gps battery usage

[ilmostro11]

I use CardioTrainer (great app btw) to track my walks and I notice that my other apps that use gps are sucking up the same amount of battery juice. The other apps are CoPilot and the dreaded ATT Navigator which I don't even use. Are these other apps that aren't running when out on my walks sucking up additional battery or is it just a fluke of the battery app (battery indicator) reporting the gps usage to 3 different programs? All 3 gps programs use the same percentage of battery power.

Thanks,
Bryan

 

[Moscow Desire]

It's possible that they use the battery whenever you turn on gps. You can goto Settings/about phone, and check which apps are using your battery.

Also, you can go in Application Manager, and see which programs are running.

If you're running a custom ROM, there is usually a specific setting for Battery.

I would just try to uninstall the apps you don't want. Or check the settings for the app, and have it do manual start, and not auto.

But with AT&T, who knows....

 

[srkmagnus]

Yes, the more apps using GPS actively will result in a battery drain. Either remove the apps with GPS running if you no longer use them or see if there is are settings within the apps that allow you to disable background updates.

 

[ilmostro11]

Thanks for the replies. CoPilot and ATT Navigator can't be stopped (those options are greyed out) and ATT Navigator can't be uninstalled unless you are rooted which I am not ready to take that step yet.

I was hoping to conserve battery as much as possible when using CardioTrainer for tracking distance and speed while walking. I just set the program to notify me when I have walked a certain distance or a certain time amount to get my workout in.

If there is a way to uninstall ATT Navigator w/o rooting I am all ears. I love CoPilot so I will just have to put up with it using battery as there is no way to "stop" it just the uninstall is available as an option.

Thanks,
Bryan

 

[HobieCoop]

Fascinate gps battery issue since froyo

I have a samsung fascinate which just got upgraded to Verizon's Froyo. Since then ANY gps app sucks the battery dry. Google Maps and SportyPal (cardio trainer) drain my battery within 2 hours. This was NOT a problem with 2.1

I will note that in 2.1, the some gps apps could not get a fix. SportyPal was one of them. I had to first open Google Maps, wait for a gps fix and then start the other gps-enabled app. If I shut down Maps before starting the other map, gps would not get a fix (in 2.1). Othe apps like GasBuddy pulled the gps just fine.

Any ideas on why this is happening or how to fix it? Could it just be the intensive need for gps coordinates that cause the cardio apps to suck the battery via the gps? If so, why wasn't this a problem on 2.1?

Thanks in advance...

 

[srkmagnus]

@ilmostro11 - You should be able to force stop the apps by going to menu > settings > applications > running

Hopefully this helps fix the problem.

 

[HobieCoop]

@ilmostro11 - You should be able to force stop the apps by going to menu > settings > applications > running

Hopefully this helps fix the problem.

Sorry, but that's kin to deleting the app. I want the app. I want it to run. I want it to stop consuming the high amount of battery it does under 2.2 and go back to "sipping judiciously" on the battery the way it did under 2.1

Any ideas??

 

[ilmostro11]

I will experiment today. I will start up copilot and then do a force stop. ATT navigator can only be uninstalled if you are rooted and I don't want to go there yet. This is my first android device and have been really pleased with it but want to do everything I can to extend the battery life.

Bryan

 

[ilmostro11]

I forced stopped copilot and it didn't make a diff. Will just have to live it since I ain't uninstalling my nav program and att navigator isn't uninstallable without rooting.
I think the battery app is just splitting the gps battery drain data usage between the 3 apps and am not sure that getting rid of those other apps would make a difference in the juice drawdown rate.

Thanks,
Bryan

 

[Moscow Desire]

I forced stopped copilot and it didn't make a diff. Will just have to live it since I ain't uninstalling my nav program and att navigator isn't uninstallable without rooting.
I think the battery app is just splitting the gps battery drain data usage between the 3 apps and am not sure that getting rid of those other apps would make a difference in the juice drawdown rate.

Thanks,
Bryan

Seems your thread got "trounced on".

It bad that AT&T puts these apps that we can't get rid of easily. I guess that's why people like me and others, Root, and install a ROM that doesn't have all this BS.

 

[ilmostro11]

My suspicions were right. After the recent software update for my Inspire the battery usage report only includes the gps program I am using (cardiotrainer). i.e. I am not getting more battery life but the battery data is now correctly reporting the battery usage to only one program using the gps instead of splitting it between 3 gps program.

Bryan

 

[takeshi]

It's a reporting issue. Even if the 3 apps were simultaneously using your GPS receiver the apps wouldn't even come close to the battery usage of the GPS receiver itself.