New EVO Battery Life Sticky: Please Contribute

This thread will supersede [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] and [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], both of which were formerly stickied. I'm trying to consolidate battery life recommendations into a single thread, that weeds out the complaints and other side conversations that have occurred. Not that either are bad, but I'd like to make it easier for members to quickly find the explanations and tips they are looking for without having to read through pages of posts.

That said, I would like to solicit everyone's help :)

1. Please read through what I've written below. Feel free to PM me with any statements I've made that you feel are inaccurate. Again, please use private messaging to let me know.

2. If you have a *proven* battery saving tip based on personal experience, that you think would be helpful to someone reading this thread, please post it here. Include a detailed description of the tip and any supporting information as to why you believe it saves on battery life. If there are negative side affects or loss of functionality due to implementation of your tip, please list that as well.

Any posts that do not meet this criteria (questions or complaints about battery life) will be deleted. I'm not trying to be a jerk, I just want to keep this thread clean and useful.

Thanks everyone!

Battery life. It’s one of the most discussed topics in the EVO forums. Most members would agree that battery life on this phone is not stellar. Is it result of defective hardware, the OS, network connectivity, Sense UI, or other 3rd party apps? Instinctively (particularly if you’re new to the world of Smartphone’s) the rapid depletion in battery life - even with light to moderate usage - might lead you to believe the EVO has major problems in this area and HTC had better do something to fix it.

I’m of the belief that there are always areas of improvements in how each of the above variables affects battery life. For example, there could be future ROM update that enhances OS efficiency, task management, or the UI HTC's provided via Sense. But truth be told the real culprit is that battery technology and capacity have not evolved as rapidly as the power and functionality in Smartphone’s like the EVO.

Cars are very similar. I own an Audi S4. It has a powerful 352HP V8 engine. I absolutely love the extra power this car provides. It’s fun to drive, and provides all the features I’m looking for in a car. However, the 352HP engine comes at a price. It sucks gas like nobody’s business (I rarely drive it anyway), and like the EVO requires a source of energy to function. The S4’s source of energy is stored in a 14-gallon gas tank in the rear of the car. If I push the car to it’s full potential – I get approximately 10 miles per gallon. My buddy owns an A4 and his 4 cylinder engine averages twice the number of miles per gallon, and has the same size gas tank. Smartphone’s aren’t any different. The battery in the HTC Ozone and the battery in the EVO are exactly the same in terms of capacity. They both provide 1500 mAh’s of energy. However there are distinct differences in screen size, processor power, network types, features, etc… Having used both, I can tell you the battery life was the least of my complaints on the Ozone.

That said here are some of the most common items (based on my unscientific tests of various Smartphone’s) that are the highest consumers of battery life. Most are manageable from a user perspective, some are not. I’ve left out the most obvious one of all – extended voice call activity. Just remember there is a trade off between performance/features and the amount of power you’re willing to devote to each.

- 4G (worse than 3G) and 3G connectivity/activity by streaming audio/video apps, web browsing, instant messaging apps, and apps that poll the network at regular intervals for updates (Facebook, RSS readers, Friendstream, etc).

3G: See those little white arrows at the top of your screen? When they are light grey in color, network utilization is zero. Contrary, when they are solid white, network usage is occurring. If they are constantly white (as they would be when streaming radio for example) battery consumption is at it’s highest.

4G: The first day I got my hands on an EVO, I immediately turned on the 4G radio. After all, this was one of the EVO’s main selling points. 3 hours after a full charge, my battery was toast, and I hadn’t even browsed the web yet. I was really disappointed that I was required to manage this radio and only use it when absolutely necessary, but that’s the reality of 4G technology.

- Bright backlight settings: The EVO has a massive 4.3” LCD screen. Regardless of backlight settings, the screen is still a major power consumer. Having said that, slight changes in backlight settings can make a dramatic difference in battery consumption. I would recommend avoiding the very brightest setting. My preferred setting is to let Android manage screen brightness, while others have manually enforced a constant low to medium brightness level. The latter will have the greatest positive affect on battery life.

