Wake Lock

[RionDunn]

Hey Everyone!

I just downloaded the Wake Lock Detector app and its telling me due to KitKat I've got to root my device for accurate statistics!? What's with that? I don't want to root my phone in order to run a wake lock app. Is there any other apps that run a wake lock detector? I'm just curious to see what's going on behind the scenes in my phone!

Thanks!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[meyerweb#CB]

I was going to suggest Better Battery Stats: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...com.asksven.betterbatterystats&token=O3Ws5AGU
but it appears it has the same issue. This an issue with KitKat (and future versions), is a conscious decision by Google, and it doesn't look like there's any easy way around it:

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...com.asksven.betterbatterystats&token=O3Ws5AGU

Google is locking down Android more and more, and making it less and less open source. Google has made many changes lately that should convince everyone it doesn't really care about it's installed base of users, what it's users want, or it's developer community.

 

[crxssi]

I have to say I am ALWAYS disappointed with the stock battery status stuff in Android. It is rarely enough information to really know what is going on.

I don't think Google is trying to make it more difficult for third party apps like Better Battery Stats or whatnot, but they are tightening up permissions to increase security. The side effect is that tighter security makes it difficult for some apps to do what they used to be able to do. The solution would be yet more permissions settings... but then users are more confused and/or will just grant the new types of permissions blindly. Hard to win.

 

[gidgiddonihah]

Hey Everyone!

I just downloaded the Wake Lock Detector app and its telling me due to KitKat I've got to root my device for accurate statistics!? What's with that? I don't want to root my phone in order to run a wake lock app. Is there any other apps that run a wake lock detector? I'm just curious to see what's going on behind the scenes in my phone!

Thanks!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app

You can thank Google for this. They updated permissions on battery stats in KitKat, making it almost impossible for an app to read that data without root access. As Crx pointed out, I believe Google was just trying to tighten up security. Guess I was beaten to the punch... again.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[LeoRex]

Well, I'm cutting Google a little slack here.... it's not like they all sat down and said "You know, we hate those bastards that develop Better Battery Stats.... let's lock down the stats!"

Throughout Android 4.x, Google has been really working to tighten down security.... from reducing what can go on SD cards, to locking down stats, to adding a whole mess of new app permissions. They aren't doing it to **** us off, they are doing it because data security is becoming a bigger concern by the day.

And no matter what the product, or the platform, security hardening usually comes with a fair amount of features getting chopped off at the knees. Kind of sucks, but I can see why they had to do it.