Related
***
Due to further information from both the hardware and OS side of the house, it has been determined that this process is completely unnecessary for the Captivate.
You may still follow this procedure if you like or if it makes you feel good.
Good luck and God bless.
***
So, you are having trouble with your battery seemingly draining too quickly, especially after having flashed many ROMs/Kernels/etc...
It is possible that the problem (or part of the problem) is not necessarily the phone using too much power, but rather the phone not really knowing how much power you have left, or where 100% or 0% really are. If this is the case for you, you should see some results from doing the following:
(Do at your own risk. If your phone runs away and joins the circus I am not responsible)
1. Connect the phone to the charger with the phone powered on, and allow the phone to charge until it shows 100%
2. Disconnect the phone from the charger, and power it off.
3. Reconnect the phone to the charger with the phone powered off, and allow the phone to charge until the battery indicator shows 100% (you can use vol-up/vol-down to make the indicator come back up when the screen goes to sleep).
4. Disconnect the phone from the charger and power it on.
5. Use the phone as normal until it shuts off, then plug it in, turn it on and use as normal, charging whenever you like.
You should only need to use this sequence one time.
Hope this helps.
...
10 char
Thanks for posting this, I remembered seeing it in another topic but I couldnt find it anywhere.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
KJPDX said:
Thanks for posting this, I remembered seeing it in another topic but I couldnt find it anywhere.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I had it in a text file on my computer from a little while back, and was going to bump the topic but I couldn't find it anymore.
This may have to be done again after ROMs and stuff, so either bookmark this post, or copy-paste it into a document on your computer you can refer back to later.
Also, this give creedence to the age-old, often-debated theory that you should give your battery a full charge before turning on your phone for the first time...
It makes me sick when we have to do all this crap.
mwxiao said:
It makes me sick when we have to do all this crap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, it's a price we pay for messing with the software/firmware on the phone.
Also, if people did an actual full charge before using their phone for the first time, there would probably be fewer "Battery Life Sucks" threads...
Dont forget to boot into recovery after you full charged (adb reboot recovery or Power off the phone and then hold the volume up + Volume down + the power key. When it goes black the 2nd time release the power button and keep holding the volume buttons.) wipe stats Clockworkmod recovery -> advanced -> wipe battery stats.
Question for ya's.when I got this phone the att dude just turned it on and gave it to me without allowing for a full charge.should I go back slap him in the face and get a new battery and fully charge it before first use, cause its almost been two weeks and my batt life still seems kinda poor to me.
Also if I do that should I unroot and restore the att apps or will they not notice or bother to check that
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Recalibrating may help slightly, but the Captivate just has a ****ty battery life. Read here, it was the worst in the entire test. No coincidence, the S-AMOLED's came in last in battery life and the S-LCD's came in first.
http://androidheadlines.com/2010/08/android-phones-battery-tests-are-in-and-we-have-a-winner.html
derek4484 said:
Recalibrating may help slightly, but the Captivate just has a ****ty battery life. Read here, it was the worst in the entire test. No coincidence, the S-AMOLED's came in last in battery life and the S-LCD's came in first.
http://androidheadlines.com/2010/08/android-phones-battery-tests-are-in-and-we-have-a-winner.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Without any details of how that test was performed, the results are meaningless.
I get battery life as good as my old iphone with the captivate. I wish it was better but it seems very competitive to me.
derek4484 said:
Recalibrating may help slightly, but the Captivate just has a ****ty battery life. Read here, it was the worst in the entire test. No coincidence, the S-AMOLED's came in last in battery life and the S-LCD's came in first.
http://androidheadlines.com/2010/08/android-phones-battery-tests-are-in-and-we-have-a-winner.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something doesn't make sense since the Epic 4G has better battery life than the Captivate. Me thinks they didn't test these properly.
k2snowboards88 said:
Without any details of how that test was performed, the results are meaningless.
I get battery life as good as my old iphone with the captivate. I wish it was better but it seems very competitive to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't even come close to the same battery life on this captivate as I did with my old iphone. I have to charge this phone every single night, where with my iphone I only had to charge it 2 or 3 times per week. I take it off charge every morning and by 10pm its down to around 20%. My old iphone I could go 2-3 days, and I do the same things on both phones. Checking facebook and twitter, playing a little bit of kingdoms live, a little websurfing, and checking emails, as they come in.
Same usage and 1/2 to 1/3 of the same battery life. Not so good.
Also, you cant say the test was meaningless because they dont tell you how they tested it. As long as they ran the same test on all the phones then a direct comparison of battery life is very legitimate and meaningful. But I agree, I would like to know what their testing methods are.
derek4484 said:
I can't even come close to the same battery life on this captivate as I did with my old iphone. I have to charge this phone every single night, where with my iphone I only had to charge it 2 or 3 times per week. I take it off charge every morning and by 10pm its down to around 20%. My old iphone I could go 2-3 days, and I do the same things on both phones. Checking facebook and twitter, playing a little bit of kingdoms live, a little websurfing, and checking emails, as they come in.
Same usage and 1/2 to 1/3 of the same battery life. Not so good.
Also, you cant say the test was meaningless because they dont tell you how they tested it. As long as they ran the same test on all the phones then a direct comparison of battery life is very legitimate and meaningful. But I agree, I would like to know what their testing methods are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By old iPhone, do you mean 1st gen EDGE only iPhone? If that's the case, you can disable 3G on Captivate and get similar battery life.
k2snowboards88 said:
Without any details of how that test was performed, the results are meaningless.
I get battery life as good as my old iphone with the captivate. I wish it was better but it seems very competitive to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you go to the actual Laptop magazine post it explains
The test itself is fairly simple. Avram, our tireless Web director, modified the LAPTOP Battery Test we use for notebooks, and created an Android App that does much the same thing: It opens the phone’s Web browser to one of 60 popular Web sites, remains there for 60 seconds, closes the browser, then reopens the browser to next Web site on the list. It does so until the phone’s battery dies, all while recording the time elapsed.
