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Strange "Android System" CPU usage times battery usage

I've been noticing a weird shift in percentages of usage on my battery. Before a few days ago, display would take up a good 70+% of the battery. Now, I seem to be seeing a 40%-ish usage from Android System. My girlfriend and I have the same phone, we both unplugged at the same time and within 2 hours, hers only had about 4 minutes of CPU usage from Android System while mine had a whopping 1 hour.
I can't figure out what the problem is or what's causing this.. Anyone able to shed some light on this for me?

I noticed that Android System is using the second most battery after the display for me too. Hadn't noticed this at all until today. Are you rooted?
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

mjforte said:
I noticed that Android System is using the second most battery after the display for me too. Hadn't noticed this at all until today. Are you rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not.
It just doesn't make any sense to me because my girlfriend and I were in the same spot for those two hours; nothing should have been different.

Yeah that is weird. Anyone else that can shed some light on this?
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

Sounds like a rogue process. Reset and see what happens.

You may want to use an app like Quick System Info Pro (or something else, can anyone suggest one?) and capture logs of that process. That might shed some light on whats going on.
I had that problem, and then through elimination figured out that if I had a clockweather widget on the home screen, it caused some issues. I dunno why.

a number of things are always going to be using the battery. if the display isn't the biggest battery user and the android system is than it simply means that a number of background processes have been consuming your battery while your display has been off. how is or was your battery level compared to your girlfriend's phone? perhaps you have more things that are sync'ing in the background than your girlfriend. anyway, unless you're seeing an unusually high drain in your battery than I wouldn't worry about it.

Well, I powered off/on the phone and it doesn't seem to be doing it anymore. I would love to find an app that could help me pinpoint this next time so I don't have to power down my phone just to fix it. I have aLogcat installed but I can only see the past two minutes of logs because it goes by so fast.
shock2sys said:
a number of things are always going to be using the battery. if the display isn't the biggest battery user and the android system is than it simply means that a number of background processes have been consuming your battery while your display has been off. how is or was your battery level compared to your girlfriend's phone? perhaps you have more things that are sync'ing in the background than your girlfriend. anyway, unless you're seeing an unusually high drain in your battery than I wouldn't worry about it.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, the problem is how much battery it was draining. Within the 2 hours it was unplugged, I lost 54%; she only lost 29%.

Ive had this same problem with Android System going crazy. I have no idea what causes it. A reboot fixes it, but it's pretty annoying.

Yup. I've seen this too.
I'm gonna guess you guys were on 4G? I've read this exact thing happening to a few people, and they've all been on 4G. It's happened to me three times -- all on 4G. I keep my phone on 3G at work because the signal is terrible and WiFi at home and haven't seen this issue in those circumstances. Some kind of 4G radio issue, most likely.
I read in another thread Verizon is aware of the problem (or so somebody was told on a support call about it), so hopefully it'll get fixed in an OTA update.

Can someone help me pinpoint my crappy battery life issue?

I have stock android Non rooted. I turned off Google now, reduced the number of apps that automatically sync. Put display down to 15 percent brightness.
I have no idea whats causing this:
Down to 70 percent so far today.
http://imgur.com/a/2mAc2
http://imgur.com/9iUieNJ
http://imgur.com/D115tbf
I did some youtube, gaming etc. Obvisouly not THAT much given my low screen on time.
Even without vid watching, it drops about this much each day.
THe only way Im gettign by is by having a wireless charger so i constantly charge it.

Do you have the SendHub app by any chance? It was sapping up my battery and I have better results after I froze it with Titanium.
I have a rooted, stock, and tweaked 32GB Nexus 5.

What settings are on your kernel?
Sent from my Nexus 5

latest chrome's rape battery

I dont

dicecuber said:
What settings are on your kernel?
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I..dunno. I never touched any of those settings.

Is the CPU over clocked?
Sent from my Nexus 5

He said he's stock people lol.
I dunno I'm stock and I get great battery life. Have you tried going to settings / apps and then running. It will show processes that are running and the CPU time, look for something taking up an lot of CPU time.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app

