My Battery is taking a hammering!

[bigsmoke79]

Owned a 6P 64gb for sometime but last few months battery life is getting worse! I've tried clearing cache, factory resetting phone and nothing is working.

What's making it worse is my mate has a 6s Plus and we done a very rough comparsion test with both phones at 100% at 8am and by 3pm in afternoon he has 82% while I'm lucky to have over 28%!

Is there anything I can do?

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Roose00]

Owned a 6P 64gb for sometime but last few months battery life is getting worse! I've tried clearing cache, factory resetting phone and nothing is working.

What's making it worse is my mate has a 6s Plus and we done a very rough comparsion test with both phones at 100% at 8am and by 3pm in afternoon he has 82% while I'm lucky to have over 28%!

Is there anything I can do?

Posted via the Android Central App

Is the battery stats showing the phone awake a lot? Showing Bluetooth or GPS being awake a lot? Is the cell coverage the same on both phones?

After all that is compared, it's safe to say you can't compare the two phones for battery life. Sad to say that the two operating systems can't do the same with the same battery but it's as simple as that.

I have owned both of the above mentioned phones. 6s plus just keeps going and going. I can get 48 hours off a charge with this phone, but the 6p wouldn't get me close. I use the phones for a lot of things and I use them a lot.

If you don't use any widgets or status bar add ons etc etc you could probably get much more out of the battery, but would be losing what is the best part of Android.

Hope this helps in some way

 

[bigsmoke79]

Cheers, yeah wasn't a fully comprehensive test just done it to give me a guideline and I don't run any widgets on my phone.

I know you have to take the different operating systems into play etc and I didn't expect the 6p to be exactly the same as the iPhone but I expected them to be alot closer that what I got.

The 6p has a bigger battery as far as I know? so seeing my phone take such a battering in just rough comparison is just abysmal.

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[Android_Fixer]

Turn off features that u r not using. Turn off WiFi if you are not connected to WiFi. Or take it to a repair shop

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[toshig]

I had a similar issue last week without doing anything my battery was going to fast(I lost like %5 in 5 mins without doing anything) and at %100 the estimate in settings-battery was saying like 3 hrs left. I removed these 3 apps SmartNews, Drippler and Device Assist and now everything is fine.

Any chance you are using one of those apps?

 

[soma4society]

When you did your reset, did you reset "as a new device" and add your apps one at a time to try and isolate any rogue software? This is a pain I realize (and really, we *shouldn't* have to do it) but it might be an option.

I don't get all the problems I read about with battery life and this phone. I'm fortunate mine has been working nicely, and I really feel for those who are struggling with poor performance in this area. I'm assuming it's either wakelock issues or a software optimization issue, but I'm no software engineer. Bottom line: a near 3500 mah battery and stock Android really should be a killer combo. I usually get about 5-5.5 hours of SOT, but plenty apparently don't get that. My better half has a note 5 with all that horrific bloatware, same size QHD screen, and a smaller battery and she gets damn good battery life.

That makes zero sense to me. All things being equal, (yes I know some ppl keep their screens on 100% brightness, etc. etc.) Google should do better to make the Nexus experience more consistent from user to user. And I say this as someone who *loves* his 6P.

 

[Trigati]

When you did your reset, did you reset "as a new device" and add your apps one at a time to try and isolate any rogue software? This is a pain I realize (and really, we *shouldn't* have to do it) but it might be an option.

I don't get all the problems I read about with battery life and this phone. I'm fortunate mine has been working nicely, and I really feel for those who are struggling with poor performance in this area. I'm assuming it's either wakelock issues or a software optimization issue, but I'm no software engineer. Bottom line: a near 3500 mah battery and stock Android really should be a killer combo. I usually get about 5-5.5 hours of SOT, but plenty apparently don't get that. My better half has a note 5 with all that horrific bloatware, same size QHD screen, and a smaller battery and she gets damn good battery life.

That makes zero sense to me. All things being equal, (yes I know some ppl keep their screens on 100% brightness, etc. etc.) Google should do better to make the Nexus experience more consistent from user to user. And I say this as someone who *loves* his 6P.

