S4 mini is battery hungry

[AZgl1500]

Just got a CPO phone from Verizon, it is clean as a whistle. The previous owner didn't do much with it at all.

But, I think I know why it went back to the store...... the battery is exhausted in about 22 hours regardless of how much you turn off.

Set to Power Savings Mode

Data and WiFi are turned OFF

Have turned OFF every application on the phone except for what is needed to make a phone call and SMS messages.

Charged it up and 21hours later it is down to 47%
That is zero use. Just idling.

It ought to go 3 or 4 days idling.

Thoughts out there?

 

[androidpiper]

Doesn't really shock me, since days mine will drop 80%in 10 hrs and almost no use and other days 40%with light use

Sent from my SPH-L520 using Tapatalk

 

[mdawdy]

What i have done ...

I installed CleanMaster and Disabled all of the Apps that the AppManager lists as possible to be disabled except for about a half dozen that i need. I disabled well over 50 Apps, perhaps 70 or more.

I installed BatteryDoctor. I disabled most of the automatic options but i run the optimizer after every use of the phone.

I keep Mobile Data, Location, Wi-Fi, etc, etc all turned off except when i am specifically using them.

I use the phone as a simple phone making/receiving a few calls most days, occasionally using Google search and Google Maps.

It typically uses 13% for a 24 hour period, including about 3% overnight.

I get 5 to 7 days from a full charge. It is now down to 20% after 6 days so i will re-charge it now.

 

[AZgl1500]

What i have done ...

I installed CleanMaster and Disabled all of the Apps that the AppManager lists as possible to be disabled except for about a half dozen that i need. I disabled well over 50 Apps, perhaps 70 or more.

I installed BatteryDoctor. I disabled most of the automatic options but i run the optimizer after every use of the phone.

I keep Mobile Data, Location, Wi-Fi, etc, etc all turned off except when i am specifically using them.

I use the phone as a simple phone making/receiving a few calls most days, occasionally using Google search and Google Maps.

It typically uses 13% for a 24 hour period, including about 3% overnight.

I get 5 to 7 days from a full charge. It is now down to 20% after 6 days so i will re-charge it now.

Your previous post on this subject a couple of days ago gave me encouragement to see if it could be better.

I agree with your findings, as that is pretty much how I use my Galaxy S5.

I used Battery Doctor religiously until I discovered MacroDroid. Now, I just let MacroDroid turn the internet OFF when the screen is locked, and turn the internet (WiFi and Data) back ON when I unlock the screen. Works good on that phone.

For the wife's S4 mini, I also installed MacroDroid, but not Battery Doctor. She is clueless and the less I tell her about the phone, the better she is to live with.

but, her phone's battery life is no where as good as I feel it should be.

I haven't installed CleanMaster yet, Google store won't let me do that until I register her VISA card with them. Ain't agonna happen, so I guess I will have to find the .apk and side load it.

I have Location turned OFF manually and thought I would just leave it that way unless for some reason, she wants to learn how to use the phone. Then show her how to bring down the Notification Panel. I rearranged that so everything needed is on the top line.

I bid on a used S5 on eBay that is cosmetically damaged. So far, after 4 days, I am the only bidder on it. But, with eSnipe so prevalent you never know who is lurking in the wings. But, if I get lucky and that arrives in the mail, I will just give the S5 to her and put the S4 mini up in the cabinet for emergencies... ya never know, when a phone will get lost. I still have my old Galaxy S Fascinate charged and ready to go. That phone now gives me about a month of standby time between charges. It is turned off, so that is just the slight drain of a phone that is oFF but still sipping a tiny bit of juice so the Power Button can operate.

 

[mdawdy]

Why would Google Store require VISA for a free App? I download all Apps from Play Store. I have not heard of MacroDroid before so i looked it up. Looks like it does a lot of stuff that does not interest me. I do not see the extreme battery saving steps that BatteryDoctor goes thru tho.

Anyway, hope it all works out well for you.

 

[AZgl1500]

Play store let me search for apps, but it will not allow me to download anything unless there is a VISA card or PayPal on file.

 

[Wm7Long]

Play store...will not allow me to download anything unless there is a VISA card or PayPal on file.

When first using PlayStore to get an app on my wife's Android phone, it appear'd to require such. But then, in frustration, I did something like X-ing out the pop-up or screen requiring the account number, or maybe there was a continue button, or it could have been that I just click'd Enter without having typed any account info. Whatever it was, the next screen allow'd the download anyway!

BTW my S4 Mini used to be a battery hog too, sucking down 25 to 30% overnight while in airplane mode with wifi, location services, and everything else I could find turn'd off. After months of detective work, finding settings buried in things like PlayStore, the camera, and Gmail, and changing the settings to be battery (and resource) friendly, I now see only a 2% drop over an 8 hour period with no use. And that's on a downsized battery. I first step'd down from the stock 1900 mAh to the 1500 for S3 Mini, after which some poster on AC call'd me "just weird!" So I haven't (previously) mention'd here about having downsized even further. I'm now using an 1140 mAh battery, making my S4 Mini possibly the lightest weight Android device on the planet, at ~3.5 oz.

Screenshot below is from a couple mornings ago. An hour before going to bed, I pull'd the S4 Mini off her multi-media cradel where she got fully charged while playing music over the living room stereo system. And then I did about an hour's worth of file updating for a Web site I maintain at Google Drive, running the battery down to 91%. Upon waking up the next morning, battery was still at 90%, dropping to 89% shortly after taking the screenshot. Hopefully, this gives you reason to continue with efforts on your wife's S4 Mini.

 

[AZgl1500]

Thanks for the encouragement. I am thoroughly disappointed with this particular S4 mini phone.

I have all of the above mentioned points addressed, including installing CleanMaster and using their list of apps to turn off.

I just looked at it and it is down to 57% after only 17 hours off charge and hasn't even had the display turned on. That is deplorable.

Everything is turned off on it. About the only thing I left running is the Android OS and its' associated .com programs

Wish the wife had not thrown out all of the packaging, I want to send it back, but now I can't. Oh well, it only cost me $0.99 plus a two year contract for service.

The service plan is a given, regardless of what phone she has, so that is a washout.
I have a bid in on a used S5 that will expire tomorrow evening, if that is successful she will be using an S5 instead of the S4 mini.

I'm very familiar with my S5 and can fix her's in a heart beat

 

[AZgl1500]

I don't believe it, what are people thinking? that phone I bid on is going through the roof! I'm out on this one. My max bid was $25.00 for something that is heavy cosmetic wear.


[h=1]Samsung Galaxy S5 16GB Verizon (SM-G900V) (Verizon) - Black!!![/h] [h=2]Functionally Working but Heavy Cosmetic Wear[/h]

Current bid:
US $132.50

 

[AZgl1500]

Well, I finally got the S4 mini battery problem fixed.

I called Verizon and told them it goes dead in 17 hours... not acceptable and want to upgrade to the S5.

I'm going into town tomorrow and pick up a new S5 for my wife to use.

That will be much better all the way around anyway. I have been using an S5 since April and already know how to make the battery last for 5 days per charge.