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Battery Drain while using 4G data...

I've been working on improving my battery. I've noticed a big improvement by using cpu-editor and super saver app. I've also noticed that battery lasts a lot longer on WiFi than it does on 4g Since 8:30 this morning (7 hours), I've used 33% mostly on WiFi and I think that's pretty good.
So, I was wondering... what can be done to improve battery life when on AT&T? I've tried the new radio, I'm not sire that's made a difference. Maybe it has, hard to tell.

shgadwa said:
I've been working on improving my battery. I've noticed a big improvement by using cpu-editor and super saver app. I've also noticed that battery lasts a lot longer on WiFi than it does on 4g Since 8:30 this morning (7 hours), I've used 33% mostly on WiFi and I think that's pretty good.
So, I was wondering... what can be done to improve battery life when on AT&T? I've tried the new radio, I'm not sire that's made a difference. Maybe it has, hard to tell.
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If you're on LTE, you will inevitably use more power than just WiFi, that's just how it works.
If you can kick down to HSPA+ or UMTS you will see significant battery savings.

Hunt3r.j2 said:
If you're on LTE, you will inevitably use more power than just WiFi, that's just how it works.
If you can kick down to HSPA+ or UMTS you will see significant battery savings.
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Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply.
I'm in Albany, NY. I've been told we have one LTE tower here, but I've not experienced it yet. I should locate it and drive to it just so I can get a taste of how fast it is.
That said, I use HSPA+, unless I'm on WiFi.

shgadwa said:
Thank you for your reply.
I'm in Albany, NY. I've been told we have one LTE tower here, but I've not experienced it yet. I should locate it and drive to it just so I can get a taste of how fast it is.
That said, I use HSPA+, unless I'm on WiFi.
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Click to collapse
HSPA+ uses more battery than WiFi when actively using it for data, the change just isn't as significant compared to when using the phone on LTE.
Some things you'll want to do to really get battery life savings is to eliminate partial wakelocks, and turn down screen brightness either by using a custom ROM or managing settings manually, as HTC's autobrightness is terrible out of the box and doesn't properly turn down brightness when you need it to, or turn it up when you need it to.
After that, if you don't need to have push email all the time then you can turn off always on mobile data, or manually turn off mobile data when you aren't using it.

Our Russian LTE testers of HTC One XL reports about 1.5-2 hours of LTE tethering. Make your conclusions.

Hunt3r.j2 said:
If you're on LTE, you will inevitably use more power than just WiFi, that's just how it works.
If you can kick down to HSPA+ or UMTS you will see significant battery savings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can someone explain to me how to go from LTE to HSPA+ to EDGE? I've tried looking in the settings but all I can find is a "Mobile network" on/off toggle. There is no option to turn on/off LTE, or HSPA+ or EDGE. It's a bit frustrating. Then in my status bar, the 4G icon is always displayed even when "Mobile network" is off. No data but it still shows up. Is this how it is supposed to be?
BTW, I'm using the stock ROM with Apex Launcher. I do not want to root or use a custom ROM.

Is there a way to conserve battery when you have weak signal?

I stay in a hotel room often without free wifi. Most of the rooms I get 1-2 bars, occasionally 3. A decent amount of the time I get no 4g and sometimes signal is so weak no internet at all. I notice this destroys my battery life. Is there someway to lower the extra strain on the battery when I know I will have a weak signal anyway without using airplane mode? I wanna lower the power being used by my phone to search for stronger signal while still being able to receive texts and calls. Would prefer to keep 3G on as well when it works.
On a related note, are there any products I can buy to boost my signal that work? And is there a rom or roms that are known to have great signal strength compared to the rest out right now? Thanks for any help.

sfetaz said:
I stay in a hotel room often without free wifi. Most of the rooms I get 1-2 bars, occasionally 3. A decent amount of the time I get no 4g and sometimes signal is so weak no internet at all. I notice this destroys my battery life. Is there someway to lower the extra strain on the battery when I know I will have a weak signal anyway without using airplane mode? I wanna lower the power being used by my phone to search for stronger signal while still being able to receive texts and calls. Would prefer to keep 3G on as well when it works.
On a related note, are there any products I can buy to boost my signal that work? And is there a rom or roms that are known to have great signal strength compared to the rest out right now? Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be fine disabling Mobile Data... You should get texts just fine and use the WiFi for all data purposes.

Im not using the wifi ever unless really important to get it, $15 everyday is too much. So i am trying to rely on mobile data.

Go download the free app "Phone Info", it will allow you to shut off 4G, shutting off 4G stops it from searching and draining your battery.
Once installed, click "Device Information" and scroll about half way down and change the drop box from "LTE/CDMA/EvDo" to "CDMA only"
Hope this helps!