- High CPU, backlight, and network usage by graphics intensive and/or poorly written applications: Graphics intensive programs often consume large amounts of CPU power and RAM, which translates into high battery consumption. Combine this with a network intensive streaming media application (e.g., Sprint TV, Pandora, or similar apps); the EVO is sucking the life out its battery at an extremely high rate (remember it only has 1,500mAh per charge available at best). Applications that were not designed for the EVO or are buggy in nature might causing the EVO’s CPU to be working excessively hard. If your EVO is warm to the touch and running particularly slow, there’s a good chance a 3rd party app is the culprit.

- Bluetooth: Bluetooth sucks down power. I’ve experienced this on every phone I’ve ever used. The EVO is no exception. Turn it off when not in use.

- GPS: Like Bluetooth, it consume large amounts of energy while updating coordinates and communicating with satellites orbiting the earth. Combined with turn-by-turn directions and an always-on backlight, in order to see the maps guiding your way, you’re pushing battery consumption to the limits. I often read posts from people who are using the EVO as a full time GPS device in the car. One common complaint from these users is that USB chargers are only maintaining the current battery level – or worse – when GPS is in use. Since the EVO limits USB host connections to 500mAh of power input, this is a good indicator of how much GPS consumes. In other words, 500mAh of continuous power to the EVO is not enough to charge and take advantage of GPS/turn by turn directions at the same time.

- Signal Strength: Whether 3G, 4G, or WiFi, week signal strength can affect battery life.

- CPU/Memory: I often read posts from members who have most of the above features disabled. Yet they still report warm to the touch EVO’s and unusually poor battery life (3-4 hours per charge). In my experience, this is usually caused by 3rd party CPU intensive applications. Many people reach for the nearest task manager. Others can’t imagine which application they’ve installed that would cause such an issue. Regardless, if you reach to other forum members for assistance, please provide the following information that varies from the out of box configuration of the phone:

o Task managers in use (I believe these cause more harm than good – but there’s a totally different sticky devoted to that).
o A list of all 3rd party applications (including battery percentage widgets & instant messaging applications)
o Update frequency settings for each application in settings > accounts & sync.
o Detailed information from settings > about phone > battery use
o GTalk auto sign in settings
o 4G use
o 3G data arrow activity (frequent solid white arrows?)
o Email configuration (update frequency for Exchange, IMAP, Gmail, POP)
o Type of charger being used (OEM vs. 3rd party) & input/output specs.
o HTC Widgets in use.

The best but least practical solution to battery consumption is to disable every single feature possible that this phone has to offer. My recommendation is to find a balance that works best for you and come to the terms that the attributes that make the EVO the best converged device available requires increased energy & negatively impacts battery life. This amount of energy available in a fully charged OEM battery is 1,500mAh. This is not a design flaw. Instead, it’s the reality of battery technology competing against consumers demand for bigger, faster, and more feature rich devices.

Great post!
And I totally agree with the finding your balance tip.

I found myself taking away the battery indicator widget... so that I worry less about the phone's battery and more about the features.

With that, I see myself actually enjoying the phone without worrying about the battery.
I get around 10-16 hours light-moderate usage, 8 hours or less with heavy usage (youtube, 3d games like Raging Thunder II, etc... though I usually play a game, let it standby, play a game, standby).

I have a whole page with the settings..
Little widgets for 4g, 3g, wifi, airplane mode, brightness, gps, etc. I use them accordingly throughout the day to maximize my usage/battery.

Also, I really hope Froyo helps battery... The less the CPU has to work, less battery consumption.. I hope.

Great post Corey!

I disagree with your comments about GPS and Bluetooth. Yes, when in use, these do affect battery life. However, when Bluetooth and GPS are in an idle state, they use very little power. I have done testing previously with my Blackberry Storm and again now with my EVO. I ran a 4 hour control test with both disabled. My battery decreased about 3.5% per hour in standby sitting on my desk (it would have been lower, but I was running about 80% without signal). Running the same test with both GPS and Bluetooth enabled, my battery again decreased only 3.5% per hour. Measurements were not exact, but in my opinion, I can live with the minimal additional power loss these cause.

