Nexus S, ICS and Battery Issues

[smckane]

Just updated phone, but now battery running down exceptionally quickly - refusing to charge when plugged in (USB, wall socket, desk dock) - phone recognises that it is plugged in, but it just discharges. Battery status app clearly says 'charging' but the % remaining indicator steadily drops.

I've done all the easy stuff - display brightness on minimum, tried different USB cables to connect to laptop, wall, dock, nothing helping here!

Any ideas / suggestions?

 

[Snow02]

Factory reset.

 

[Terp04]

I just had to plug my Nexus S in at 7:30p and it used to last me until 10:30 or the whole day.

Screen - 30%
Android OS - 20%
Android System - 15%
Mediaserver - 13%
Cell standby 8%
Gmail 5%

Awake time on Android OS was 3 hrs over 11 hrs.

For me, the fact that 35% is Android OS/System, that seems higher than I remember 2.3.6. It used to be that Gmail was higher than basically anything by Screen.

This just doesn't "feel" right to me - anyone else seeing this?

 

[font1975]

I just got the update to ICS and just saw the the WiFi is set to "always on".

I know conventional wisdom says that Wifi should be set to "Always On" because it's more energy efficient.

But I've never found that to be quite true. It IS more efficient when actively transmitting data, like streaming. When the phone is idle doing nothing (i.e. sleep), I'm not convinced. I've always found that allowing the phone to turn off wifi when idle makes the battery last longer for me. Maybe because I have so little background data?

My theory is that 3G radios were designed for lower power devices - like phones! - and as such, should be very energy efficient when the phone is idle. Just the occasional "hello" to the tower to let it know it's there, but otherwise it just listens passively for incoming calls/data.

WiFi has to stay active to: maintain it's association with the WAP; rekey at whatever interval the WPA protocol is set to; respond to broadcast packets - and there's a lot of broadcasts in the computer network world - and so forth. I personally don't see how an idle phone lasts longer with wifi always on.

Now all that said, every phone is different and some people see better life with wifi always on. Personally, I say you have nothing to lose, so try it!
Goto: Settings / WiFi
Hit Menu Key
Select "Advanced"
Select "Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep"
Select "only when plugged in" or "never"

Now, after the screen goes out, wifi will disconnect in 2-3 minutes. When you wake up, wifi will reconnect. Run like that for a few days and see if you notice any change in battery.

Perhaps it drains faster, perhaps it doesn't.

 

[HTMLSpinnr]

I've found that after a factory reset, battery life has vastly improved, even with the same apps installed.

I've also found that at home where 3G signal is poor, having WiFi on all the time is actually a good thing, and I've noted a vast improvement in battery consumption.

 

[GeneralTula]

Also, if you hold down the Home button you will get the list of all your open/running apps. Slide those that don't need to be open to the left. You'll still receive the message (like text, email) or even apps that are running that can close and be reopened later (like music, pandora, settings). This way save your battery life A LOT. The problem with ICS is that is very cool, and having that scrollable live app list is awesome. But if you have 10 apps open that you can scroll through, you're killing your battery.

If you find this works please give me a thanks, I'd appreciate it.

 

[zorak950]

I've noticed that Android OS seems to be using a bigger share of the battery than it used to, but I haven't personally noticed my battery life being significantly shorter. Then again, I have an extended battery, so the change is probably harder to notice for me.

 

[johngarmon]

OTA to 4.0.3 on t-mobile nexus s from 2.3.6
smooth update
facebook will not load over wifi but works on 3g
no facial unlock installed as far as i can tell

Terp04 battery.............................My battery
Screen - 30%...............................%71
Android OS - 20%.......................%23
Android System - 15%................%2
Mediaserver - 13%.......................not anything
Cell standby 8%............................%2
Gmail 5%.......................................not anything

john3

 

[willvivi]

Hi,
If you have a SIP account, try to disable "Receive incoming calls". It worked for me (Nexus S 3G SFR (French carrier)).

