25% drain in 1 hour?!

[JtothaR]

So what are you doing different that's giving you such great battery life? I'm sure everyone in this thread would love any suggestions/tips.

I use recent apps to close out of apps I'm not planning on using, I calibrate my battery repeatedly by running the phone dead and charging on an external charger until 100%. I keep the screen on low brightness unless I go outside. I set beautiful widgets to update weather every two hours. I don't need to know the weather every hour at work.

The external charger also came with a second battery so If I want to play music and surf on it for 6 hours straight and kill the battery fully it's no longer a problem. I just swap in a fully charged battery and keep going.

Also guys, you have to realize, the speed of this phone has caused me to use it for browsing instead of my tablet, use it for gaming, instead of my tablet, and listen to music all day at work (since it's capable of streaming audio instead of being choppy like past phones) My signal at work was barely usable by my old Motorola, but this phone stays locked on.

I'll take a wild guess that you guys are using the device more than your past devices also, because it's more usable. If the screen is on more than half the time between charges, you can't expect more than 10 hours out of it. Last night after I posted about my 2%. I killed the phone, swapped the battery out, turned it back on and had a 3 hour text conversation while listening to internet radio(screen was on for 3-4 hours straight). The phone dropped by 80% over 7 hours. This is to be expected.

Try that on your old phone and see what happens.

With extreme heavy use, I realize that I must adjust my expectations accordingly. With normal use it will easily go the whole day even with 4g on and low signal, which is awesome IMO.

-James

 

[Johnbibbs]

First off, download and run watchdog and see if a certain app is "misbehaving" and causing your battery drain.

Aside from that, here are a few tweaks that have worked for my Nexus:

Disable Google plus
Don't use auto brightness, set it to around 30%
Disable NFC
Set to CDMA only if you're not in a 4g area.
Manage your accounts and syncs as you may, but I have mine set to manual.
Uncheck anything under gps services when not needed.
Use dark wallpapers/themes. Tapatalk themed to dark on my phone. White backgrounds use more battery on these screens.

Most importantly, get a set cpu screen off profile. Set it 350/350 to avoid standby drain.

I'm getting over 15 hours a charge on my Nexus. I'm rooted running a custom rom and kernel though.

You do realize that the GPS and location services don't actually drain battery when they aren't doing anything. The only time you see an impact on the battery is when the phone is actively looking for it's location which it doesn't do constantly. You should see no difference in battery drain with having the GPS off or on as long as you don't have a program that is constantly looking for a location. If you do then that's a problem with that program and not the GPS.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

 

[JtothaR]

My battery drained pretty quickly at first. But, I began not bump-charging throughout the day and let it go all the way down to the warning (15% remaining charge) before completely charging. Meanwhile, I popped in a spare and kept going. Now, after a couple of weeks of this, they are lasting over 20 hours of normal use. I also have the extended life batteries. They also need a "burn-in" period. Charge completely, let fall to 15% or less before plugging in. Do this for at least a week. Life builds astoundingly. Give it a try. Oh yeah, I don't sign off of Facebook or Google+. They stay on all the time. At home, I leave wifi on, but turn off gps and bluetooth, and leave brightness on auto over night. I've been charging the battery in the spare battery charger. After the burn-in period, I'm very impressed with the G-Nex's battery life.

This is what I'm referring to. There are lots of people that panic at the sight of falling percentages and have to charge "immediately". Don't panic, let your phone discharge until it turns itself off and then recharge until full. Repeat several times in a row.

 

[RyMac04]

reserved. reading through the thread.

 

[tk-093]

I've dropped 11% in 2 hours and 49 minutes. However, my screen has only been on for 4 minutes.
From that 11% drop:
Android OS = 19%
Screen = 15%
Phone Idol = 15%
Maps = 12% (I have GPS on and stuff.. have not actually used the maps app)
Cell Standby = 11%
Google Services = 10%
Exchange Services = 10%

I think the AndroidOS being that high is the culprit. Sure the battery only dropped 11% in just under 3 hours but that was with not using the phone hardly at all. I'm using beautiful widgets and I wonder if that has something to do with it. I do have Watchdog and it hasn't alerted me to anything, but on my Moto Xoom, it goes off all the time telling me Beautiful Widgets is acting up?

 

[MBSMD]

I'm a new GN owner moving from an iPhone 4S (went from iPhone 3GS to Verizon Droid Incredible to iPhone 4S, now back on Android). I have to admit the iPhone 4S had an awesome battery. Even with WiFi and BT continuously on, I could hammer on it all at work - very heavily - and still leave with more than 50% consistently (usually over 60%) after a 10 hour work day.

And I, like the OP, was getting just horrible battery life on my GN - like down 50% in 4 hours off the charger! I've done a few things in the last 24 hours and today my phone's life has been very acceptable. Phone as been off the charger now for 4 hrs 30 min and I'm at 81% with 4G ON, WiFi/BT off. Yes, with 4G on!

