Google services and heavy battery use with Lollipop

[davidallenxyz]

Issues with heavy battery use under Lollipop seem quite widely documented. I've tried a couple of changes but haven't been able to stop certain processes from using a lot of power.

Previously it was Google Play Services that was the main culprit. Now it seems to be just Google Services ( which suggests there had been some kind of software update).I have put the location services to battery saving mode but there doesn't seem much else I can do. Services use 20% of the battery and the screen uses only a few %. I have cleared the cache since the ota update, although from the settings menu rather than the boot menu.

Are Google aware of these issues and is there a fix pending? The battery gets eaten even when the phone is in my pocket. I like lollipop but am frustrated by battery life compared to KitKat.

This is probably just a cry for help on my part...

 

[LeoRex]

Well.. without looking at your battery stats... its hard to make a recommendation. But you are correct that "Google Services" is pretty much Google Play Services.... if you are looking at the stock battery tool, the amount of information there has a lot to be desired. I think they keep it simple, too simple, so as not to overwhelm the user.

How to help? That service is a big container... houses power usage for the Google Location stuff, but also things like the backup service, contact syncronization, app and play store management. They lump it all under one heading.

You can get a little bit more information from tools like Better Battery Stats and GSam Battery Monitor (if you are rooted, you get more detailed info).

By the way, the "Battery Saving Mode" for location pretty much only means that the Google Location service will not use GPS to obtain its location... it saves battery there (GPS is voracious), but it still checks for location just as often, using the network (WiFi or Mobile) to figure out where you are.

I wish there was a simple answer to "How do I save power?" But the real answer could fill hundreds of pages.

 

[Danwantstobeswedish]

I've noticed that Facebook Messenger does too, had to delete it.