I use phone info already, 3g over 4g definitely helps, but am I wrong in assuming that the phone is still destroying battery when the signal is weak even with 4g off?

[Q] How to extend battery life in area with poor Verizon service.

Anyone have any good ideas on how to improve battery life in an area with crap Verizon data and voice? I am running CleanRom 2.5, and have used CPU master to lower the clock speed, but my phone is dying in less than a day probably due to it using 1X voice and data. Short of turning off my phone most of the time, is there any way to extend the battery? (At home with good reception I go a day and a half usually.). Thanks for any help.

android94301 said:
Anyone have any good ideas on how to improve battery life in an area with crap Verizon data and voice? I am running CleanRom 2.5, and have used CPU master to lower the clock speed, but my phone is dying in less than a day probably due to it using 1X voice and data. Short of turning off my phone most of the time, is there any way to extend the battery? (At home with good reception I go a day and a half usually.). Thanks for any help.
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Click to collapse
If you have wi-fi that's the best way. Turn off mobile data when you don't need it and just connect to wifi.

I'd like to know this too. When I have fewer than 2 bars, my battery life is horrible and my phone runs hot. 3+ bars = no problems.

It seems like any Samsung I have had has poor signal. Returned 3 before I realized because of this it was partially Verizon. Turn off 4g.

Deathbynukes said:
I'd like to know this too. When I have fewer than 2 bars, my battery life is horrible and my phone runs hot. 3+ bars = no problems.
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Click to collapse
Would flashing a different modem help?

as already mentioned, turn off data and turn on wifi is your best option. flashing a different radio/modem may help aswell.

Grr
I got so tired of the poor radio that I bought a Motorola Razr MAXX that I use at home and the weekends. I swap to my S3 when at work. Hate the locked bootloader but love the radio.

balaams_ass said:
I got so tired of the poor radio that I bought a Motorola Razr MAXX that I use at home and the weekends. I swap to my S3 when at work. Hate the locked bootloader but love the radio.
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Click to collapse
I think there is a huge variance between hardware on the gs3's...reason being, I have compared my signal against 3 different razrs. Two of them had -4 db better signal, the other one was exactly the same. My device gets great signal, anyplace that it drops data other devices do the same. The inconsitent issues with radios has been a ongoing issue with Samsung for some time. Problem is the only thing you can get is a certified replacement... and most likely it will have the same issue lol.

android94301 said:
Would flashing a different modem help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could help. It seems like a lot of the updates have been to help get better signal, but YMMV. You'll probably also wnat to be mindful of the rom you're running and if it relies or is made for a certain RIL. In any case, here's the modem list: http://rootzwiki.com/topic/34053-of...zon-sgs3-sch-i535-odin-or-recovery-flashable/

[Q] Poor cell signal draining battery? How to get those 8+ hour OST?

Hi
I tried searching Google, but get a lot of different answers.
I live in an area with a very bad cellular coverage. I always have 1 out of 5 bars and when I turn mobile data on, it is mainly LTE, but jumps a bit between LTE and Edge and rarely H and H+.
Can that cause a lot of battery drain? As I just factory reset my phone to get rid of every change I did. I enabled Stamina Mode, surfed the web for 15 minutes and my phone was at 95%. Is that normal? Because if my math is right, that shouldn't give me more than 5 hours of screen time, while I heard people getting 8+ without Stamina Mode.
Am I missing something or is their some very needed settings to be changed? Sync off, GPS off, bluetooth, Brightness is as low as possible, NFC off, black background (less power consumption), Wifi off and Wifi constant searching off.

U can easly check urself how cell signal draining battery ,first Check how it is with normal H+/LTE then charg it again for 100% and use ur smartphone with plane mode acivated ,now subtract result from 2 "experiment"

Also of note is that black backgrounds mean diddly on our displays. We aren't on OLEDs.
Also, if you ARE in wifi area it's better to be connected to wifi. Wifi is closer than the cell tower and data disconnects when wifi is connected.

On AMOLED/OLED black background helps because each pixel is individually lit (Black means those pixels are off). In LCDs there is a backlight providing illumination for the entire LCD so as long as your screen is on it won't make a differrence what colors are on your screen.