1) Extended battery. It's only a day old so will hopefully get a little better even after a couple of cycles. It's nearly impossible to tell the extended battery is in compared with stock (I'm sure you've all seen the pictures). It's actually more comfortable to hold, IMHO, without the chin on the back of the phone. True, it's only like 250 mAh more, but hey, more is more.

2) Turned off NFC. I think I may end up using Google Wallet and turning it back on at some point, but for now it's off. I'll turn it back on once I see how things go.

3) Uninstalled a bunch of widgets and apps that I wasn't using and wasn't certain were fully ICS compatible. Disabled Google + (don't use it), Verizon Backup service (also don't use it), Google Talk (also don't use it) and Verizon Login (no idea what it does, but doesn't sound like something I need).

4) Turned off auto-update in Market. Not sure if it'll really help, but I decided I wanted to know what was being installed anyway, so I would have done this regardless.

5) Installed "Juice Defender Ultimate" to manage power. This likely has the most effect. Turns data sync on every 15 minutes to check mail, get updates, etc., and turns off WiFi when I leave home. Also turns off Bluetooth 1 minute after a BT signal is lost - so when I exit my car, the phone automatically disables BT. I do understand I'll have to turn it back on manually. Not a big deal. The app will turn data back on whenever the screen is unlocked, so the phone operates normally when I'm actively using it.

So far, the battery life has been acceptable today and the functionality hasn't been diminished significantly. I may set the Juice Defender data interval to something more frequent - like 5 to 8 minutes or so - after I experiment for another couple of days.

And all this is even with an installed app called Good for Enterprise which I require for my work email. Reportedly this app causes battery problems for many, but I have to use it. Hopefully one day my work's IT people will move Android phones to Exchange instead (as they have with the iPhones) and I can dump Good. They require encryption and remote delete capabilities, so I think that prevents many (most?) Android handsets from using Exchange natively like the iPhone 3GS thru 4S.

 

[tk-093]

I use recent apps to close out of apps I'm not planning on using, I calibrate my battery repeatedly by running the phone dead and charging on an external charger until 100%.

I'm not sure that draining your battery all the way down all the time is very good for it long term.

I've always gone by this, not saying it's the gospel or anything, but its a good read.

Similar to a mechanical device that wears out faster with heavy use, so also does the depth of discharge (DoD) determine the cycle count. The smaller the depth of discharge, the longer the battery will last. If at all possible, avoid frequent full discharges and charge more often between uses. If full discharges cannot be avoided, try utilizing a larger battery. Partial discharge on Li-ion is fine; there is no memory and the battery does not need periodic full discharge cycles other than to calibrate the fuel gauge on a smart battery.​

How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University

 

[RyMac04]

Hi all - sorry just now getting back to this thread (ie. back at work today). haha

Thanks to EVERYONE for all the advice. I've tweaked a lot of things on my GNex much to the benefit of my battery.

As many have said, I don't want to change the way I use the phone - that's why I got it. At the same time, it's very true that I'm using the phone WAY more than my BlackBerry Storm2 (lol). It's very powerful, and I'm enjoying that - at the expense of the battery.

I was never accustomed to manually locking my screen with my BB. That said, I wasn't locking the Nexus after use, rather setting it down and letting the 30 second screen timer lock the phone. I'm making it a habit to be quicker on the phone, which is easy, and lock immediately after use. I've disabled Google+, and I'm staying off Words with Friends for the most part.

Today, at 11:06 and 2hrs 45m off charger, I'm still at 75%, with 45mins of screen on. I'm much happier about the battery today, and it seems to be getting better. Heavy texting and GroupMe, some emails here and there, and a few turns of Words with friends. I've just now disabled NFC after reading the replies, so we'll see how that helps. At this point yesterday I was getting below 50% already.

As CJ100570 said, gone are the days of simple phones - we must get used to using the "super phones" accordingly.

I'm still learning, and hoping to get slightly better battery life, and I'll keep this updated as I apply everyone's advice.

 

[JtothaR]

I'm not sure that draining your battery all the way down all the time is very good for it long term.

I've always gone by this, not saying it's the gospel or anything, but its a good read.

Similar to a mechanical device that wears out faster with heavy use, so also does the depth of discharge (DoD) determine the cycle count. The smaller the depth of discharge, the longer the battery will last. If at all possible, avoid frequent full discharges and charge more often between uses. If full discharges cannot be avoided, try utilizing a larger battery. Partial discharge on Li-ion is fine; there is no memory and the battery does not need periodic full discharge cycles other than to calibrate the fuel gauge on a smart battery.​

How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries - Battery University

I never said all the time. I just said I've been breaking in the new batteries. Some people never calibrate and their batteries drop like flies. If mine go out from calibrating a few times (they wont) then I'll eat my words and buy new ones. But after having at least 2 phones a year for the past 11 years and doing the same things with them, I'm not concerned.

 

[bjn714]

I see one very fatal flaw (and a few other suggestions) in the whole layout of these battery threads.