Here’s how we set up the phones before we tested them:
First, we download My Settings and Advanced Task Killer, two free apps that are useful regardless.
Then, we open My Settings, and do the following:
Turn screen brightness to 40%, and turn off auto brightness.
Turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS location, cell location, and auto sync.
Deactivate screen timeout; that is, make sure the screen stays on indefinitely.
In the Web browser, we turn off Flash support and plug-ins.
We placed the phone in an area that was receiving at least 4 bars of service.
http://blog.laptopmag.com/android-battery-test-reveals-droid-x-lasts-longest-amoled-handsets-trail
Sounds about right to me although I dont think I could get 4.43 hours web. Most screen usaged I have gotten is up in the 3hour range.
I've done this on my captivate.. and I think it made it a little worse..
to be honest.. just leave it be and charge when you can.. lol hope for the best!
maybe other people will have better luck..
Many people also seem to have success with fully discharging their battery before charging it again for the first 2-3 times. Seems the battery learns its 'boundaries'. Many are reporting 20-30 hours after that with moderate usage.
mterrence5 said:
If you go to the actual Laptop magazine post it explains
The test itself is fairly simple. Avram, our tireless Web director, modified the LAPTOP Battery Test we use for notebooks, and created an Android App that does much the same thing: It opens the phone’s Web browser to one of 60 popular Web sites, remains there for 60 seconds, closes the browser, then reopens the browser to next Web site on the list. It does so until the phone’s battery dies, all while recording the time elapsed.
Here’s how we set up the phones before we tested them:
First, we download My Settings and Advanced Task Killer, two free apps that are useful regardless.
Then, we open My Settings, and do the following:
Turn screen brightness to 40%, and turn off auto brightness.
Turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS location, cell location, and auto sync.
Deactivate screen timeout; that is, make sure the screen stays on indefinitely.
In the Web browser, we turn off Flash support and plug-ins.
We placed the phone in an area that was receiving at least 4 bars of service.
http://blog.laptopmag.com/android-battery-test-reveals-droid-x-lasts-longest-amoled-handsets-trail
Sounds about right to me although I dont think I could get 4.43 hours web. Most screen usaged I have gotten is up in the 3hour range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that turning all of the screens to 40% brightness invalidates the results. To equal the playing field, the screens should be set to equal luminance.
My battery meter has been flashing 0 for 10 minutes now. Should I be worried? Should I return my phone? True story.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Still here. Battery hasn't died.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
EDIT: thanks everyone for the input! Here's the revised guide:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The purpose of this how to is to help you, whether new or experienced, to achieve the best battery-life results possible.
This is not:
a magical solution doubling or tripling battery life
a collection of zip files to flash, offering dubious promises
anything of my own making. If I quote anybody and forget to give credit pls pm or comment.
What this is:
Tried and tested methods to *slightly increase* your battery life
An open forum, if I miss anything don't hesitate to comment
I'm organising this post as follows:
Basic: Stuff you probably all know, but here for newbies' sake
Intermediate: More effort involved
Hacks: Root required
[Basic]
1) Turn off wifi, bluetooth, and GPS when not in use. HTC and Google both provide handy widgets to toggle these on and off.
EDITED:
2) Don't use automatic brightness. Use a widget to ramp it up only when needed. Automatic brightness may ramp it too high, and engages an additional sensor so It might actually decrease battery life. ( Thanks droid fetish and magneticzero )
3) Set brightness as low as possible when you can. There's an app called "dimmer" on the market that will set it lower than standard widgets. Use this when you're in the dark.
[Intermediate]
1)Update: The following may or may not help, I am doing some tests to try and get a solid answer: Turn off 4G when not needed, especially if you're in a 3G only area.
to do this dial *#*#4636#*#* then change "CDMA + LTE/EvDo auto" to "CDMA auto (PRL)"
Change it back when needed.
*** I don't remember where I first read how to do this, so if you discovered this please let me know so I can give credit.
You can also get an app from the market by the great folks at TeamAndIRC called "LTE OnOFF" at the moment it's just a shortcut to the *#*#4636#*#* menu, but they're working on improving it.
If you're rooted, you can flash "advanced Radio Tools In Settings" by jcase *thanks for the great tool* that will add this menu into your network settings. (its in rom manager under jcase)
Find the original thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1018159
2) Bump Charge. As explained in detail here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=871051 (great post byrong!)
follow the instructions here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1016508 (thanks psufan!)
3) Currently there is a bug with certain towers that really drain your battery. Until they get it fixed there's a solution in post 12 of this thread. here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=12597290&postcount=12 (thanks Zshazz!)
[Hacks]
1) Remove Bloat.
IF you are rooted, you can use titanium backup to "freeze" (restores on hard reset) or delete apps out of the stock rom. Blockbuster is really bad, as are many of the others.
A good way to do this is to just flash a rom with the bloat removed. They are many, find them in the development section.
I use Das BAMF by adrynalyne here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1009876
2) Undervolted Kernel. Flash a new kernel, a good one comes with Das BAMF, for other roms, you can flash adrynalyne's in MrBobrowitz's section in rom manager.
For an interesting read: here's an excellent post by byrong about the effects of cpu and brightness on battery:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=979359
Go ahead and read that, then give him a "thanks" for all the hard work.
Thanks for reading!
This is a working list, so please comment anything that should be added!
Regards,
-Jesse
Reserved
Currently running the following tests:
a) run pandora after fresh charge/boot on both 3G only and 3G/4G with screen and volume off. Report ma usage and battery level every half hour.
b) run phone in standby on both 3G only and 3G/4G with screen and volume off. Report ma usage and battery level every half hour.
(calls will be forwarded)
This is no objective, and I see the following 2 flaws:
a) pandora may not have a consistent data usage amount
b) my signal may very for 3G and 4G.