I'm having a similar issue. I have very low cell reception at work, and I can get maybe 4-5 hours SoT throughout the day and am at 10% when I get home. I've tried uninstalling/disabling apps that use a lot of battery, so hopefully it helps. I'll update if by the end of today I'm able to get 7+ hours SoT (which it seems it's on track to doing).
Edit: For clarification, the apps I've uninstalled that I believed to be using a lot of processing power/ram/battery were Facebook, [Facebook] Messenger, and Words with Friends.

festizzio said:
I'm having a similar issue. I have very low cell reception at work, and I can get maybe 4-5 hours SoT throughout the day and am at 10% when I get home. I've tried uninstalling/disabling apps that use a lot of battery, so hopefully it helps. I'll update if by the end of today I'm able to get 7+ hours SoT (which it seems it's on track to doing).
Edit: For clarification, the apps I've uninstalled that I believed to be using a lot of processing power/ram/battery were Facebook, [Facebook] Messenger, and Words with Friends.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just use an app like Greenify to block apps running in the background when not in use so you dont havr to uninstall them.

Brightness can have a lot to play on this one. I tend to go with manual brightness so there's no ambient sensors working all the while the display is on, and if you are doing anything where you can cope with lower brightness then drop it.
Keep an eye in battery stats for "google play services" as this can go nuts. When this happens sometimes clearing data can help.
I also found that using google+ to backup my photos caused a lot of battery drain.
I have not found facebook or whatsapp etc to affect my battery much personally. I use stamina mode when i'm out and about to keep the phone at sleep while the screen is off.

ssj_jaypee said:
Just use an app like Greenify to block apps running in the background when not in use so you dont havr to uninstall them.
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Click to collapse
No root. WIthout Greenify is just annoying.

Jonathan-H said:
Brightness can have a lot to play on this one. I tend to go with manual brightness so there's no ambient sensors working all the while the display is on, and if you are doing anything where you can cope with lower brightness then drop it.
Keep an eye in battery stats for "google play services" as this can go nuts. When this happens sometimes clearing data can help.
I also found that using google+ to backup my photos caused a lot of battery drain.
I have not found facebook or whatsapp etc to affect my battery much personally. I use stamina mode when i'm out and about to keep the phone at sleep while the screen is off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Deleted Messenger and Facebook just for the sake of it. I don't have the need to be online all the time and the people that want to contact me, have my number.

Faspaiso said:
it is mainly LTE, but jumps a bit between LTE and Edge and rarely H and H+.
Can that cause a lot of battery drain?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At my house I get just enough LTE to cause our S3 to constantly switch to LTE then loose it and switch back to H+. Battery life couldn't make it thru one day. ATT removes the screen that let's you control network mode but I found a backdoor method to lock the phone out of LTE. The phone now stays on H+ and battery life easily jumped 40%. That's the primary reason I held out this time for an unlocked non-ATT-crippled phone--so I can easily turn LTE off.

Well, tried have my phone on over night (for a change to test it).
Everything off (mobile data, gps etc).
Used 7% of my power and every app was closed. When I looked at battery drain, 55% was from cell standby and 40-45% was from Phone Idle.
Tonight I will try charge it to 100% again and then let it be in Flight Mode to see.

I struggled to flatten the battery on my phone the first day 70% of the day with the screen on, no wifi enabled or stamina.
Another test would be to change mobile settings to 3G or 2G to see what difference that makes. Under settings, wireless & networks, select more, mobile networks, then network mode.
I would try the above first before making your phone completely unavailable, especially the 2G.

danw_oz said:
I struggled to flatten the battery on my phone the first day 70% of the day with the screen on, no wifi enabled or stamina.
Another test would be to change mobile settings to 3G or 2G to see what difference that makes. Under settings, wireless & networks, select more, mobile networks, then network mode.
I would try the above first before making your phone completely unavailable, especially the 2G.
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Click to collapse
Just did the tests.
Flightmode - 100% after 8 hours (sleep)
Edge - 99% after 8 hours (sleep)
4g - 93% after 8 hours (sleep)

Faspaiso said:
Just did the tests.
Flightmode - 100% after 8 hours (sleep)
Edge - 99% after 8 hours (sleep)
4g - 93% after 8 hours (sleep)
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Click to collapse
Nice, thank you! Care to check hspa too?

Fruktsallad said:
Nice, thank you! Care to check hspa too?
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Click to collapse
What is that? H/H+?
GSM - Edge
WCDMA - H/H+
LTE - 4g
But I think 4g uses less power than edge, but it is more than in my area there is 1/5 in 4g coverage, 3-4/5 in H/H+ and 5/5 (always) if using edge.
As I see an better connection gives better batterylife, but 4g uses way less than 3g/edge if same cell signal.
But is going to try it next time I get down to my dad. He got 5/5 in LTE signal. So gonna see if it can stay at 100% over night.

