Google services sudden battery drain (not Play)

[AC Question]

Hi all, really grateful for any advice... 3 days ago my normally reliable Galaxy tab 2 7.0 started losing power at an alarming rate. Checked battery stats and 'Google Services' is using 80% battery! (NB not Google Play Services)

I resorted to a factory reset, have the most up-to-date versions of firmware, Google Play Store, Google Play Services etc., tried clearing cache and data, synching is off, but the drain continues.

Please please help! Thanks

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! This can be tough to troubleshoot, because other apps can also utilize Google Services, but there's no easy way to tell. I believe Facebook and other social media apps can do this, so try uninstalling them, if you have them on the tablet.

Do you actually see a separate Google Play Services listed as well? If you tap Google Services, does it give you a list of some of the running components?

 

[AndroidAgony]

Thanks for responding, appreciate it. I haven't reinstalled any new apps since the factory reset. At the moment only 'Google Services' is listed at the top of the battery stats (com.google.android.gms), although yesterday Google Play services made an appearance at the top too. In 'Running Applications' Google Play Services is listed, but the services keep changing (GmsIntentOperation, NetworkReport, FingerprintScannerIntent, Checkin, SyncReceiver, Download, IndexWorker...). Google Services is also listed (GoogleLocation, GoogleLocationManager, PhenotypeIntent, DeviceConnection, GCM, GoogleMessaging...). com.google.android.gms.persistent keeps cropping up too.

All location data and syncing are off, GPS off.

Grateful for any suggestions

 

[marshaeg]

I am experiencing the same thing. I did not install any new apps, and right now after an hour of use (mostly idle, just powered on) I am down to 50% battery.

The top of my list are:
screen (auto-brightness enabled)
And 2nd is Google Services

My phone is running hot to the touch since a few days ago.

 

[B. Diddy]

Go to Settings>Wi-fi, tap Menu>Advanced, and make sure Allow Wi-fi Scanning is turned off.

It may be helpful to see some battery stats. Charge up to 100%, then let it drain to 20-30% with normal usage, without charging in between. Then show us:

1. The main Settings>Battery screen.
2. The fullscreen battery graph screen (which shows Awake time).
3. The Screen category (to see total Screen On time).


http://forums.androidcentral.com/am...ide-how-post-screenshots-android-central.html

 

[Dirktanius]

Latest update of Play Services (from Friday) has some sort of problem. It's happening across devices. I contacted Google to see what is up.

 

[marshaeg]

I noticed that Verizon Cloud was third on the list, consuming upwards of 10% of the battery. I un-installed the update to Verizon Cloud, disabled auto-update, and do not have this problem anymore.

 

[Dirktanius]

I disabled my Verizon Cloud as well and it seems to have fixed it for now. Thanks! Wonder if the Verizon app wasn't compatible with the new Play Services update?

 

[RtheQ]

I have had this issue as well and will post battery usage screens in a bit. I was using a crimped USB charger cable that I did not notice for a while which I thought might have hurt the battery. But my battery drain while idle is nearly the same as while browsing the internet/watching videos and Google Services is using 60-75% of screen off usage with Android System and OS using the rest. And 50% even when I am browsing or watching videos. My history graph has my phone almost always awake with almost no screen time. This is with the battery energy saver setting on.

 

[AndroidAgony]

Thanks for the replies, appreciated, seems Dirktanius is right in my case. I uninstalled Google Play Services, installed an older version apk, and the problem went away. Big relief, until I connected to WiFi and the battery drain was back...checked what version of Google Play Services was running and it had reverted back to the newest one! I hadn't realised that Google still auto-updates Google Play Services in the background, even with auto-update switched off (is there any way to prevent this without the phone being rooted?)

So it seems we have to wait for another update. Until then I'll need to avoid WiFi to prevent any sneaky background updates.

Here's my battery stats, shows my phone was being kept permanently awake:

 

[B. Diddy]

Good detective work! And yes, Google Play Services always auto-updates--you can't turn that off (at least, not on an unrooted phone).

 

[AndroidAgony]

Thank you B.Diddy (little glow of humble pride from a non-techie female). Lots of posts with the same problem popping up everywhere the past few days. Really hope Google are listening and release an update soon.

 

[robertrj]

Other one suffering from the same issue here... Here, I don't have this Verizon cloud (i'm in Brazil), but this gave me an idea to try to check some of my phone and data service provider.

I was about to make a factory reset, but seeing that the original poster already did that and has no use, I see there is no point of going through the troubles...

Like I said in some of my other posts here, I also have a tablet (wi-fi only) that has been updated to the same Google Play Services version. But there I don't notice this problem. It is pretty newer than my phone, but now I'm not sure if the tablet handles it fine because it is wi-fi only or because of the newer Android version.

Really sounds like a problem with this new update. I just feel worried that it could be a way to make older phones and/or Android versions to be impossible to use, thus forcing us to upgrade.

 

[AndroidAgony]

Still no update from Google. Getting fed up of not being able to use the internet on my phone! I'm assuming they're aware of how widespread this issue has become, although it seems near-impossible to contact them to report the problem. I really hope Robert isn't right, as I can't afford to upgrade again already. Fingers crossed.

 

[robertrj]

Take a look at this discussion here:

http://forums.androidcentral.com/ask-question/693729-battery-draining-fast-started-6-23-2016-a.html

I managed to downgrade to an older version of Google Play Services and can use most of the features (Internet, Gmail, Whatsapp...) if you install this older version and deactivate the background data and location services.

 

[AndroidAgony]

Hi Robert, I'm already using an older apk of Google Play Services, but every time I connect to the internet the damn thing updates back to 9.2.56. I've disabled location services and background data, which stops updates via 3g, but using Wifi it sneaks in again and no way to stop it. I miss the luxury of checking my emails!

 

[AndroidAgony]

Does anyone know if uninstalling the Play Store will stop google play services updating?!

 

[robertrj]

Hi AndroidAgony.

Sorry that it didn't work. I'm not sure if you also turned off the phone and then turned it on, while all data connectivity is off (I used Airplane mode for that), I believe that does the trick. At least on mine, I only noticed it after I turned phone off. Remember to deactivate the automatic updates in Google Play Store, this may be causing it to update.

Take a look also here: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/play/zdz-98balwI

There are some other users that managing to solve it with Android updates, deactivation of Android Device Manager, and one even after updating Google Maps. I understand Google Play Services is responsible, but there are some phones that seem to be giving a harder time.

Regarding Google Play Store,with background data off it is useless. Still I keep it when I have to update an app (had to do that with Whatsapp recently). Then, my Google Play Services is already updated, but I do all the procedure again.

 

[AndroidAgony]

Thanks for taking the time to reply Robert, kind of you, I've worked my way through the link you provided trying all the suggestions there, to no avail. A glimmer of hope - Google finally seem to be releasing new updates for play services! Nothing available for my phone...yet...but fingers crossed. Hope yours is still behaving itself.

 

[Christopher Ford1]

I'm having the exact same issues on my droid Maxx 1080. It's been happening for over a week now. Today, my phone used 60% of my battery in 8 hours. Google services accounted for 68% of that. Also, it seems to take a lot longer to charge and the phone is getting warm, its never done this before. It's almost like Google services is eating up the juice as I charge. My mom has the same phone only a year newer and only 16 gigs and she doesn't have the problem.