If you can think of a way around this let me know.
Thank you for not putting ATM in here. I would've reported you... fo realz
Hahahahaaa lol! I'd sooner shoot myself. I sell phones for a living, and it took so long to convince my peers about atm its turned me into an anti-atm/atk zealot
Is there still any debate on whether or not turning off 4G has a significant improvement on your battery life? I remember reading a while back (2 weeks ago) that it didn't matter, so I never put any effort into disabling it. But being in a non-4G area I'm sure it doesn't matter.
Just curious what other people have seen/heard.
I will try and do some tests tomorrow... if anyone has evidence pls let us know.
Until then, goodnight
Edit: thinking about it: it might not matter. The rumor probably came from the ego 4G, because wimax behaves like wifi (to my understanding) and is therefore a battery drain. That being said, LTE does not behave that way....
So there are 2 questions in need of answering:
1 does the phone 'search' for LTE in 3G only areas, thus wasting battery
2 does turning it off in a 4G area save battery?
I can tackle the second since im in a 4G area. If anyone wants to test the first, be my guest.
use a brightness wiget and keep screen down until you need it.
Auto brightness is a battery killer...set your screen and forget it
I don't think turning off 4G saves battery, I have tried it both ways at work in a heavily blanketed 4G area, and I can't see any difference. I have also looked at the battery history with phone in idle, and drain seems to stay consistent at about 35-45 mah. So I think it only "searches" for signal maybe if you are in a non 4G area. I never not in 4G, so this I can't answer.
magneticzero said:
Auto brightness is a battery killer...set your screen and forget it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. I would assume it takes more functions to determine automatic brightness then it does to have a set level.
I can't do that, as I am in and out all day. I wish we had some user customizable screen auto brightness settings like luminosity on winmo. That is literally the only thing I miss from winmo. Basically it allows you to set the minimum bightness that you can stand for all different outdoor lighting conditions. Instead of having the standard that goog or HTC sets. (not sure who sets it)
The biggest battery saver might only be able to be done via the user. Maybe if you have Tasker you can set it up, but here it goes:
Some areas/towers cause your radio to drain enormous amounts of power (and it doesn't show up in your Battery Use menu). For the people getting 6h of battery life, I'm looking at you. Download CurrentWidget and find out where these places are. When you discover the areas this happens, make sure your Mobile Data is turned OFF while you're in those areas. You may also use wifi if available. This stops the "bug" from draining your battery.
Normal areas (such as the area around my house) draws 40-80 mA with my screen off according to CurrentWidget. These bugged areas (like certain areas in town, for me) will cause your phone to draw 700mA minimum ... and when I looked through my current widget logs, 900mA has seemed to be the norm. As you can imagine, your battery wouldn't survive very long at all with that kind of drain.
After paying attention to where this bug happens, I've managed to extend my battery life to taking 20% (as in, my battery widget showed 80%) of my battery in 13 hours and 30 minutes. That is a 4x improvement over my old battery life. With careful use like this, you could see 2 days of light-medium usage very easily.
I'm not saying this is normal or that you should be expected to do this... I'm saying HTC/Verizon has a bug they need to fix ASAP, and this is just a stopgap until they fix it.
Zshazz said:
When you discover the areas this happens, make sure your Mobile Data is turned OFF while you're in those areas. You may also use wifi if available. This stops the "bug" from draining your battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, so just for giggles I installed that widget to see what I was getting at my desk, and it was running around 380-410mA, turned on the wifi (which also disables mobile data) and I'm down to 150-160mA immediately.
I'm going to enable logging and keep an eye on this now. Thanks for the info!
seandalton0 said:
Wow, so just for giggles I installed that widget to see what I was getting at my desk, and it was running around 380-410mA, turned on the wifi (which also disables mobile data) and I'm down to 150-160mA immediately.
I'm going to enable logging and keep an eye on this now. Thanks for the info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
of course wifi uses less power, but dont tell anyone the secret to longer life /holygrail
magneticzero said:
of course wifi uses less power, but dont tell anyone the secret to longer life /holygrail
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My understanding of layer 1 technologies is pretty limited, so this is good news for me
seandalton0 said:
My understanding of layer 1 technologies is pretty limited, so this is good news for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-1 for reminding me of freshman year, +2 for being clever.
Updated the op. Running tests on 4G to Make sure my info is accurate.
I can't even take it off WiFi at home even though I am in a 4g area ( according to Vz's map). 4g drops constantly. Sucks.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Since you included some hacks into the mix (kernel/rom), you might want to make mention of both some standard SetCPU profiles, and the smartass governor.
Thanks for the continued effort.
seandalton0 said:
Wow, so just for giggles I installed that widget to see what I was getting at my desk, and it was running around 380-410mA, turned on the wifi (which also disables mobile data) and I'm down to 150-160mA immediately.
I'm going to enable logging and keep an eye on this now. Thanks for the info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. Here is where I have a problem. Everybody knows this right? Well, I thought I was having problems with my wifi. It drained my battery down to zero every night no matter what the battery was. With my Dinc I ran wifi (Y5 - so it was automatic as soon as I walked in the door) and the battery life at home was GREAT. Well, not so with my TB. I did notice however that I am on the fringe of 4G/3G as I am on the outskirts of Cincinnati. When I was on data it would bounce back and forth between 4G/3G. So, what I've tried is using the LTE on/off widget I turn it to 3G only when I get home and voila! my battery life is supurb with only about a 5% drop overnight max. This is while I'm on wifi. Why in the world should I have to regulate the data type while I'm on wifi?
Ive searched around and this seems to be a common issue, I tried the factory reset even the htc battery conditioning where you charge fully turn off then another hour back on for 2min off again and charge for another hour with no positive results, I read online some ppl are getting -1/-2 mah an hour I have never seen single digit in my phone.