With both enabled, I measured 18 hours of battery life and 58% remaining on moderate/low usage.

I wrote several blog articles on how I've drastically improved my battery life ([Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]).

I'd be interested in benchmarking battery usage with others by running some control tests and comparing results. For example, how much does your battery decrease when you watch an hour of video in airplane mode. That would give others a good idea of whether or not their EVO is performing within similar parameters to others. I've listed a few tests I've performed below (although a little more control could be added).

1 hr video, screen set to 33%, 3g on, Bluetooth on, GPS on: 26% decrease
1 hr of playing Daily Soduko, screen set to 50%, 3g on, Bluetooth on, GPS On: 20% decrease

Both in conditions where I know I normally lose about 3.5% per hour in Standby.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by toiz [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Great post Corey! I disagree with your comments about GPS and Bluetooth. Yes, when in use, these do affect battery life. However, when Bluetooth and GPS are in an idle state, they use very little power.

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Thank you :) I did point out that both Bluetooth and GPS are large consumers of battery when in use, but maybe I wasn't clear enough about it.

Per my other thread i got 11+ hours of pretty hard use and had 15% battery left with these settings -

1. 4G, WIFI, GPS, BT, Hotspot all set at OFF with widgets. turn ON only as needed.
2. UNCHECK "always on mobile data".
3. Brightness set to very low (underneath checkmark - extreme left). this is plenty bright for me.
4. No Live Wallpaper. not sure of this makes a difference but i have my own graphic anyway.
5. No Data intensive constant data hungry widgets/apps constantly running. i wiped News and Stocks and Sprint Zone. uncheck them for sync. i will get my data from the browser fresh as needed. i have no updating widgets other than 2 weather cities with the nice big beautiful HTC Clock/Weather default widget i keep with auto refresh at 1 hour. i have 2 GMail PUSH accounts that i set up and are always on.
6. Sign out of everything when done - GTalk, Qik, FB, etc. Everything! i don't use this stuff anyway. as noted before - let GTalk run in the background for PUSH Gmail but always sign out and uncheck auto sign you in.
7. Vibrate is ON for Calls and Texts. Vibrate is OFF for emails. all Haptic Feedback - Keyboard, Screen, etc. is OFF.
8. i DO NOT use a task killer or kill tasks with the Manage Applications Panel. nor do i use "Juice Defender" type apps.
9. realize that streaming any audio and/or video will kill your battery very very fast.

As soon as I got my EVO, I turned on 4G, GPS, Wi-Fi, and all mobile syncing options. In no time, I had my Exchange and Gmail accounts pushing contacts, calendars and email to the beautiful new device. Due to the fact that I have excellent 4G coverage in my area, I would sometimes turn off Wi-Fi, and bask in the glory that is 4G! Coming from the Pre, I was hoping for better battery life, even though the EVO does so much more. But, after reading that more than a few people were experiencing battery issues with their EVO's, I decided to look into the matter myself.

For several days, I used my EVO somewhat heavily, without any real battery-saving techniques in place. On average, I would get between 6 to 8 hours of moderate use before I got the 15% battery warning. To me, that was not too bad, but I wanted to see just how much extra life I could squeeze out of the battery, while still using all of the EVO's amazing features. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I could do just that. Using a simple approach to data usage, changing a few settings, and installing an app or two, I was able to get over 60 hours of light use from one charge! :eek: That's right, I unplugged my EVO at 8:21AM on Monday morning (6/14) and did not received the 15% battery warning until around 10PM Wednesday night (6/16). All the while, I was signed into AIM and Skype (with fring), using live wallpaper and widgets, using Gmail and Exchange push, and sending and receiving calls, IM's and texts. Needless to say, I was both shocked and elated.