It's obviously the screen doing most of the damage. How bright is your phone set to again? Just 15? I can see the dips when your screen is on and for an hour of screen on time, that's not out of the question on a device that only totes about 5 hours max of screen on time.
Also why are your fonts so huge? Accessibility settings? If you're not rooted and running stock you need to be checking background processes. Id recommend maube looking into rooting and installimg a custom kernel so you can check and adjust a cpu governer to make sure your CPU isn't running faster than it needs to. You could also possibly stand to undervolt a bit.
Edit: made some errors my bad
Sent from my Nexus 5

wafermagnet said:
I have stock android Non rooted. I turned off Google now, reduced the number of apps that automatically sync. Put display down to 15 percent brightness.
I have no idea whats causing this:
Down to 70 percent so far today.
http://imgur.com/a/2mAc2
http://imgur.com/9iUieNJ
http://imgur.com/D115tbf
I did some youtube, gaming etc. Obvisouly not THAT much given my low screen on time.
Even without vid watching, it drops about this much each day.
THe only way Im gettign by is by having a wireless charger so i constantly charge it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speculations until we see a BetterBatteryStats log. Get us one of those if you want real answers. Using the device while gathering the data for the log can obscure the issue, so gather a log overnight. That awake time is troubling.

Is Google Now keeping the phone awake? Mine sometimes hangs up and I have to force close the app or restart the phone.

Synyster06Gates said:
Is Google Now keeping the phone awake? Mine sometimes hangs up and I have to force close the app or restart the phone.
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Click to collapse
I turned google now off.

movielover76 said:
He said he's stock people lol.
I dunno I'm stock and I get great battery life. Have you tried going to settings / apps and then running. It will show processes that are running and the CPU time, look for something taking up an lot of CPU time.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes there were a few apps that had a lot of time, the keyboard, Box.com app, facebook, and a few others. But I didn't bother with it too much because the idle time isnt that bad. The battery goes down quickly two ways: 1. Screen on time. 2. Me checking it every few minutes wakes everything up I guess and lowers it really fast.

What do you mean by "some Youtube"? 15 mins or an hour?
And did you check the Mediaserver runtime? I had a battery issue with my Nexus 5 on stock ROM too and the reason was the permanent Mediaserver activity.
Sadly, I couldn't figure out the reason. Maybe there is a corrupt file on your storage and it keeps scanning or an app is not really compatible with 4.4...
I switched to a custom ROM and the problem was gone...

muEcke* said:
What do you mean by "some Youtube"? 15 mins or an hour?
And did you check the Mediaserver runtime? I had a battery issue with my Nexus 5 on stock ROM too and the reason was the permanent Mediaserver activity.
Sadly, I couldn't figure out the reason. Maybe there is a corrupt file on your storage and it keeps scanning or an app is not really compatible with 4.4...
I switched to a custom ROM and the problem was gone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the screen on time was about 45 mins...Id say about 30 min of Youtube.
Its not mediaserver usage. the biggest thing is the screen I think. Ive been trying to find apps that run in the background and uninstall them as well.

muEcke* said:
What do you mean by "some Youtube"? 15 mins or an hour?
And did you check the Mediaserver runtime? I had a battery issue with my Nexus 5 on stock ROM too and the reason was the permanent Mediaserver activity.
Sadly, I couldn't figure out the reason. Maybe there is a corrupt file on your storage and it keeps scanning or an app is not really compatible with 4.4...
I switched to a custom ROM and the problem was gone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the screen on time was about 45 mins...Id say about 30 min of Youtube.
Its not mediaserver usage. the biggest thing is the screen I think. Ive been trying to find apps that run in the background and uninstall them as well.

[Q] Battery drain and high Android OS usage?

Last week I got a Droid Ultra and am noticing my battery life is pretty bad. I'd heard the Ultras don't get great battery life to begin with but I think something else is going on with my setup. My Android OS usage is always by far the highest, dwarfing the screen percentage. This is my first smartphone so bear with me if this is normal or I'm doing something dumb. My usage seems to be pretty normal by these board's standards, 30min talk, 20-40 texts, wifi on, and couple hours of gaming. (slow week at work!) I have installed Watchdog and it is running on moderate, although I must admit I don't really know how to use it to its full capabilities. I have attached some screenshots below, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have a Mini with the same issue. Still haven't figured out what it is, even tried a factory reset. So you're not the only one.

jjlangen said:
I have a Mini with the same issue. Still haven't figured out what it is, even tried a factory reset. So you're not the only one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MrPlinkett said:
Last week I got a Droid Ultra and am noticing my battery life is pretty bad. I'd heard the Ultras don't get great battery life to begin with but I think something else is going on with my setup. My Android OS usage is always by far the highest, dwarfing the screen percentage. This is my first smartphone so bear with me if this is normal or I'm doing something dumb. My usage seems to be pretty normal by these board's standards, 30min talk, 20-40 texts, wifi on, and couple hours of gaming. (slow week at work!) I have installed Watchdog and it is running on moderate, although I must admit I don't really know how to use it to its full capabilities. I have attached some screenshots below, any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Click to collapse
Did you guys try disabling the bloatware and turn of Google location?if you're still on 4.2 you can use gsam battery monitor from play store. It gives detailed info on wakelocks and and what's keeping your CPU active.
Sent from my KitKat Ultra