I included screenshots of my battery drain even adjusted the app to read 1500mah, anything else i missed in settings? Also went into phone information in the Tests menu set it to auto instead of GSM, also with SetCPU I tried underclocking with little change to mah usage, running out of ideas...
Currently its rooted with GingerBreak, and CM7 with #48 nightly installed, any help would definitely be appreciated.
How many hours is your phone lasting on a single charge?
Lately between 5-7hrs one had about 8 and half hours a handful of times
it's true that if you constantly use the phone nonstop like watching youtube, browsing, playing games, etc. the battery won't last longer than 4 hours without getting an extended battery, heck just using moderateley the battery will be about 50% by the end of an 8 hour workshift, but what I found that will extend the battery life with moderate use are these...
1. Turn of wifi, bluetooth, gps, sync. (contrary to what ppl say on this forum I find that wifi eats way more battery than being on 4G)
2 Disable background data. (The only thing I actually need background data checked is to use the android market or maps when I need to, with it off it's a huge battery saver)
3 In settings choose to use only 2G (This will increase battery life 4x and Tmobile 2G is pretty fast, just like 3G)
4 Download Opera Mini (Since you'll be using 2G to save battery you'll want to surf the web with a browser that is super fast using slow connections, and Opera mini is second to none. You can always turn on 4G when you want to have fast video streaming but then you eat alot of battery again.)
5. Install Auto Airplane Mode (you can turn auto airplane mode on when you're not gonna be expecting calls such as at work or when you don't want to be disturbed, hell, if you just want to save as much battery as possible. Since Auto airplane mode disables the radio and data completey which is the number 1 cause of battery bleed with it on from a full charge unplugged you'll still have a 100% when you wake up your phone after a day.)
6 Install juice defender (free is fine)
7 Don't use Lookout Antivirus (I've found Lookout drains the battery quick, if you want an antivirus that doesn't eat the battery try AVG. I prefer AVG because I notice it does not drain my battery like Lookout.)
This has made my phone last more than a day on stock battery with moderate to light use. If I think of more tweaks I'll add later
This is ridiculous. If you have to turn off all those features, then don't even bother getting a smartphone.
My tips are:
1- Set brightness to auto.
2- Avoid Skype and other apps that usually appear as On going on the status bar.
3- Get rid of any task killer. They actually make the battery life worse. Don't worry about tasks running in the background, the OS takes care of them. If you wanna quit an app, try to look for a quit button by pressing the settings button when the app is on the foreground. Otherwise, just press the back button below the screen until you get back to the home screen (for some reason this seems more efficient than just pressing the home button.)
4- If you don't use IMs, get juice defender and set it to disable data when screen is off. It will turn data automatically on once you turn the screen on by pressing the lock button on the top of your device. Note that this is different compared to auto airplane mode, with Juice Defender you can still receive phone calls and text messages when the screen is off.
Last but not least, consider purchasing an extra battery and/or car charger.
Mine usually lasts for about 12 hours with moderate to high use. Almost all smartphones have short battery life if used heavily.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
risho said:
Lately between 5-7hrs one had about 8 and half hours a handful of times
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea that's awful. Do you by chance have your brightness set extremely high? And how is the cell coverage where you usually use your phone?
I think all of the advice above is valid and will save your battery. The question is to what extreme do you want to go? I tend to agree with donatello88 that there comes a point when you get so paranoid about battery life that you may as well not have a smartphone because you've turned off most of its features.
Get rid of any task killers, battery monitors, etc. They are simply churning thru clock cycles and that uses more battery. Set email, Facebook, etc to check for updates less frequently. Either use auto brightness or manually set your brightness to about 25-30%. That should b bright enough for everyday use unless your in bright sunlight a lot. Use juice defender if you like. And be wary of antivirus apps. I've heard some can suck ur battery dry.
If you do those simple things and are still getting only 5-6 hours then I'd be taking it back to T-Mobile ... unless of course you're on your phone without ceasing. In that case, what can you expect? Lol
Ok with the tips I just mentioned above, I got a chance to put it to real world test. I caught the bus to my son's grad ceremony and reached there at 4pm ceremony didn't start till 6pm so those 2 hours just surfing the web reading articles and forums I was down to 90% battery. Didn't know how long the ceremony was gonna be so called my sister on video chat using tango and spoke to her for about 20 minutes. Did some more browsing using opera mini set to only use 2g for another 2 hours, my don came out, I took some pics and video of him turned on 4g to video chat again with my duster for about 5 minutes, and after 4 non stop hours of consecutive use with screen on, I'm now at 71% battery life. I'm at the bus stop now on my 12 mile commute home and I'm confident the battery will give me more entertainment until I get home. Awesome! You don't have to believe me, just try out my tweaks and you'll be amazed.
Everyone thanks for all of the help and tips, today was the first day I saw 10hrs+(included screenshots), I had my screen on auto and after some reading saw that with CM7 it doesnt work well so I have changed it down to 20-40% depending on where I am, turned off background/auto sync only turn it on when I need it and uninstalled the app killer I was using also changed a few of the SetCPU profiles.
Im not really a heavy user just wondering if having 3email accounts set to update every hour would be a battery drain too? I mostly text/email during the day and talk about 1-2hrs depending how busy I am at work.
Again I thank everyone for pointing me in the right direction...unfortunately at home I have 1bar to none for service so I do depend on Wifi calling which im sure drains more juice, also at work since it in a high rise not too much cell signal so wifi on most of the day...
[Ultimate GUIDE] Increase your battery life on Android
risho said:
Lately between 5-7hrs one had about 8 and half hours a handful of times
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello risho,
I was having the same kind of battery life... After 3 months of research, I collected all valuable tips.
"Valuable tips" means: tips that do not need constant involvement from your side (you don't need to go switch on/off things, etc..) and also that leave you with a very functional phone (you have location when you need it, you have e-mails flowing regularly enough, etc...)!
With these tips, I am now lasting from 6am to 11pm and at 11pm, remaining battery is 10% at least!