It's easy to pin the blame on Google, but honestly, the culprit is most likely a poorly coded app. There are many known apps (like any from Facebook) plus almost certainly less well known ones that can drain the battery much faster than they should. Even some apps that normally don't have issues can suddenly cause battery drain with a new update. Yes, there can be Android updates that wreak havok on the battery (such as March's update seemed to do for some people), but when issues like this suddenly come up, its almost certainly an app causing it.

 

[soma4society]

It's easy to pin the blame on Google, but honestly, the culprit is most likely a poorly coded app. There are many known apps (like any from Facebook) plus almost certainly less well known ones that can drain the battery much faster than they should. Even some apps that normally don't have issues can suddenly cause battery drain with a new update. Yes, there can be Android updates that wreak havok on the battery (such as March's update seemed to do for some people), but when issues like this suddenly come up, its almost certainly an app causing it.

You could very well be right, I'm no expert. But Google does bear ultimate responsibility for the end user experience in my view. If they can't figure out a way to streamline the app update/approval process to address this kind of thing, then the least they could do is give people Greenify-like control to FORCE individual apps to "go to sleep" under specified conditions. Seems to work well for rooted phones, so why not give the general consumer that level of control too?

Posted via my Nexus 6P on Verizon (or any d**n network I choose)

 

[Trigati]

You could very well be right, I'm no expert. But Google does bear ultimate responsibility for the end user experience in my view. If they can't figure out a way to streamline the app update/approval process to address this kind of thing, then the least they could do is give people Greenify-like control to FORCE individual apps to "go to sleep" under specified conditions. Seems to work well for rooted phones, so why not give the general consumer that level of control too?

Posted via my Nexus 6P on Verizon (or any d**n network I choose)

No, it's not really Google's ultimate responsibility, it's the user's - the same way that it's not a car manufacturer's responsibility for your gas mileage if you do mostly city as opposed to highway driving, decide to keep under-inflated tires on your car, leave it idling for hours, drive over and above the speed limits, etc.

If it's something with the underlying OS, yes, that's Google's ultimate responsibility. However, if it's an app causing the problem, that's not their responsibility. They can't go through every app in the store and try it on every device in every combination. Completely unreasonable. Even Apple, which has a much tighter lock on their app store, still has apps that come through that drain their devices batteries inordinately, apps that have bugs, etc.

As for apps? That's the user's responsibility. For instance, it's well known that some apps, such as Facebook, are known to wakelock, drain the battery, etc. If a user still sticks Facebook on their device, they can't then complain about battery drain to anybody but Facebook, as the response from everyone else is just going to be along the lines of "well, we said the Facebook app was crap and drained the battery and told you not to install it. Tell Facebook to fix their junk apps and uninstall it from your phone or deal with the drain."

Ultimately, the only way it would be 'Google's responsibility' is if Google didn't let you install any apps, or only let you install apps they themselves created. That kind of thing wouldn't go over well at all.

 

[soma4society]

No, it's not really Google's ultimate responsibility, it's the user's - the same way that it's not a car manufacturer's responsibility for your gas mileage if you do mostly city as opposed to highway driving, decide to keep under-inflated tires on your car, leave it idling for hours, drive over and above the speed limits, etc.

If it's something with the underlying OS, yes, that's Google's ultimate responsibility. However, if it's an app causing the problem, that's not their responsibility. They can't go through every app in the store and try it on every device in every combination. Completely unreasonable. Even Apple, which has a much tighter lock on their app store, still has apps that come through that drain their devices batteries inordinately, apps that have bugs, etc.

As for apps? That's the user's responsibility. For instance, it's well known that some apps, such as Facebook, are known to wakelock, drain the battery, etc. If a user still sticks Facebook on their device, they can't then complain about battery drain to anybody but Facebook, as the response from everyone else is just going to be along the lines of "well, we said the Facebook app was crap and drained the battery and told you not to install it. Tell Facebook to fix their junk apps and uninstall it from your phone or deal with the drain."

Ultimately, the only way it would be 'Google's responsibility' is if Google didn't let you install any apps, or only let you install apps they themselves created. That kind of thing wouldn't go over well at all.