Caseyk621 said:
Did you guys try disabling the bloatware and turn of Google location?if you're still on 4.2 you can use gsam battery monitor from play store. It gives detailed info on wakelocks and and what's keeping your CPU active.
Sent from my KitKat Ultra
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried to get rid of the bloatware but they don't seem to be removable. I can stop them but they just restart later. I have just turned off locations so we will see if that helps. Will the program you mentioned work with Kit Kat? I am using DU Battery Saver at the moment. Thanks for the advice.

MrPlinkett said:
I have tried to get rid of the bloatware but they don't seem to be removable. I can stop them but they just restart later. I have just turned off locations so we will see if that helps. Will the program you mentioned work with Kit Kat? I am using DU Battery Saver at the moment. Thanks for the advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gsam Won't work on 4.4 unless you're rooted. So you can disable the bloatware easily. Go to app drawer long press on app you want to disable as if you were going to add it to the home screen. Drag it up and drop it on app info. You can disable it there. Some apostle it will ask if you want to revert back to stock. Select ok. Best part is you can't break anything this way! If you want to enable the apps go to settings....apps...and slide all the way over for list of disabled!
Sent from my KitKat Ultra

Bloatware has been gone for a while. I tried disabling location last night, but still have the same high OS usage today. Just installed GSam- on 4.4 but rooted- I'll post if it comes up with anything helpful.

Super high Kernal usage...

Just wondering if there might be a quick fix for this.
Seems like at the end of a cycle, my Kernal Usage is 30% higher than anything else. Screen and idle usually come in next. I usually get around 4-5 hours of screen time.
Wondering if there was something quick I could try to get that under control.
Thanks

redddog said:
Just wondering if there might be a quick fix for this.
Seems like at the end of a cycle, my Kernal Usage is 30% higher than anything else. Screen and idle usually come in next. I usually get around 4-5 hours of screen time.
Wondering if there was something quick I could try to get that under control.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"kernel usage" is too vague. If you have root, use something like bettery battery stats to see what's giving to you partial wakelocks. You probably have a rogue app.

BladeRunner said:
"kernel usage" is too vague. If you have root, use something like bettery battery stats to see what's giving to you partial wakelocks. You probably have a rogue app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No root. Any non-root ideas?

redddog said:
No root. Any non-root ideas?
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Click to collapse
wipe data and install apps one at a time and see which one is causing the issue, the dapa wipe itself might cure the issue too.

I've struggled with the same issue on my Mini--what wakelock is showing up? For me it was "suspend_backoff", which I only found what seems like a fix to today--I went into WiFi>Advanced>WiFi frequency band> and changed it from "Auto" to "2.4GHz only". Went from using around 20%/hour of my battery nearly idle to only around 8%/hour. Solid fix for me, although I'm not certain if it has messed up my voice input as a result. I'd love to hear if you can try out the same fix--let me know if it has any effects on your Touchless Control or Google keyboard voice input. Cheers!

Battery Drain (Pixel 4a Global)

I reformatted to factory settings, and even reinstalled all factory images. I still get a lot of battery drain daily. the battery details screenshot indicates that Google is always on and Suspend Wakelock is always on. what can I do to fix this issue? I am unable to keep this phone otherwise. I always have battery drain issues on Android yet seems as though Google has not provided a stable fix...
I cant get even one hour of screentime on Android until it hits 80%.
I just need to know how to fix the Wakelock issue because I think that's what it is. I tried Wakelock apps but they don't do anything.
EDIT: resolved. just reflashed using Android Flash Tool and that corrected it.

aohus said:
I reformatted to factory settings, and even reinstalled all factory images. I still get a lot of battery drain daily. the battery details screenshot indicates that Google is always on and Suspend Wakelock is always on. what can I do to fix this issue? I am unable to keep this phone otherwise. I always have battery drain issues on Android yet seems as though Google has not provided a stable fix...
I cant get even one hour of screentime on Android until it hits 80%.
I just need to know how to fix the Wakelock issue because I think that's what it is. I tried Wakelock apps but they don't do anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
use bbs to get more detail of usage. Otherwise nobody could help you.

