Battery Usage, Cell Standby & Network mode ?

[mdawdy]

I would like to understand whatever relationships exist amoung Battery Usage, Cell Standby, & Network mode.

I am seeing that Cell Standby accounts for 40% of my battery usage - with GPS, Wi-Fi, and Mobile Data all turned off.

Under network mode i have 4 choices ...

1. GSM/HPSA/LTE auto connect
2. GSM/HPSA auto connect
3. GSM only
4. HPSA only

Will my choice among these affect my battery usage?

What is the difference if i do not choose an auto connect option? I am guessing that auto connect simply means that the phone will choose the best option, so auto connect is not necessary when there is just one choice.

I do not need the extra hi speed of LTE. Rogers coverage in Canada is slightly better with GSM/EDGE than with HPSA. So i am considering setting my phone to GSM only.

Here is the coverage map. If you uncheck all 4 then check them one at a time you can compare ...
Rogers Mobile Internet | Coverage Map

Will i save battery usage with this choice? What do ya think?

Samsung Galaxy S4 mini SGH-I257M , 4.2.2

 

[B. Diddy]

I don't think I can answer the specific network questions, but what is important to know is if the high Cell Standby percentage is due in large part to poor signal. Under the battery stats, tap Cell Standby, and see if tells you what percentage of time there was no signal. If it's a high percentage, that means more battery drain as the cell radio searches for signal.

 

[mdawdy]

Thank you for the reply. Late this morning the battery ran down completely so phone shut off, then i fully charged it. It has been on for 9 hours 17 minutes. Time without signal is 3%. That is 16 minutes out of 557. Is that typical? a lot? a little?

Battery is at 87% and has had virtually no use, phone mostly idle. No calls. GPS, Wi-Fi, data all off.

 

[B. Diddy]

3% without signal is good, but it sounds like that was after a full charge, and then running for 9 hrs. It would have been good to see what the time without signal was when your Cell Standby was at 40%.

The battery running down 13% over 9 hrs+ isn't all that bad, even if you weren't doing much with it. You might want to install an app like GSam Battery Monitor or Wakelock Detector to find out if there are any apps that are inappropriately waking the phone up many times a day (usually to try to access the web to update info).

 

[mdawdy]

Actually, i am not concerned about the battery running down too quickly due to apps. It is just that this Cell Standby is at the top of the list at 40%. The screen is half that at 20%, and the rest are single digit numbers. So whatever this Cell Standby is, i would like to reduce it if i can.

 

[B. Diddy]

Cell Standby is a pretty normal function--it just means the cell radio is on standby, ready to use. It can use up significant battery if there's weak or no signal, but if signal is good, it probably won't use up too much battery. Just because it's a high percentage of total battery usage doesn't necessarily mean it's using too much battery--in fact, it might be a good sign, because it may show that all other processes are remaining pretty quiet, and not misbehaving. What would be helpful would be screenshots of your battery stats after a good day of usage.

 

[mdawdy]

Thanks again for the helpful info. I understand better now what is happening. Being an old retired guy and a bit of a hermit the phone does not get a lot of use, especially during the winter. One day when i am giving it more use, like when planning stuff with some buddies, i'll do that.

 

[Lindsay Lilburn]

Well, I think there is a real issue here.

We own both a Samsung S3 and S4 mini. In the same location - Cell standby is dominant on the S4 mini whereas the S3 its not -> for the S3 Android system is #1 followed by Device Idle followed by Cell standby.

The S3 discharges at a rate of typically 1% per hour (18 month phone so not the best possible) while a brand new S4 mini discharges at 3% per hour. (note the S4 has a higher capacity battery too)

I have turned off every conceivable option/feature/app on the S4 and 3% per hr is the best we can get. Cell standby is dominant even though the GSM/CDMA option is selected. (did not help disabling LTE) Way below spec...

Anyone else seen this or know of a solution?

 

[Larry Fern]

Lindsay, I have the exact same issue as you. I have an S3 and an S4 Mini and the S4 Mini can't get through a day on one charge. It was great until a couple weeks ago. Not sure what changed, but after reading online, some people suggested rebooting. I did that and the Mini's battery lasted all day! Unfortunately, after a few days, it's back to killing the battery and "Cell Standby" is the big user. Samsung tech support was no help so currently on hold with Verizon to see what they can find...

 

[mdawdy]

I have set up the CleanMaster and BatteryDoctor Apps on my S4 mini. I have turned off any automatic options. I make only light use of the phone - a few calls per day, maybe one Google search, nothing else. I run the 1 Tap Boost CM Widget and the Save Power BD Widget after each use of the phone.

At the end of the first day battery = 90%, second day 75%, 3rd day [today] 55%. I expect the 4th day will be the last at about 25% to 30%. We shall see tomorrow evening.

I also have installed NoWallpaper [saves a wee bit of battery power] and SmoothCalendar [very nice and very useful].

I have not yet disabled the 50+ Apps that CleanMaster reports as harmless to disable as my phone is still under warranty and has an issue that the service people have not been able to resolve. But i will be doing that and i highly recommend it to others.

 

[mdawdy]

55%. I expect the 4th day will be the last at about 25% to 30%. We shall see tomorrow evening ...

46%, better than i expected. I'll try for a 5th day. Let y'all know tomorrow evening.

 

[mdawdy]

46%, better than i expected. I'll try for a 5th day. Let y'all know tomorrow evening.

43% this morning. Lost only 3%age points overnight.

 

[mdawdy]

It's at 31% now. That is 5 days of light use. I'll see what it is at in the morning, maybe get another day out of it.

 

[iamn8]

This thread came up in a search as I was looking for a solution to the same problem, so I signed up.

S4 mini on Sprint. I started running into battery issues after the 4.4.2 update was pushed a few weeks ago.

The first problem I had was that "Android System" was at the top of the battery use. I cleared the cache and seemed to have solved that issue. Now, "Cell Standby" has replaced it as the primary battery consumer. 20% of my last full charge, and like 'mdawdy', it seems to consume a larger percentage each time I charge it.

I do get a poor signal at work, but a strong LTE signal at home and battery consumption seems to be the same in either place. Regardless, my "time without signal" is 0% since the last full charge, so it's not as if the radio is looking for a signal.