Newbie problems: Battery drain

[cristrip]

Hello everybody ? im new with android (coming from blackberry) and i got my sensation a few days ago...

The only thing I dislike about this sensation is the battery drain. I?ve heard the reason might be: WI-FI, BACKGROUND APPS, WIDGETS?

I checked mine (SETTINGS > ABOUT PHONE > BATTERY) and it says 80-90% of the reason why my battery drain is because of the display?

QUESTION 1 ) How does everybody have their DISPLAY / BATTERY SETTINGS in order to get more battery life out of my phone?

QUESTION 2) What?s the best app / way to control what apps do I want running in the background??

THANKS!

 

[MattMJB0188]

Hello everybody ? im new with android (coming from blackberry) and i got my sensation a few days ago...

The only thing I dislike about this sensation is the battery drain. I?ve heard the reason might be: WI-FI, BACKGROUND APPS, WIDGETS?

I checked mine (SETTINGS > ABOUT PHONE > BATTERY) and it says 80-90% of the reason why my battery drain is because of the display?

QUESTION 1 ) How does everybody have their DISPLAY / BATTERY SETTINGS in order to get more battery life out of my phone?

QUESTION 2) What?s the best app / way to control what apps do I want running in the background??

THANKS!

My display is at 63% right now with automatic brightness turned on. The first day I had it, it was around like 80% too. I've noticed my battery life has improved since my first day with the phone.

I personally like the built in HTC task manager. However, do not pay attention to the ram usage it shows. It does manage apps very well though.

 

[nox]

1) Set the brightness to a pretty low setting, and have auto brightness disabled.

2) Don't worry about this. One thing we like to tell BB users is that its nothing like a BB. Don't worry too much about killing programs or stuff like that. A tip though, whenever you're done with an app just back out of it. You can press the home button but then it idles in the background for a set period of time. Instead, just keep pressing the back button until you reach the home screens.
Aldo, if an app has an exit option then choose that. If you can't back out it choose exit, then you csn press home.

tl;dr

Just don't worry about memory management. Android does this on its own. If you need to leave an app (and won't be using it again) keep pressing the back button until it ends. Or choose exit in the options (if it has it). If neither works, then press the home button.

 

[cristrip]

what about widgets and WI-FI? are they responsible for the battery drain too?

what settings do you have on the BATTERY POWER SAVER? on or off?

one of you told me to disable the automatic brightness and the other one to keep it on. so...?

thanks for responding so quickly...

 

[junglejunkie]

Widgets auto update so yes they do drain the battery. You can usually set the update interval on most widgets so they can update as much or little as you want. Live wallpapers will also put a little dent in your battery usage.

As far as Wi-Fi, if it is on then it is also draining your battery, as well as bluetooth...

 

[nox]

Think about it this way.
Your phone is constantly searching/scanning the light around you, as opposed to it not doing that.
Wifi does reduce battery.
Widgets can, but I wouldn't worry about it much.

No matter what, your display is always going to be the #1 in the battery usage department.
Our best bet is to reduce how much it uses. Reduce the brightness to something low, and if you need it higher (going in the sun) than increase it. I would use the power control widget to lower/raise the brightness.

 

[danperde]

As far as Wi-Fi, if it is on then it is also draining your battery, as well as bluetooth...

If you have WiFi on and you are connected to the WiFi you will actually improve your battery usage (comparing to Mobile network). It only drains your battery if you are not connected and it keeps searching for networks. Your wireless network gets more constant signal than carrier's network because it's closer to your phone and you have far less interference. On Mobile network I get 8-9 hours of normal (for me) usage whereas when I'm home and connected to my network I get up to 15 hours (same usage). So you might want to toggle the WiFi and Mobile Network depending on your location.

 

[jbjtkbw007]

First off, and this isn't a slam on anyone, just observation, but the phone is relatively new. Within that first few weeks, people immediately talk how short the battery life is on ANY new phone. Then, they'll compare it with the phone they may have just left behind. Remember they have had that phone for a while and it's no longer new.

I use the H*LL out of phone when I first get it putting it through its paces and trying everything out hoping it works like I hope. I get mine tomorrow, and you better believe that after I get all 150+ of my apps installed and all accounts added that I'm going to go full throttle on seeing what it can do. Yes, my battery life WILL indeed suck for this 'break-in' period.

Now, after the honeymoon is over and things get back to relative normality, now it's time to look at those things you guys are mentioning above. Wi-Fi/Bluetooth. Constant syncing of accounts and push email in the background. Screen brightness. Yadda yadda yadda.

Bottom line is this: a true power user knows that a smartphone is going to eat battery life when you do so much on it. Extended batteries and spare batteries are the way to go. If you're a tinkerer, then start changing settings. I recommend:
-automatic screen brightness.
disable automatic syncing of apps and email when possible. I have mine set to check for new emails when I actually go to the application. Even if I'm expecting an email response, I just check my email and allow it to sync vs. immediately pushing the data to me.
-one of the biggest....KNOW YOUR APPS and check the settings individually. Pay attention to which apps use the network and check the settings to see if they pull information in the background. Here's a secret, many of them DO by default. Disable or adjust them.

I did a lot of these things on my current phone (MyTouch 4G) and guess what? I increased my battery life by at least 50%. No joke. With all of the apps I keep on my phone, I learned about apps and what accessed what. Made the changes, and I can now get through almost a full day at Disney, constantly updating Facebook/Twitter and checking into Foursquare. Texting and making some calls. Using the WDW Lines app to check wait times at attractions. I'll go from 8 am until around 7 pm with that kind of heavy usage. No, it's not a whole day, but I'm killing my phone with usage.

Bottom line is that it's a little early to judge battery life, however, you can make a difference in how you use it to free up some juice. After the break in period, give it a shot. Trust me, you'll be surprised.

 

[nox]

tl;dr?
jk lol I totally agree. I am still using this thing heavily and it's been about 4 days.
I'm getting around 6-8 battery life. Once I start using it normally it should go up

 

[MattMJB0188]

I know its addicting lol. I think I'm so glued to this phone because I've waited for it for so long. Remember the days when it was the Pyramid lol. Tonight I was getting 9mbps down and you know I couldn't put it down lol.

 

[cristrip]

one of the biggest....KNOW YOUR APPS and check the settings individually. Pay attention to which apps use the network and check the settings to see if they pull information in the background. Here's a secret, many of them DO by default. Disable or adjust them.

great thanks for the tip dude... now, you do that by opening each app>menu>settings, right?

 

[jbjtkbw007]

Depending on the app, yes. Some have a settings option as soon as you press the menu button. Once I started messing around with settings, I was amazed at how many items wanted to access the web on their own. And with as many apps that I use, it was staggering. I started going into the apps I use most and then eventually, I got to the point where after I installed an app, I immediately went into the settings to ensure what they wanted to access and how often. I regularly outlast any of my friends on their iPhone 4's.