aohus said:
I reformatted to factory settings, and even reinstalled all factory images. I still get a lot of battery drain daily. the battery details screenshot indicates that Google is always on and Suspend Wakelock is always on. what can I do to fix this issue? I am unable to keep this phone otherwise. I always have battery drain issues on Android yet seems as though Google has not provided a stable fix...
I cant get even one hour of screentime on Android until it hits 80%.
I just need to know how to fix the Wakelock issue because I think that's what it is. I tried Wakelock apps but they don't do anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oy Vey. Battery life (power consumption) is outstanding on this device right out of the box. No rogue wakelocks here. Misbehaving apps and panel brightness are the two biggest drainers. Adjust your life and so called "SOT" will improve. Note the battery is 'only' ~3140 mAh. Don't expect all day longevity if gaming or in constant use. That's not what this phone is about.

I was able to resolve the issue by reflashing. I had used BBS hence why the suspendlockout at 100%.
Steps to resolve. (aware that this may not be the most ideal option for some)
- Reflash using the Android Flash Tool (don't manually update, just use the flash tool provided by Google)
- Start from scratch. Do not restore from backup. Install most needed apps.
- Observe battery drain over the course of the day
The issue was that Google app (not sure which app that is) did not run in background properly hence the high drain.
I was able to get 6 hours of SOT once I reflashed. Here is to hoping 7 hours of SOT with a modified kernel.

aohus said:
I was able to resolve the issue by reflashing. I had used BBS hence why the suspendlockout at 100%.
Steps to resolve. (aware that this may not be the most ideal option for some)
- Reflash using the Android Flash Tool (don't manually update, just use the flash tool provided by Google)
- Start from scratch. Do not restore from backup. Install most needed apps.
- Observe battery drain over the course of the day
The issue was that Google app (not sure which app that is) did not run in background properly hence the high drain.
I was able to get 6 hours of SOT once I reflashed. Here is to hoping 7 hours of SOT with a modified kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kernel appears well optimized on this device; doubt you will see significant power utilization improvements with custom varients. More likely to score headaches w/o a corresponding benefit.

I'm on my second cycle. Got close to 9 hrs sot on first. Here's my 2nd after useing it for an hour this morning. Even better than my OP5T! I use wifi almost all the time since I don't get any cell bars at home.

tcat007 said:
I'm on my second cycle. Got close to 9 hrs sot on first. Here's my 2nd after useing it for an hour this morning. Even better than my OP5T! I use wifi almost all the time since I don't get any cell bars at home.
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Click to collapse
I'm getting low numbers like op, 4-5 sot but I'm only on cell data (no wifi in this apartment for now). Could wifi vs cell account for such a big difference? Thanks!

suda space said:
I'm getting low numbers like op, 4-5 sot but I'm only on cell data (no wifi in this apartment for now). Could wifi vs cell account for such a big difference? Thanks!
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Click to collapse
Yep - especially if signal is weak/marginal forcing the mobile radio to maintain a higher power level. Same thing can happen on WiFi although have more options to cycle WiFi on/off during screen off operations. In contrast, mobile radio is on 7x24 unless you tell it otherwise.

DB126 said:
Yep - especially if signal is weak/marginal forcing the mobile radio to maintain a higher power level. Same thing can happen on WiFi although have more options to cycle WiFi on/off during screen off operations. In contrast, mobile radio is on 7x24 unless you tell it otherwise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thanks. I’ll test it out soon on wifi and see what happens.
I saw that the Pixel 5 is about the same form size as the 4a but with the larger battery. Out of curiosity, anyone know if it’s possible to jam that 4,000mah battery inside the 4a? I haven’t seen the internals so don’t know if there’s enough room.

keaheng said:
use bbs to get more detail of usage. Otherwise nobody could help you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May I know what bbs is ?

[email protected] said:
May I know what bbs is ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the app "BetterBatteryStats"
[APP][2.2+][11 Dec. 2022 - V3.1] BetterBatteryStats
I started BetterBatteryStats because I was missing the great battery history that Spare Parts allowed to call on Froyo. It has been a long journey since the first version. BetterBatteryStats provides an insight in following categories: - General...
forum.xda-developers.com
BetterBatteryStats – Apps bei Google Play
Ein hoher Batterieverbrauch ist ein limitierender Faktor für eine positive Nutzererfahrung.
play.google.com
Can be very helpful to find the app/service which effects the battery drain.