Go and check my thread: [Ultimate GUIDE] Increase your battery life on Android!
Enjoy!
Saving Your Droid Charge's Battery
We all know that the droid charge is decent with battery but some functions just drain it so quick that it seems like its the phone itself. I have posted in several other threads about saving batter. I wanted to put together a single thread on all of the many ways as to save your battery. Some of these ways can be done through various apps free and paid. Some users of android opt to buy an extended battery for their phones to combat the high power consumption of the phone. This isn't always the best way to handle this as with the extended battery, you are very limited almost never going to find a case that protects your phone. Here are several factors that drain the charge's battery:
1. 4G. Its a known fact that Verizon's 4G connection is the fastest LTE that is in the market. This function is one of the most battery intensive functions that the phone has. While this radio is active it pulls a lot of juice from the battery to ensure that you stay connected and have the highest bandwidth possible.
2. Mobile Data. Keeping this function on allows you to recieve your email notifications, mms, and all other apps that require a data connection. This function can use 3g or 4g connection for data.
3. Screen Display. Though with the super Amolled plus screen is the best on the market, this is THE most drain on your battery.
4. Accounts and Sync. This function is a harsh one to control because it isn't always active and can run in the background or while the phone display is off.
I have listed some of the major functions of the phone that drain the battery. Below are some steps to prevent and/or help your droid charge last throughout the day. I use my phone at work while I am away from my computer or just during breaks and can last throughout an entire 10 hour work day without worry of my charge going dead.
1A. 4G. There are several things to be done to ensure that you don't let one of the droid charge's best feature become your worst enemy. While not using your phone for any data intensive apps, you should always turn this feature off to conserve battery. To turn this feature off, while on your home screen: Menu-->Settings-->Wireless & Networks-->Mobile Networks-->System Selection-->and choose CMDA Only (this is the 3g Network).
There is an easier way to get this feature on and off by a 4G toggle app and is linked here--> https://market.android.com/details?id=com.coreyapps.togglelte
2A. Mobile Data. While the above should be done every time you use/don't use your phone for data, this should be turned off always if you are connected to any wifi source. This also ensures that both your 3g and 4g radios are turned off while in a poor signal area and will save your battery the strain from trying to gain a signal. While turning this off, you will not receive data unless you are connected to wifi, but you will be able to receive calls and sms messages.
3A. Screen Display. This is the number one cause of battery drain. While there are preventative measures to ensure that you limit the strain, if you are using your phone a lot for anything, you will need to charge any device. You should pick a screen lock out timer that best suites you and you should let the phone turn the display off. I have mine set to 30 seconds and believe this to be the happy median between the two extremes. 15 seconds seems to be to short and 1 min is way to long. Note: If using the phone there should be no reason to use over 30 seconds.
4A. Accounts & Sync. This function isn't as bad as the others but can leave you puzzled if this is your first droid. This is the silent killer...To combat this only allow your phone to sync over wifi and the best is to set times to sync every 12 to 24 hours. I use 24 hours and it syncs around 2 a.m. while I am sleeping. To get your phone on a schedule like this, stay up to the wee hours of the morning or until you know for sure that you will be at home at the time for the sync to occur. When the time is right, go through the Manage Accounts and through each of your accounts and sync.
There are many other factors that could play a role in your phone not lasting the day. With the newer phones and the 4G capabilities, we should train ourselves and not our batteries. With this it is up to each individual user to ensure that they manage their phones in a proper manner for proper results. I have used an extended battery until i got fed up with not having a case for my phone. Once going back to the stock battery, I had to train myself to manage my phone to ensure that I could last an entire day on one full battery charge.
Contrary to popular belief, giving your Droid Charge some extra juice throughout the day isn't a bad thing. A full uninterrupted charge is best at night but throughout the day it isn't bad to sneak a good 10-15 min charge in. My battery life is amazing with following my routine of things when I use and don't use my phone.
There are several apps that can aid you squeezing the most life out of your battery. Juice Defender is the main one with many options and very customization.
Please let me know if anyone else has any more information on either battery intensive apps or functions and ways to correct them and I will be sure to update this post for everyone. Hope you enjoyed my write up.
~jkbucksot
Whats the point of having this great phone if you have to go through all that?
blueis300 said:
Whats the point of having this great phone if you have to go through all that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me I use it while away from my desk and don't want to take my laptop into the server room. I don't have time to sit at my desk and charge my phone. I am in a work place where there is no cell service.
Go ahead and see how long your battery last without service, your radios will suck it dry within a couple of hours.
Didn't say you have to do all of that, as there are apps to help you achieve it.
A black wallpaper helps too.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium
Ive seen other posts like this before. I know you're trying to help but there's no way I would go through all of that to have a smartphone. What kernel are you using? What Rom? I use my phone throughout the day a lot. I can go 10-12 hours with HEAVY use without turning my phone into a dumbphone. Not all of the time but most of the time you are doing something wrong if you're getting 4 hours of heavy phone use. Either that or you're on the wrong Rom/kernel and/or haven't calibrated it correctly. In my opinion, what's the use of even having a smartphone like this if you're going to constantly turn it into a dumbphone?
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk
SOTK said:
Ive seen other posts like this before. I know you're trying to help but there's no way I would go through all of that to have a smartphone. What kernel are you using? What Rom? I use my phone throughout the day a lot. I can go 10-12 hours with HEAVY use without turning my phone into a dumbphone. Not all of the time but most of the time you are doing something wrong if you're getting 4 hours of heavy phone use. Either that or you're on the wrong Rom/kernel and/or haven't calibrated it correctly. In my opinion, what's the use of even having a smartphone like this if you're going to constantly turn it into a dumbphone?
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had a steady rom/kernel package in the last week. I have been testing Imnuts new infinity1031 build.
Your not turning your "smartphone" into a "dumbphone". You are managing your phone. No one said to completely turn off notifications/app updates (ie weather) on your phone.