The key to this astonishing turn-around lies in the answer to a simple question. "Where am I?" Or, more specifically, "Is there Wi-Fi where I am?" When it comes to connectivity, I now think of my EVO as having two distinct "modes". One mode is used when a Wi-Fi network is available, the other is used the rest of the time. Whenever I am at a location that has an available Wi-Fi network (which is most of the time), I force all data to use the Wi-Fi network exclusively. I do this by disabling mobile networking using HTC's Mobile Network widget, or the going to Settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile network. I also turn off 4G and GPS, since they are not typically needed when I am connected via Wi-Fi. Overall, the EVO appears to use the least amount of power when data is sent/received exclusively over a Wi-Fi network. When a Wi-Fi network is not available, I turn off Wi-Fi, and turn on mobile networking. I also only turn on GPS and 4G as needed (Google Navigation, Sprint TV, You Tube HQ, etc.).

Below, is a detailed list of the settings that allowed my EVO to achieve the greatest increase in battery life while connected to a Wi-Fi network. These setting incorporate many of the battery-saving tips that you may have seen in other threads. Since battery life depends on a variety of factors, your results may very. If you spend a large amount of time at a location that has an available Wi-Fi network (work, home, etc.), you should see a notable increase in battery life using this approach. Let me know if any of these setting, or the general concept, was helpful to you.

1. Settings:
   
   1. Wireless & networks:
      
      • Airplane mode =unchecked
      • Wi-Fi =checked (if a Wi-Fi network is available)
      • Wi-Fi setting:
        
        • Wi-Fi = checked (if a Wi-Fi network is available)
        • Network notification = unchecked
        • Bluetooth = unchecked
        • Bluetooth Settings = unavailable when inactive
          (menu, then Advanced)
        • Advanced:
          
          • Wi-Fi sleep policy = Never
      • Sprint Hotspot = unchecked
      • 4G = unchecked (if a Wi-Fi network is available)
      • 4G Settings = unavailable when inactive
      • VPN Setting = no VPNs setup
      • Mobile network = unchecked (if a Wi-Fi network is available)
      • Mobile networks = all options checked
      • Internet sharing = unchecked
   2. Sound and display:
      
      • (Sound settings)
      • Sound profile = normal
      • RInger volume:
        
        • Incoming call volume = maximum
        • Use incoming call volume for notifications = unchecked
        • Notification volume = maximum
      • Phone vibrate = unchecked
      • Quiet ring on pickup = unchecked
      • Audible selection = unchecked
      • Haptic feedback = unchecked
      • SD card notifications = unchecked
      • (Display settings)
      • Orientation = checked
      • Animation = All animations
      • Brightness:
        
        • Automatic brightness = unchecked
        • slider at approximately 33% (set by Android Power Control widget)
      • Screen timeout = 1 minute
      • Notification flash = all options checked
   3. Accounts and sync:
      
      • (General sync settings)
      • Background data = checked
      • Auto-sync = checked
        (Manage accounts)
      • Exchange ActiveSync (1 account):
        
        • (General setting)
        • Account settings:
          
          • (General setting)
          • Sync when roaming = unchecked
            (Mail setting) = default options
            (Calendar settings)
          • Sync events for past = 2 weeks
          
          (Data and synchronization)
        • Schedule = as items arrive
        • Mail = checked
        • Contacts =checked
        • Calendar =checked
      • Google (active for 1 account):
        
        • Sync calendar =checked
        • Sync contacts =checked
        • Sync Gmail =checked
      • News = inactive
      • Stocks = inactive
      • Weather:
        
        • (General setting)
        • Account settings:
          
          • Update schedule = once a day
          
          (Data and synchronization)
        • Sync weather = checked
   4. Location:
      
      • (My location)
      • Use wireless networks = checked
      • Location setting = ON
      • Use GPS satellites = unchecked
2. Wallpaper:
   
   • Live wallpapers:
     
     • HTC Sense
3. Installed applications/widgets:
   
   1. "Advance Task Killer" by ReChild:
      
      • Settings:
        
        • (Startup)
        • Auto Start = checked
          (View)
        • Show Notification = unchecked
          (Ignore List)
        • GMail
        • Internet
        • Advanced Task Killer
        • Maps
        • Gauge Battery Widget
        • Messages
        • Clock
        • fring
          (Auto Kill)
        • Auto Kill Level = Aggressive
        • Auto Kill Frequency = When screen off
          (Security)
        • Security Level = High
   2. "OverclockWidget" by Billy Cui (requires root privileges via unrevoked, etc.):
      