Faspaiso said:
What is that? H/H+?
GSM - Edge
WCDMA - H/H+
LTE - 4g
But I think 4g uses less power than edge, but it is more than in my area there is 1/5 in 4g coverage, 3-4/5 in H/H+ and 5/5 (always) if using edge.
As I see an better connection gives better batterylife, but 4g uses way less than 3g/edge if same cell signal.
But is going to try it next time I get down to my dad. He got 5/5 in LTE signal. So gonna see if it can stay at 100% over night.
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Click to collapse
Hehe, ok I understand. But HSPA = 3G. [emoji4] I haven't done any rigorous testing, but I think my stand by times are much better using edge (2G) compared to 3G.

Fruktsallad said:
Hehe, ok I understand. But HSPA = 3G. [emoji4] I haven't done any rigorous testing, but I think my stand by times are much better using edge (2G) compared to 3G.
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Click to collapse
I see. But if you change between those, you probs have an better cell signal with 2g (in your area), right?

Faspaiso said:
I see. But if you change between those, you probs have an better cell signal with 2g (in your area), right?
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Click to collapse
Nope, coverage is about the same. Generally speaking though, 2G > 3G > 4G when it comes to battery life. That's been the rule for years, but as of late, newer radios have become more efficient with 3G and 4G, thus making the difference less noticeable. YMMV. Would be interesting to see your drainage on 3G as well. ☺

Fruktsallad said:
Nope, coverage is about the same. Generally speaking though, 2G > 3G > 4G when it comes to battery life. That's been the rule for years, but as of late, newer radios have become more efficient with 3G and 4G, thus making the difference less noticeable. YMMV. Would be interesting to see your drainage on 3G as well. ☺
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Click to collapse
Well could try it tonight.

[Q] Better LTE management - read on!

I've had this thought for a while, but haven't found any practical way of implementing it, perhaps having it out to the broader public may help.
LTE or 4G, as we all know, is fast and great, but it also demands more on our batter than good old 3G.
These are some of the scenarios in which I would love an app, or OS be able to make smarter decisions about the network.
1. When connected to WiFi - When connected to WiFi, our battery life improves when compared to 3G or 4G, but I find sometimes that even though I'm connected to WiFi, my cell network is still connected to 4G (at home, my 3G signal is full bars, but 4G is 3/5), thus, wasting a bit of battery.
2. When phone is in low data use state, or lengthy sleep - Often, when I'm in the office for example, my phone sits there in standby for hours at a time (my emails come onto PC, plus I wear a moto360 so i check notifications there). In these modes, LTE is of little use for me, yet it can often spend hours in LTE standby.
I've looked into IFTTT, and messed with other software apps, but I always end up with the same conclusion, that is, this would have to be manually done...
does anyone know a way?

If you have a root you can do with with xposed and gavitybox (smart radio). I think some other modules can do it as well.

sephstyler said:
I've had this thought for a while, but haven't found any practical way of implementing it, perhaps having it out to the broader public may help.
LTE or 4G, as we all know, is fast and great, but it also demands more on our batter than good old 3G.
These are some of the scenarios in which I would love an app, or OS be able to make smarter decisions about the network.
1. When connected to WiFi - When connected to WiFi, our battery life improves when compared to 3G or 4G, but I find sometimes that even though I'm connected to WiFi, my cell network is still connected to 4G (at home, my 3G signal is full bars, but 4G is 3/5), thus, wasting a bit of battery.
2. When phone is in low data use state, or lengthy sleep - Often, when I'm in the office for example, my phone sits there in standby for hours at a time (my emails come onto PC, plus I wear a moto360 so i check notifications there). In these modes, LTE is of little use for me, yet it can often spend hours in LTE standby.
I've looked into IFTTT, and messed with other software apps, but I always end up with the same conclusion, that is, this would have to be manually done...
does anyone know a way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me guess, not on Telstra. Battery life on mine with Telstra is superb, even with 1-2 bar signal. I guess that would be because it is a stable 1-2 bar, unlike the issues I had previously with Optus, were my phone would drop signal very often in built up areas

danw_oz said:
Let me guess, not on Telstra. Battery life on mine with Telstra is superb, even with 1-2 bar signal. I guess that would be because it is a stable 1-2 bar, unlike the issues I had previously with Optus, were my phone would drop signal very often in built up areas
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Click to collapse
Yes, not on Telstra, but that is besides the point here. This is not an AU specific thing. I travel internationally a lot for work, and this would be the same when I'm overseas. In fact, not complaining about battery life at all, just think that the way the phone manages its connections could be improved - this is not a problem on the Sony, but on most phones.

se1000 said:
If you have a root you can do with with xposed and gavitybox (smart radio). I think some other modules can do it as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good tip. Not rooted, not intending to.