When you say that you get 10-12 hours of heavy use, do you mean data use or just sms messaging etc? Also there is no phone out there that can stay connected to 4G using data and last 10-12 hours.
So your heavy use, isn't really heavy...
I agree, I can get two days or whatever on my battery UNTIL I run Sirius Radio online (& I have 4G)
If I listen to the NFL Sirius online channel I can't make it through a standard work day without using a fat extended battery (& it doesn't matter what ROM/modem I'm using)
~John
jkbucksot said:
I haven't had a steady rom/kernel package in the last week. I have been testing Imnuts new infinity1031 build.
Your not turning your "smartphone" into a "dumbphone". You are managing your phone. No one said to completely turn off notifications/app updates (ie weather) on your phone.
When you say that you get 10-12 hours of heavy use, do you mean data use or just sms messaging etc? Also there is no phone out there that can stay connected to 4G using data and last 10-12 hours.
So your heavy use, isn't really heavy...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never turn anything off. Data is always left on (4G). When I am at home, I will connect via wifi but when I go to work or church or whatever Im on 4G. I have my notifications set to check every hour (Facebook, twitter, tapatalk, Gmail, weather, and Google plus). I text quite a bit throughout the day. Probably on the phone talking an average of 30 minutes a day. I jump on the browser quite a bit. I read twitter, Facebook, and tapatalk quite a bit throughout the day so screentime is average of about two hours. I listen to music at least an hour or so a day. So, again, consider myself fairly heavy user. It seems like I'm always on my phone.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk
Same bosy ad sodk msybe a bit more ecyensive about 7 hours i am comoletely dead i am runnung humble 1.6 looking for a rom kernal package that gets me a bit better than that
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium
bfitzpatrickd2d said:
Same bosy ad sodk msybe a bit more ecyensive about 7 hours i am comoletely dead i am runnung humble 1.6 looking for a rom kernal package that gets me a bit better than that
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh?
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk
Sorry don't know. About. This. One might have been drinking. This. Time my bad thanks anyway
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium
I work in a huge metal building, opposite in a 4g area. I've found my 4g radio will drain my battery fast if the 4g signal is low. This is because the phone will keep increasing the power out until it gets good 2-way communication with the tower. If you're using 4g in a good coverage area and have good signal you're probably not going to see the battery drain nearly as much. Personally I use tasker to automatically control the data connection as I move between work and home. I use WiFi at home since its less battery intensive than 4g.
No matter which phone you have, an iPhone or a GS3/GS2 or a Xperia device, you always fret over the battery life of your device! (Xperia owners a little more)
Instead of splashing out on expensive battery packs, here is a list of things you can do to get the maximum out of your battery :
1. It’s all about the Apps!
Many of the more than one million apps available to download to smartphones contain programming errors and software bugs that mishandle power control. This means your devices can remain active when they should be sleeping which further leads to unnecessary draining of your battery. Identify these apps! (Other apps like Carat can help you with that) and monitor there use!
Also, there is a good chance that there are apps running in the background of your phone that you think you closed or reappear each time you reboot your device. Fortunately, it’s easy to identify and correct this on the iOS and Android operating systems with a few easy steps. All open apps drain battery, so in this case, the lesser, the merrier!
2. The battery is always better on the cooler side!
Your smartphone most likely uses a Lithium Ion (Li-ion) battery. Be aware that extreme temperatures can negatively impact battery life so whenever possible keep your device in elements between 32 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. While a frigid phone should reclaim its functionality once it returns to room temperature, an overheated device could permanently ruin your battery. Over the course of a year, prolonged exposure to climates above 95 degrees could reduce a phone capacity by as much as 35 percent.
Remove any protective cover or accessory every time your phone is being charged. When you’re walking around, keep your phone in a ventilated holster or belt clip rather than a sweaty hand or pocket. Over-charging will also contribute to an overheated phone.
3. Always look at the bright side of life! – well the screen actually!
Turn on Auto Brightness! Most phones have an ambient light sensor that adjusts the brightness of the screen based on the light around it (darker in dark places, brighter when there’s more ambient light) to both save battery and make it easier to see. Turn Auto-Brightness on and you’ll save battery because your screen will need to use less power in dark places.
If not, manually adjust your screen brightness according to your needs by accessing it from the settings menu.
4. Stay (dis)connected!
Transmitting data wirelessly takes battery and leaving Bluetooth on to accept incoming data at all times requires even more juice. Turn off Bluetooth except when you’re using it (duh!) to squeeze more juice from your battery.
3G can be a real battery zapper, especially if you’re using it in an area of marginal coverage. If in doubt, your phone probably has a toggle setting where you can set your phone to use only 2G, You will soon see an extension to battery life that way while not really compromising speed or service.
And disabling a 3G connection when not needed is just the start. If you know you’re going to be away from home or a known wireless Internet connection, turn off your Wi-Fi locator. Also, GPS is particularly handy if you find yourself navigating somewhere new, but don’t leave it on all the time if you’re not using it.
5. Zip it!
When in a meeting or a movie, switch your phone into silent mode. Unnecessary notifications will only lead to lesser battery life. Use a basic ringtone! Advanced ringtones can sound better, but the phone will die soon! Also, turning off location services and push-notifications is definitively a step-forward towards saving battery life!
If you discover your smartphone seems to be running out of battery life quicker than ever despite your habits remaining unchanged, it could be worth investing in a spare or new battery. It’s worth noting that aftermarket batteries not made by the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are considerably cheaper. They do, however, vary in quality. Some aftermarket batteries can be trusted, but be aware of ‘too good to be true’ prices for smartphone batteries on retailers like eBay. You could end up with junk, or worse, a faulty battery that permanently damage your device. Buy carefully and smartly from trusted retailers to be safe.
Underclock your phone to 800/1000Mhz (while you are travelling) cz SGSII can do most of the stuffs within that speed.
