 weeks ago and change also to lupus v5 kernel, and i have less battery drain than before, also maybe it s a question of Kernel...

lolmachine said:
Hey,
I just switched to the new Viper ROM for the DHD.
It works rockstable and very smooth, but the drain is immense.
The telephone app uses 49% power. How is that possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there!
Well, I have been using Viper V4 ROM for a while now and on stock Kernel [Viper V4.5 available here if you want http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2128642] and in the first couple days or so I did notice a massive drain in battery life however this drain did become much better when the ROM "settled".
The second point is that I don't permanently leave my 3G, network data, wifi, etc, always on but only on a "use as you need" basis. This does not only extend your battery time duration obviously but also your eventual battery life. You might want to think long term and start to opt this way also.
Thirdly Viper ROM comes with various tweaks and one of them is for battery economy [you can find that under \menu\settings\power saver] where you can actually program 3 different modes with different times and specs at your own wish.
Fourthly I know of a great personal tweak that really works on Android phones but I really did not have to do it on Viper because as mentioned before the battery life for me is good enough [one charge=over 48 hours!] but I'll teach you nevertheless:
When your battery gets to 3% use the app Root Explorer and go to: \data\system\batterystats.bin and delete this file [batterystats.bin]. Go ahead...no fear...it won't damage your phone!
Then turn on your 3G, network data/traffic, wifi, screenlight to maximum [you must be quick before your phone turns off!!!!!]
Then put the charger in your phone and reboot with it plugged in charging and phone ON...confirm that your 3G, network data, etc is still on.
Leave all of them on until finish 100% charge...remember that will take more time to charge...after charge turn 3G, network data, wifi OFF and use as you need basis or as you would normally use but avoid always leaving them on 24 hours.
When your battery reaches 3% or even 5% this time, do the above again but DON'T EVER DELETE BATTERYSTATS.BIN AGAIN!!!!!
Do the whole process 4 or 5 times and you will notice INCREDIBLE change in battery life from there on. After these 4/5 times you can stop doing the process.
NEVER! Charge your phone at any point in the battery indicator above than 5%
I hope this helps you...please let me know.
Oh and don't forget to click on THANKS.

Thanks alot for your answers!
I've tried to calibrate the battery with your described method, but that doesn't change the high power consumption by the telephon app...
Switching the Kernel looks like a good idea to try. I will do that tomorrow and post my results here
greetings!

Hi there mate!
Yeah sure, that would be my choice also but I'm still stuck with stock kernel due to locked bootloader from SIM block...until then...
See ya later mate.
Sent from my WT19i using xda premium

Battery life bad even on Anker 1900!!! Help!!

Hi all,
I brought my HTC Sensation z710e about 14 months ago, and I'm a pretty heavy user, so battery life took a hit.
After about 8-9 months i got 4-5 hours screen on time on the stock battery. About 7 hrs heavy usage. I tried formatting the phone, and kept an eye on battery abusive wake locks, but to no avail.
To rectify that I've tried various roms (Elegencia 4, VipersS 1.6, Albinomans CM 10.1) among a few and also tried undervolting the phone. Nothing.
Then about a month ago, I brought a 1900mAh Anker battery which according to a lot of XDA threads is the problem solver for all battery issues.
I've been using that battery with Albinomans rom, and I have tried wiping battery stats to ensure the battery starts from a clean slate, but still I get barely 7 hrs, far from the promised 2days.
That leads me to conclude that something is wrong with my setup. And having tried many roms and kernels, formatting my phone and doing most other stuff suggested on the XDA threads, I cant work out whats wrong.
If it is a hardware issue, is there any way of finding out what it is, and what would be the way to rectify.
Any help would be higly appreciated
(although I've been and rooting and playing around with my phone for abt 3months now, this is my first thread on XDA. It may be a little unorganised in the way its written. If i've left any info out plz let me know. Thanx)
HTC Sensation z710e
Albinomans CM 10.1 10th May build
CPU 1500Mhz 384Mhz
Firnware 3.33

hello, if you use many applications that constantly require the 3G part of your mobile , it is quite normal ...
With my stock battery, i'm about 20hours and more but if i play games for a long time it's normal that battery drops.
I even think that you can be happy that your battery takes 7 hours using it a lot.
Try these CPU settings :
Governor Lazy or Badass
Min : 384Mhz or 432Mhz
Max : uses frequencies between 932 to 1188Mh
When u change ROM try to wipe battery stats before first start
Before u change the Kernel, make a Full Kernel Reset. Flash new Kernel

blogodoblogodo said:
hello, if you use many applications that constantly require the 3G part of your mobile , it is quite normal ...
With my stock battery, i'm about 20hours and more but if i play games for a long time it's normal that battery drops.
I even think that you can be happy that your battery takes 7 hours using it a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This part all rings true. You cannot measure the battery life by how long you go between charges. That's almost irrelevant information because if ti's set up properly the phone will use very minimal battery when the screen is off.
The proper way to measure the battery life is by how much screen on time you get plus phone talk time between charges. With an Anker on Albino's CM10.1 ROM that should be 3 to 5 hours depending on a few other things. If that 3 to 5 hours happens all at once, then you'll need to recharge in 3 to 5 hours. If you use it sparingly over 2, 3, or ever 4 days before you've use it for a total of 3 to 5 hours, then it'll last that long between charges.
The 2 things that use the battery are the screen's backlight and the cell radio. Those two things are the battery users. Bluetooth and Wifi are too. But theoretically you're not using bluetooth or wifi unless you are talking on a call or having the screen on. So you can still measure by the scren on plus talk time. And if you use bluetooth and wifi a lot your total use will be closer to 3 hours than 5 hours.
When u change ROM try to wipe battery stats before first start
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This part is not true. It has no effect on anything. And when you install any ROM the battery stats are going to get wiped anyway because you are replacing the entire contents of the system directory.
No amount of wiping battery stats, calibrating batteries, or any of that mumbo jumbo is going to help. It's all snake oil.
Also keep in mind that you do need to give a new ROM 3 to 5 full charge and discharge cycles before you really see what the battery life is like. If you're jumping from ROM to ROM every day to test battery life you'll never get an honest look at what batter life is like on any of them.

Kernel
Thanx very much,
Any suggestions on what JB kernel to use??

murtazasamiwala said:
Thanx very much,
Any suggestions on what JB kernel to use??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On albino's ROM? You only have 2 options. The one that comes with it, which is perfectly fine. Or SultanKernel, which isn't terribly different. But the install process of sultan gives you more configuration options.
Sent from my GT-P5110 using xda app-developers app