First and foremost, are you in an LTE market with LTE enabled? There are too many people posting their awesome battery life that are not even in an LTE market.

Also, please actually tap on the screen usage and the phone idle to see what the amount of time each one is on for and post that as well. Percentages are irrelevant unless compared to the time in which it was consumed.

Without this information, we only have part of the picture.

 

[Johnbibbs]

I see one very fatal flaw (and a few other suggestions) in the whole layout of these battery threads.

First and foremost, are you in an LTE market with LTE enabled? There are too many people posting their awesome battery life that are not even in an LTE market.

Also, please actually tap on the screen usage and the phone idle to see what the amount of time each one is on for and post that as well. Percentages are irrelevant unless compared to the time in which it was consumed.

Without this information, we only have part of the picture.

I am in an LTE market and use it except for when I am at home on Wifi and I'm still getting 10+ hours of battery with between 3 and 3.5 hours of screen on time.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

 

[RyMac04]

I see one very fatal flaw (and a few other suggestions) in the whole layout of these battery threads.

First and foremost, are you in an LTE market with LTE enabled? There are too many people posting their awesome battery life that are not even in an LTE market.

Also, please actually tap on the screen usage and the phone idle to see what the amount of time each one is on for and post that as well. Percentages are irrelevant unless compared to the time in which it was consumed.

Without this information, we only have part of the picture.

I am in an LTE market - Memphis, TN. But i have set my phone to CDMA only.

Update Today: 71% battery on 3h 27m of use

Screen - 53% / Screen on - 55m

Andoird OS - 18%

Words Free - 7%

Phone Idle - 5% / Time on 2h 32m


Thanks for the help.

 

[bjn714]

I am in an LTE market and use it except for when I am at home on Wifi and I'm still getting 10+ hours of battery with between 3 and 3.5 hours of screen on time.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

That is good. In case it came across that way, I wasn't implying that there were not devices experiencing good battery life with LTE, but more that nobody was distinguishing the difference. We did not know if it was 3g normal or 4g greatness that was resulting in the great battery life for some.

I both love and hate these battery life threads. There are so many fundamental concepts that many people don't understand are at play here and make comparison very difficult, but on the other hand there is a lot of good information posted for those who don't know. The never-ending fight.

 

[RyMac04]

I both love and hate these battery life threads. There are so many fundamental concepts that many people don't understand are at play here and make comparison very difficult, but on the other hand there is a lot of good information posted for those who don't know. The never-ending fight.

This

 

[Masheen]

So to the guy who was trying to tell me that Android System isnt part of the ICS operating system, I have downloaded watchdog. Nothing is acting up. In fact i factory reset my phone after it reported nothing and havent installed any apps. Im still using 3g only and android os/system is still high. It still keeps awake when the screen is off and nobody has addressed It yet. No other build of android showed an overreactive android system that stayed awake when the screen is off.

 

[JtothaR]

So to the guy who was trying to tell me that Android System isnt part of the ICS operating system, I have downloaded watchdog. Nothing is acting up. In fact i factory reset my phone after it reported nothing and havent installed any apps. Im still using 3g only and android os/system is still high. It still keeps awake when the screen is off and nobody has addressed It yet. No other build of android showed an overreactive android system that stayed awake when the screen is off.

I'm at 61% charge right now and android system is the last thing on the list showing 2% use. Sounds like it to me that yours is acting up.

 

[Masheen]

I'm at 61% charge right now and android system is the last thing on the list showing 2% use. Sounds like it to me that yours is acting up.

Tell me your Android System statistics after your phone has been idle for a long period of time like when you wake up in the morning if your phone isn't on the charger. It's abnormally high, others have said the same thing. You're probably talking, browsing, streaming, emailing and playing games on your phone so Android System gets washed out in your battery stats.

 

[tk-093]

I never said all the time. I just said I've been breaking in the new batteries. Some people never calibrate and their batteries drop like flies. If mine go out from calibrating a few times (they wont) then I'll eat my words and buy new ones. But after having at least 2 phones a year for the past 11 years and doing the same things with them, I'm not concerned.

They way I read your post I took it that you run down a battery every time, so no worries. Those old school NiCad batteries had to be run down all the way or they would think they were shorter then they were. I don't miss those days at all.

 

[JtothaR]

Tell me your Android System statistics after your phone has been idle for a long period of time like when you wake up in the morning if your phone isn't on the charger. It's abnormally high, others have said the same thing. You're probably talking, browsing, streaming, emailing and playing games on your phone so Android System gets washed out in your battery stats.

Touche. I only check the stats during heavy use.

Been streaming for 3.5 hours now, and it's time for ASOT now. Phone will be dead soon...

 

[JtothaR]

They way I read your post I took it that you run down a battery every time, so no worries. Those old school NiCad batteries had to be run down all the way or they would think they were shorter then they were. I don't miss those days at all.

Did NiCads ever make it into phones? I used to be into Radio control back then so I remember them from that. Used to have discharging trays and cyclers and all that jazz.