      • Min = 245000
      • Max = 998400
      • Advanced Settings:
        
        • Differ Freq Screen Off = checked (This will under-clock the EVO's CPU when the screen is off)
          (Screen Off Freq Setting)
        • Min: 245000
        • Max: 245000
          (Advanced Setting)
        • Suppress Notification = unchecked
        • Use your frequencies = unchecked
          (Operation)
        • Auto start on boot = checked
          * * * YOU MUST CLICK SAVE BUTTON * * *
   3. "Network" by Philipp Mangelow
      
      • Set preferred network type = CDMA auto (PRL) (If set to GSM, your EVO will constantly search for a signal)
   4. "Gauge Battery Widget Beta" by Tomas Hubalek*(nice-looking analog dial for monitoring battery life)
   5. fring: (This app does not help your battery life, but it has been running in the background throughout my testing :))
      
      • Settings:
        
        • Automatic Startup = checked
      • Add-ons:
        
        • Address Book = checked
        • Skype = checked
        • AIM = checked

Not sure if this meets the criteria of your thread, but I'll add it in case someone else is using the app.

I installed the Sirius Satellite Radio app, to be able to listen to my acct at work. I keep it hooked up to power and external speakers when using the app. I "thought" the app was closing by simply pausing the music and hitting the home button on the phone. The first couple nights my battery was draining a little quicker than expected. Turned out the app was still running in the background and updating the current song on all my favorite stations, even though I wasn't listening. Turns out you have to hit "menu" and tap "exit" to completely close the app. Once I started exiting properly, battery life returned to normal.

1. 4G, WIFI, BT oof unless I need it
2. GPS always on
3. TURN OFF "always on mobile data".
4. No Live Wallpaper.
5. Turn off News, Friend Stream, Stocks and Sprint Zone as well as most auto sync.
6. Close Apps PROPERLY! Some do not shut off if you back out of them, look for an exit or quit menu item
7. Vibrate is OFF for Calls, Texts, and Notifications. Haptic feedback is on.
8. I had been using Advanced Task Killer, but I turned it off and did not see a significant difference.

This weekend I managed to go over 34 hours unplugged. Yes, phone use was minimal compared to a normal day for me, but I did use the phone with the above settings. That's pretty impressive battery life if you ask me.

Just want to say that I turned WiFi on at home and had 78% battery left after 13 hours of modest use.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cory Streater [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

- GPS: Like Bluetooth, it consume large amounts of energy while updating coordinates and communicating with satellites orbiting the earth. Combined with turn-by-turn directions and an always-on backlight, in order to see the maps guiding your way, you’re pushing battery consumption to the limits. I often read posts from people who are using the EVO as a full time GPS device in the car. One common complaint from these users is that USB chargers are only maintaining the current battery level – or worse – when GPS is in use. Since the EVO limits USB host connections to 500mAh of power input, this is a good indicator of how much GPS consumes. In other words, 500mAh of continuous power to the EVO is not enough to charge and take advantage of GPS/turn by turn directions at the same time.

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I found you can get an inexpensive power inverter (DC to AC, ~$35) which will provide up to 1 amp or more that allows you to use the regular wall charger in your car at full power.

Even if you don't have the issue of the charger not being able to keep up with the load, you can charge your battery during your car trip much faster than using the car charger.

I Uninstalled the task killers two days ago. For one it kept making my phone shut down/back-up. I noticed it used a lot of battery, since removing it I dont have that issue anymore. My phone comes of charger at 0730 a.m. and I did'nt charge it till around 3 p.m. I am not a expert In phones but my battery life is great with some of the changes posted in earlier forums. I use my phone for tweeting,FBing,news..etc.. Again I love my dam EVO:cool:

Here is my graph from the past day and a half or so...wasn't paying too much attention to my usage but I would say that it was light/moderate...will do the same thing tomorrow and monitor usage...