I do take your point about apps and their developers (though as someone who doesn't know how the app software talks with the OS, its hard to say if the Devs or Google share greater blame here. I assume there's a clear set of guidelines Google lays out to devs, essentially saying to them: "your app should interact with our OS *this way* for best performance. If they're not clear about that, more culpability rests with Google; if they ARE, more rests with the devs). And as you mentioned, if it's an update issue generally, it's definitely on Google.

As for the underinflated tire analogy, I think that is at best a problematic one. Whether something causes wakelocks or not is *entirely* out of my control as an end user. I only have the nuclear option of choosing to install or not install. Whether or not i inflate my tires, by contrast, is entirely WITHIN my control. So that analogy only works if Google gave us an easy fix akin to stopping by a "gas station" and inflating the tires...in other words, a Greenify option built in to the OS. If I order a premium sound system in the car your car company included in the mustang i bought, but the Bluetooth doesn't work, and you say "just don't use it...you can avail yourself of our wonderful CD player we also installed"...then we've got a problem.

Whoever's fault it is, it certainly isn't mine...(the customers) merely for installing a Play Store approved app. It's your OS. It's your play store with your coding rules. It's your device with your Nexus logo on it. Make stuff work...

...or, failing that, give me an option like Greenify to address it. Which I'd be equally happy with.

Posted via my Nexus 6P on Verizon (or any d**n network I choose)

 

[derande]

During the first 2-months of using my 6P (128gb), I thought my battery was progressively getting worse but after the next 2-months, it seemed to have figure things out and now seems to last a long time between charges.

 

[Slow_S10]

Battery life is such a hard thing to measure objectively. There are just so many different variables that can affect a phone's battery life. But it sounds like you definitely have something hitting the battery harder than normal and most likely it is a rogue application. So while it would be nice to have more granular control of what every app can do, complaining about not having it isn't going to fix anything.

Personally I would backup whatever I needed to backup and wipe the phone and start from scratch. Then gradually reinstall your most commonly used apps and see if any of them suddenly cause your battery life to start plummeting again and keep working your way through installing apps to see if you can find the root of the issue. Then if it does turn out to be a bad app, make sure the app developer is aware of the issue so they can find a way to fix it.

 

[terellw]

I do take your point about apps and their developers (though as someone who doesn't know how the app software talks with the OS, its hard to say if the Devs or Google share greater blame here. I assume there's a clear set of guidelines Google lays out to devs, essentially saying to them: "your app should interact with our OS *this way* for best performance. If they're not clear about that, more culpability rests with Google; if they ARE, more rests with the devs). And as you mentioned, if it's an update issue generally, it's definitely on Google.

As for the underinflated tire analogy, I think that is at best a problematic one. Whether something causes wakelocks or not is *entirely* out of my control as an end user. I only have the nuclear option of choosing to install or not install. Whether or not i inflate my tires, by contrast, is entirely WITHIN my control. So that analogy only works if Google gave us an easy fix akin to stopping by a "gas station" and inflating the tires...in other words, a Greenify option built in to the OS. If I order a premium sound system in the car your car company included in the mustang i bought, but the Bluetooth doesn't work, and you say "just don't use it...you can avail yourself of our wonderful CD player we also installed"...then we've got a problem.

Whoever's fault it is, it certainly isn't mine...(the customers) merely for installing a Play Store approved app. It's your OS. It's your play store with your coding rules. It's your device with your Nexus logo on it. Make stuff work...

...or, failing that, give me an option like Greenify to address it. Which I'd be equally happy with.

Posted via my Nexus 6P on Verizon (or any d**n network I choose)

Well said, and 100% agree... To the point of even flirting with going back to an iPhone after all these years of Android. (probably wont happen) lol

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[soma4society]

even flirting with going back to an iPhone after all these years of Android. (probably wont happen) lol

Posted via the Android Central App

Well, let's not get hysterical now... lol ;-)

Seriously though...I really do feel for ppl who have spent hard earned money on a device like this, only to see its usability go to pot because of a "security" update. Like most of you here I work for my income, and if I drop five bills on a phone I expect that SOB to *work*...defined as, "with reasonable consistency." There is nothing trivial about a 25-50% decline in SOT and/or battery life. Nor is there anything "subjective" about it. Whether you're a power user or a battery miser, most folks are pretty consistent in their usage patterns and settings. And so a loss of, say, 40% is loss of 40% (for THAT user), give or take some change.