Before :

Android OS : 35%
Screen : 18%

Now :
Android OS : 18%
Screen : 25%

This option uses a LOT of data. I don't know why Google activated SIP account through 3G Data connexions, in Gingerbread it used to work only through Wifi. And SIP calls does not works through 3G, besides...

Step-by-step : Go to the Telephone, then Menu ---> Settings. At the bottom of the list, under Internet call settings, tap on Accounts. Then, uncheck "Receive Incoming Calls". After that, you can still make calls through your SIP account.

Now my Nexus S can handle a night easily, this night he has only lost 12% of battery, whereas he lost like 40% when my SIP account was active.

I hope I helped you

Greetings from Paris,
Willvivi

 

[westlundism]

Hi,
If you have a SIP account, try to disable "Receive incoming calls". It worked for me (Nexus S 3G SFR (French carrier)).

Before :

Android OS : 35%
Screen : 18%

Now :
Android OS : 18%
Screen : 25%

This option uses a LOT of data. I don't know why Google activated SIP account through 3G Data connexions, in Gingerbread it used to work only through Wifi. And SIP calls does not works through 3G, besides...

Step-by-step : Go to the Telephone, then Menu ---> Settings. At the bottom of the list, under Internet call settings, tap on Accounts. Then, uncheck "Receive Incoming Calls". After that, you can still make calls through your SIP account.

Now my Nexus S can handle a night easily, this night he has only lost 12% of battery, whereas he lost like 40% when my SIP account was active.

I hope I helped you

Greetings from Paris,
Willvivi

Hi! I had this unchecked by default and Android OS still uses 25% after 8 hours. Any other suggestions?

 

[Rahabib]

just found that Maps is running at the top of my battery usage now 30-60%. cant force close it, cant uninstall it certainly, turned off all location settings, not signed in or even have a latitude account. it still drains the battery

 

[motomeup]

When I first updated to ICS, I found that battery life was very poor, but after a week of use, it seemed to have improved. Also, after clicking Menu (on the homescreen) -> Manage Apps and going to Running, I discovered that one of my apps was constantly running when it wasn't supposed to. After uninstalling that app, my battery was able to run 14-20 hours a day with medium to heavy usage which was way better than what I was getting with Gingerbread.

 

[font1975]

Wish that was the case for me. Some days, it runs almost as good as when I was on Gingerbread. Other days, not so much.

I've resorted to living without 3G, but when I just looked this morning, I'm still on the path of 10% an hour in battery use. Today, the Android OS (which is normally 25% of the battery use) was at 40% and has kept the phone awake for 20 minutes of the 90 minutes it has been off of the charger.

I guess I'm hoping that the next bug fix comes out soon. Rumors of the GN going to 4.0.4 soon, and hopefully that includes the NS.

Other than that, the system has been stable and fast. Just wish the battery life was back to GB levels.

 

[someGuyWriting]

hi smckane, did you ever find a solution to this? I just powered up my nexus s after it had been powered down for ~ 2 months. It did an over-the-air update and now I'm seeing the same thing you were. The phone recognizes the connection and shows the "electricity bolt" charging icon, but continues to discharge

I headed to Batteries Plus and picked up a new battery, no improvement. Same with trying a different cable, and trying both USB connection to PC and A/C-connected charging.

Just updated phone, but now battery running down exceptionally quickly - refusing to charge when plugged in (USB, wall socket, desk dock) - phone recognises that it is plugged in, but it just discharges. Battery status app clearly says 'charging' but the % remaining indicator steadily drops.

I've done all the easy stuff - display brightness on minimum, tried different USB cables to connect to laptop, wall, dock, nothing helping here!

Any ideas / suggestions?

 

[msp_guy]

Also curious what people's battery life is like after the official OTA update. I got the update in December before Google pulled it, and had to revert back to Gingerbread because my battery was dropping 10% an hour while sleeping.

I'm tempted to try ICS again, but I didn't fall in love with any of the features during the two months I had it, and it also seemed run worse than Gingerbread.