Use Custom kernel like siyah wch has better battery backup than stock
dont set min freq to 100MHz cz 200MHz is much more energy efficient than 100 & has more operationg power !!
Come on man, show some love for Celsius! Besides, it is what most of the world uses and is not seemingly arbitrary (or based on how cold it gets in the average american's basement)!
Anyway, well written guide, may prove useful for the lesser knowledgeable folks out there
Whilst I applaud you for putting this info together, it is not specific to the SGS2. This is SGS2 General. This kind of thread belongs General Discussion or at the very least in Android General (tho probably the former).
For 1. I would recommend using an app such as Go Power Master, as it tracks which apps are running as how much power they are using. Some apps are always running, but use very little power while others can use a lot while it is running.
Also, if this may be applicable:
If, after rooting or more likely that case after flashing a new rom, you often have battery reporting errors (as mentioned above), and re-calibrating the battery along with some steps I will outline for you below will ensure that your battery is getting a full charge, and the battery reporting accuracy is right on. As far as power cycling, I run my Atrix 2 in performance mode all the time, and with a CPU overclock of 1.25GHz and various tweaks, I have about a day an a half to a day and a quarter of full runtime from my battery. This is moderate to heavy usage (calls, emailing, text, gaming, web browsing, etc.) so you should have no problems getting acceptable battery performance after following these steps:
1. Take the case off your device (one of the latter steps involves taking the battery out from the phone while it's plugged in. Make sure your case won't stand in the way.)
2. Install Battery Calibration app from the market
3. Plug in your device to charge while it's on, wait till it gets to a 100%
4. When the charge is 100%, open the BatteryCalibration app and lookup what the charge is in MV while at 100%. Write it down.
My Atrix 2 was showing ~3400MV while at 100%, which is definitely not the maximum capacity.
5. Discharge your device completely until it shuts off.
A good way of doing this quickly is by turning on wifi, and a video player.
6. Without turning on the phone plug it into a wall charger and let it get to 100%
7. When it's at 100%, without unplugging it from the wall charger, take off the battery cover, and take the battery out.
Your phone will "reboot" and show a Missing Battery icon.
8. Without unplugging the phone from the wall charger or turning it on, put the battery back in and wait until the phone recognizes the battery.
9. Your battery should now be recognized by the phone, and showing a charge % significantly lower than 100%.
Mine showed only 5%.
10. Let it sit there charging for 2-3 hours (or more).
My phone wouldn't charge past 10%, but yours might. The numbers don't matter much as the phone is definitely getting additional charge that could have been lost while flashing ROMs, etc.
11. After 2-3 hours (or more), turn the phone on while holding the volume down button and get into CWM.
Do not disconnect it from the charger still!
12. Wipe battery stats in CWM, reboot.
Do not disconnect it from the charger still!
13. When the phone turns on, go into Battery Calibration app again and look up your MV numbers -if you were like me, they should be significantly higher than before. After this whole process I had 4351MV at 100%, comparing to 3400MV before calibration.
Do not disconnect it from the charger still!
14. Before going to sleep - Install Watchdog Task Manager Lite from the market. Go into it's preferences, set CPU threshhold to 20%, check "Include phone processes", check "Monitor phone processes", check "Display all phone processes", set system CPU threshhold to 20% as well.
Do not disconnect it from the charger still!
15. Make sure your wifi and data connections are off. Now finally unplug the phone from the charger.
Go to bed, let your phone sleep too.
16. Success! Next morning check where your battery % is at and if you followed the instructions correctly / got lucky like me, your battery life should be 90% or more.
I went to bed with 98% and woke up to 94%. So, I consider this mission a success.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
A samsung developer actually said that whiping battery stats doesn't matter at all, it was on the XDA frontpage some time ago
AOKP undercloking
sekhargreen said:
No matter which phone you have, an iPhone or a GS3/GS2 or a Xperia device, you always fret over the battery life of your device! (Xperia owners a little more)
Instead of splashing out on expensive battery packs, here is a list of things you can do to get the maximum out of your battery :
1. It’s all about the Apps!
Many of the more than one million apps available to download to smartphones contain programming errors and software bugs that mishandle power control. This means your devices can remain active when they should be sleeping which further leads to unnecessary draining of your battery. Identify these apps! (Other apps like Carat can help you with that) and monitor there use!
Also, there is a good chance that there are apps running in the background of your phone that you think you closed or reappear each time you reboot your device. Fortunately, it’s easy to identify and correct this on the iOS and Android operating systems with a few easy steps. All open apps drain battery, so in this case, the lesser, the merrier!
2. The battery is always better on the cooler side!
Your smartphone most likely uses a Lithium Ion (Li-ion) battery. Be aware that extreme temperatures can negatively impact battery life so whenever possible keep your device in elements between 32 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. While a frigid phone should reclaim its functionality once it returns to room temperature, an overheated device could permanently ruin your battery. Over the course of a year, prolonged exposure to climates above 95 degrees could reduce a phone capacity by as much as 35 percent.
Remove any protective cover or accessory every time your phone is being charged. When you’re walking around, keep your phone in a ventilated holster or belt clip rather than a sweaty hand or pocket. Over-charging will also contribute to an overheated phone.
3. Always look at the bright side of life! – well the screen actually!
Turn on Auto Brightness! Most phones have an ambient light sensor that adjusts the brightness of the screen based on the light around it (darker in dark places, brighter when there’s more ambient light) to both save battery and make it easier to see. Turn Auto-Brightness on and you’ll save battery because your screen will need to use less power in dark places.
If not, manually adjust your screen brightness according to your needs by accessing it from the settings menu.
4. Stay (dis)connected!
Transmitting data wirelessly takes battery and leaving Bluetooth on to accept incoming data at all times requires even more juice. Turn off Bluetooth except when you’re using it (duh!) to squeeze more juice from your battery.