If I use my just-fine phone on Tuesday, update it Tuesday night, and use it approximately the same way Wednesday only to see 40% less battery life...that's a serious problem...(it's a concrete, OBjective problem)...and I'd be pissed off about it. I don't care if app wakelocks caused it, or some tweak in the security update did. All that matters to me is: my phone might not last me the full day now. And if it's a nexus, I'm calling *Google* to let them know about my displeasure.

I know it might seem to some like I'm dumping on Google here, but I'm really not. I love Google's products and am fully enmeshed in their ecosystem. I just think we should hold its feet to the fire, and not give it a pass by blame shifting, or chalking up people's legitimate-sounding complaints to idle whining.

Oh and PS, to the OP: I really do hope your problem gets resolved. Cause the 6P is such a nice piece of hardware when it works well. Consider the factory reset and gradual re introduction of apps as i...and others...have recommended above.

Posted via my Nexus 6P on Verizon (or any d**n network I choose)

 

[Trigati]

Well said, and 100% agree... To the point of even flirting with going back to an iPhone after all these years of Android. (probably wont happen) lol

Posted via the Android Central App

Again, as I said previously, there are apps in Apple's App store that drain the iPhone's (much smaller) battery. Go to iPhone forums and you'll see posts complaining about the iPhone's battery life.

Once more, unless Google (or Apple) tries every app on every device in every combination (which is impossible), there are going to be apps that cause issues. You have a choice. Install them and deal with it (while continuing to inform the programmer of their crappy app), or don't install them.

 

[neo905]

Again, as I said previously, there are apps in Apple's App store that drain the iPhone's (much smaller) battery. Go to iPhone forums and you'll see posts complaining about the iPhone's battery life.

Once more, unless Google (or Apple) tries every app on every device in every combination (which is impossible), there are going to be apps that cause issues. You have a choice. Install them and deal with it (while continuing to inform the programmer of their crappy app), or don't install them.

The grass always seem greener on the other side. It is easy to fall prey to the "IOS just works" propaganda and for the most part the simplicity of the OS allows it to but we shouldn't make it out like everything is perfect over there. The implementation of IOS 9 was a disaster on multiple levels that requires numerous patches.

 

[soma4society]

The grass always seem greener on the other side. It is easy to fall prey to the "IOS just works" propaganda and for the most part the simplicity of the OS allows it to but we shouldn't make it out like everything is perfect over there. The implementation of IOS 9 was a disaster on multiple levels that requires numerous patches.

I have no doubt this is true, I just can understand the frustration of folks whose device worked fine one day then, the next, didn't...through no fault of their own. And then they have to go on a time consuming fishing expedition to figure out the problem (a search which may not yield a clear answer). Some degree of this is unavoidable given the degree of complexity in these devices. But the severe security update problems ive been reading about here and on XDA sound really frustrating.

Posted via my Nexus 6P on Verizon (or any d**n network I choose)

 

[neo905]

I have no doubt this is true, I just can understand the frustration of folks whose device worked fine one day then, the next, didn't...through no fault of their own. And then they have to go on a time consuming fishing expedition to figure out the problem (a search which may not yield a clear answer). Some degree of this is unavoidable given the degree of complexity in these devices. But the severe security update problems ive been reading about here and on XDA sound really frustrating.

Posted via my Nexus 6P on Verizon (or any d**n network I choose)

My point is the same thing you describe happened to me when I was on IOS. I agree it is unacceptable for any platform at this point.

 

[Trigati]

I've tried clearing cache

I just want to revisit this for a moment since this was unclear.. Do you mean clearing the cache in the Apps section of settings or do you mean wiping the cache partition via the recovery menu? The latter is the one that usually ends up making the difference, and if that's not what you meant/did, that's what you should try. If you did do that, again, it was a little unclear by your original comment.

 

[bigsmoke79]

I wiped the cache using recovery

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