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so unplugged at about 315 sunday after noon and at 9% approx at 915 monday night

I am getting very extended battery life with keeping WiFi on. Admittedly modest usage, but still much better than when first got the phone.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by plopez12 [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Here is my graph from the past day and a half or so...wasn't paying too much attention to my usage but I would say that it was light/moderate...will do the same thing tomorrow and monitor usage...

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what app/widget are you using to keep track of your battery usage?

I'm just destined not to get much life out of my battery. I've optimized all settings, just use the browser and text too much I imagine. I use it more like a laptop than a phone.

Wifi is off in this picture because I had just gotten back to the house.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by schultepk [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

I'm just destined not to get much life out of my battery. I've optimized all settings, just use the browser and text too much I imagine. I use it more like a laptop than a phone.

Wifi is off in this picture because I had just gotten back to the house.


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^^The roaming triangle doesn't help... Roaming will suck the life out of that battery, your phone is probably switching back and fourth.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by splmonster [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

^^The roaming triangle doesn't help... Roaming will suck the life out of that battery, your phone is probably switching back and fourth.

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Is that what it is? I'm back home for the summer and am roaming off of Verizon's towers until I head back to college. Thanks for the heads up!

I'm experiencing errors on text messaging as well. Whenever I receive a text, it shows a time 5 hours ahead of actually, I attribute this to roaming as well. My brother who has the same phone was home this past weekend and his was doing it as well. He goes back to Kansas City and it works fine!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rowsef [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

what app/widget are you using to keep track of your battery usage?

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I am using juiceplotter...and the battery percentage is accurate...same as the readout the phone provides

"Mobile Data Always on"

This Stupid Setting Destroyed!!!! my Battery yesterday...

I turned it back on because i was having Reboot Cycling issues...

Side effect being within an hour and a half of being at work...

I dropped from 100% to 42% with no Use on the phone at all...

It just sits there...

I Highly suggest you turn this off if you care about your batteries life...

I tested with the Always on Mobile thing turned off and was getting sporatic network error messages. Since turned back on, I never got it again.

I had sporatic battery life and made some tweaks yesterday and am at like 21hrs now at 17%. Used the phone a decent amount too

I dont know much about this phone yet, but here is what I see. Does Sense group a bunch of apps together rather then breaking them out? I have a friend on a Nexus and said his looks totally different and shows more

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What does it mean when your Android System power usage is so high? I just exchanged my first Evo (had the light leak) and it was having battery problems (~6-8 hours per charge). I am curious what the new Evo will be like. They also had new build version (0002 vs 0003).

I was roofing all day so was not using my phone at all, I let it lay in my room. I come back and its under 5%. I used it for 35 minutes over lunch, otherwise, it sat dormant. Could it be because low wifi, wifi is low in my room, I took this picture right next to my computer so signal was high, and the fact that I'm roaming as well?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by schultepk [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Could it be because low wifi, wifi is low in my room, I took this picture right next to my computer so signal was high, and the fact that I'm roaming as well?

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I'm 99% sure that's it. Turn WiFi off if you have a low signal and aren't using it.

You're cell standby is high because of low signal/roaming it looks like, and then on top of that you've doubled it with the WiFi that you're not using.

If you had Wifi off, you probably would have another 3 - 4 hours additional charge easily.

i've just found some battery-saving tips from the evo forum on sprint.com

#1. if you had set up gmail acct on your evo, then most likely you'll have google chat enabled. this would be the "Talk" program under your application menu. to save some battery, go into the menu->more of "Talk" and disable the "Automatically sign in" by unchecking that option. next step is to sign out by using the sign out option in Talk menu, rather than exiting the program by hitting the Home or Back button.

#2. why auto-sync when the phone is asleep or application is not in use? so, turn off the "Auto-sync" feature in "Accounts & sync" option in Settings. depending on the applications, some will auto-refresh when you actually start using the application or you may need to click the refresh button.

i'm about to see if these settings will make a difference the next couple of days. if you plan on using these tips, please share if you're getting better battery results!!