3G can be a real battery zapper, especially if you’re using it in an area of marginal coverage. If in doubt, your phone probably has a toggle setting where you can set your phone to use only 2G, You will soon see an extension to battery life that way while not really compromising speed or service.
And disabling a 3G connection when not needed is just the start. If you know you’re going to be away from home or a known wireless Internet connection, turn off your Wi-Fi locator. Also, GPS is particularly handy if you find yourself navigating somewhere new, but don’t leave it on all the time if you’re not using it.
5. Zip it!
When in a meeting or a movie, switch your phone into silent mode. Unnecessary notifications will only lead to lesser battery life. Use a basic ringtone! Advanced ringtones can sound better, but the phone will die soon! Also, turning off location services and push-notifications is definitively a step-forward towards saving battery life!
If you discover your smartphone seems to be running out of battery life quicker than ever despite your habits remaining unchanged, it could be worth investing in a spare or new battery. It’s worth noting that aftermarket batteries not made by the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are considerably cheaper. They do, however, vary in quality. Some aftermarket batteries can be trusted, but be aware of ‘too good to be true’ prices for smartphone batteries on retailers like eBay. You could end up with junk, or worse, a faulty battery that permanently damage your device. Buy carefully and smartly from trusted retailers to be safe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I underclock my GS2 to 800Mhz thanks to an AOKP Rom and my battery last one hour or one hour and a half more, which is great when you just have 7/8 hours of battery life normally. It didn't really affect the use of common apps, but of course if you want to play big 3D games, I suggest you to clock it a its original rate (1.2Ghz for the GS2 for example).
---------- Post added at 01:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:21 PM ----------
Neefy said:
A samsung developer actually said that whiping battery stats doesn't matter at all, it was on the XDA frontpage some time ago
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I think so because this is just statistics, it will not affect the actual battery life of the phone.
Apex_Strider said:
Also, if this may be applicable:
If, after rooting or more likely that case after flashing a new rom, you often have battery reporting errors (as mentioned above), and re-calibrating the battery along with some steps I will outline for you below will ensure that your battery is getting a full charge, and the battery reporting accuracy is right on.
<Snip>
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is bump charging and while it does work, it is not good for Li-on batteries. I'll find the link and edit it back in but bump charging will shorten the life of your battery due to inconsistent charge cycles.
Neefy said:
A samsung developer actually said that whiping battery stats doesn't matter at all, it was on the XDA frontpage some time ago
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is from my battery guide. OP (or anyone for that matter), feel free to check it out. There is far more information, apps, deep memory management trick,... Link is in my signature.
Batter Calibrator –
<Snip>
**Note that this can be done two other ways. You can boot into CWR or Custom Recovery and go to Advanced Settings and there will be the Wipe Batterystats.bin option. Or you can do it manually by going into /data/system/ and deleting the batterystats.bin in there. Any of the three methods work to get the entirely same result in the end. I just like using the app or manually myself. **
<Snip>
Recently there has been information debunking this process. I will post it below, however I know what it says, but I also know what I've seen/experienced too. Here is the post by Dianne Hackborn, a Google Dev on her G+ account.
Dianne Hackborn - Jan 12, 2012 - Public
Today's myth debunking:
"The battery indicator in the status/notification bar is a reflection of the batterystats.bin file in the data/system/ directory."
No, it does not.
This file is used to maintain, across reboots, low-level data about the kinds of operations the device and your apps are doing between battery changes. That is, it is solely used to compute the blame for battery usage shown in the "Battery Use" UI in settings.
That is, it has deeply significant things like "app X held a wake lock for 2 minutes" and "the screen was on at 60% brightness for 10 minutes."
It has no impact on the current battery level shown to you.
It has no impact on your battery life.
Deleting it is not going to do anything to make your more device more fantastic and wonderful... well, unless you have some deep hatred for seeing anything shown in the battery usage UI. And anyway, it is reset every time you unplug from power with a relatively full charge (thus why the battery usage UI data resets at that point), so this would be a much easier way to make it go away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Neefy said:
A samsung developer actually said that whiping battery stats doesn't matter at all, it was on the XDA frontpage some time ago
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The point of doing so is if you happen to get incorrect battery reporting, which DOES occur in certain capacities. So, in my book as well as many others, it does matter for these situations. If only one developer told you the world was flat, would you believe that also?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Thanks for the useful information!
Great information that applies to any phone, thank you.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
sekhargreen said:
No matter which phone you have, an iPhone or a GS3/GS2 or a Xperia device, you always fret over the battery life of your device! (Xperia owners a little more)
Instead of splashing out on expensive battery packs, here is a list of things you can do to get the maximum out of your battery...<snip>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apex_Strider said:
Also, if this may be applicable: <snip>
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great info/tips from both members above. Thanks button thanked for both!
Fosho bro thanks a lot...simple tips
Sent from my One X using xda app-developers app
Actually I could only save battery on my MEIZU by underclocking & battery saver app.
Thanks for your infos, I'll give some of them a try now (again )
Nice information... thanks for sharing..
You can also buy a better battery for your phone. They normally are cheap too
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda app-developers app
I just turn on power saving mode. But I still need to recharge my phone daily, once in two days if I'm lucky. But after reading this topic I will see if I can scratch those pesky powerhungry little demons.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Apex_Strider said:
The point of doing so is if you happen to get incorrect battery reporting, which DOES occur in certain capacities. So, in my book as well as many others, it does matter for these situations. If only one developer told you the world was flat, would you believe that also?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery stats has nothing to do with battery reporting. And it was an engineer from Google's Android team that debunked the battery stats wives' tale.
So yeah, folks probably should believe a recognized subject matter expert when they clearly and concisely debunk misinformation such as the advice to wipe battery stats.
Also, it bears mentioning that the os clears battery stats upon every reboot, making the advice to do so even more pointless than it already is.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Great tips...definately learned something! Much appreciated!!
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda app-developers app