How to extend battery life on your Android device

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janders

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#75966 26-Jan-2011 16:37

I recently purchased a HTC wildfire- now running froyo 2.2, and discovered pretty quickly that without making some tweaks to the system, battery life was going to be short:

Here’s what I did to reduce battery loss:

#1. Reduce Display Brightness – I have it at around a 20% maximum

#2. Turn off wifi, bluetooth and mobile network unless you need them, easy way to do this is add the widgets onto your home.

#3. Turn off all animation – this is the default setting, but if you have changed it you might want to change it back.

#4. Turn off background data and auto sync.

#5. Turn off vibration, haptic feedback and select quiet ring on pickup.

#6. Turn off GPS, this is a big drainer

#7. download advanced task killer from the marketplace and use it to close off apps which are draining resources in the background.

Anyone think of some more

nakedmolerat

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#431484 26-Jan-2011 16:42

janders: I recently purchased a HTC wildfire- now running froyo 2.2, and discovered pretty quickly that without making some tweaks to the system, battery life was going to be short:

Here’s what I did to reduce battery loss:

#1. Reduce Display Brightness – I have it at around a 20% maximum

#2. Turn off wifi, bluetooth and mobile network unless you need them, easy way to do this is add the widgets onto your home.

#3. Turn off all animation – this is the default setting, but if you have changed it you might want to change it back.

#4. Turn off background data and auto sync.

#5. Turn off vibration, haptic feedback and select quiet ring on pickup.

#6. Turn off GPS, this is a big drainer

#7. download advanced task killer from the marketplace and use it to close off apps which are draining resources in the background.

Anyone think of some more

1. Uninstall Advanced Task Killer - read THIS

2. I have JuiceDefender installed

keewee01

1737 posts

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#431494 26-Jan-2011 16:51

Did you read this thread?

kyhwana2

2566 posts

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#431522 26-Jan-2011 18:13

Don't use an auto task killer, it just drains more battery by having the apps/services start back up and then get killed over and over.

tardtasticx

3075 posts

Uber Geek

#431524 26-Jan-2011 18:25

Is there an official way of disabling mobile data on 2.1? I got a Samsung Galaxy 3 today and I dont wanna use any internet because Orcon is expensive. I turned everything else off.

n4

959 posts

Ultimate Geek

#431534 26-Jan-2011 19:03

tardtasticx: Is there an official way of disabling mobile data on 2.1? I got a Samsung Galaxy 3 today and I dont wanna use any internet because Orcon is expensive. I turned everything else off.

Assuming you want to still have MMS available, the easiest way is just to change the APN name for the internet APN to a garbage name. That will leave the MMS APN correct and working. APNdroid will do that for you via a widget if you want to turn it on and off.

Samsung Note20 Ultra, on 2degrees

Linuxluver

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#431569 26-Jan-2011 20:35

janders: I recently purchased a HTC wildfire- now running froyo 2.2, and discovered pretty quickly that without making some tweaks to the system, battery life was going to be short:

Here’s what I did to reduce battery loss:

...

Anyone think of some more

I bought another battery. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy S, I got two more batteries. No problems getting through the day....and I can use whatever i like whenever I like for as long as I like....provided I don't mind swapping in a fresh battery now and again. :-)

You can choke the use of the device to save power.....but really the best answer is MORE POWER!!! ;-)

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I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

stoal76

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#431575 26-Jan-2011 21:15

Widgetsoid is a great widget for controlling mobile data, gps, wireless and more from the home screen, and its free!

Equinox IT

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Dingbatt

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#431589 26-Jan-2011 22:01

Got to agree with Linuxluver here, if you want to use your phone as an always connected laptop replacement then the only answer is more power and since my Desire HD has a relatively small battery for the power of the phone I invested in a backup battery. The design of the DHD doesn't lend itself to swapping out OEM batteries so it is an external recharge one.
However if the phone is a phone that is occasionally used as a laptop then I like to control things manually using off/ on toggles. I can comfortably get 2 days out of my DHD doing that if I need to.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

wsnz

649 posts

Ultimate Geek

#431919 27-Jan-2011 19:36

stoal76: Widgetsoid is a great widget for controlling mobile data, gps, wireless and more from the home screen, and its free!

+1 For app. I use it ALL the time.

ArtooDetoo

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#432029 27-Jan-2011 23:38

Linuxluver:
janders: I recently purchased a HTC wildfire- now running froyo 2.2, and discovered pretty quickly that without making some tweaks to the system, battery life was going to be short:

Here’s what I did to reduce battery loss:

...

Anyone think of some more

I bought another battery. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy S, I got two more batteries. No problems getting through the day....and I can use whatever i like whenever I like for as long as I like....provided I don't mind swapping in a fresh battery now and again. :-)

You can choke the use of the device to save power.....but really the best answer is MORE POWER!!! ;-)

Boo yah. So agree. Throttling a smartphone seems to be somewhat counterproductive...

Got a second battery in the yoo ess of eh when I was there and it makes the whole battery thing a doddle. (Must be pretty naff having an eye fone tho...)

Cheers,
R2D2

Galaxy S has gone to its new owner. HTC Sensation has gone to its new
owner. Galaxy S3 has gone to its new owner. Now using Galaxy Note 3. Skipping Note 4 I think...

Linuxluver

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#432203 28-Jan-2011 14:03

ArtooDetoo:

(Must be pretty naff having an eye fone tho...)

Cheers,
R2D2

This is was one of the main reasons I didn't go that way two years ago. I couldn't change the battery in my iPod Touch. (The iPod Touch had me salivating heavily for an iPhone for a while). Then Apple also started kicking entire classes of apps out of the Apple Store....and combined with the enclosed battery and my horror of iTunes (no linux version and slow on everything else) I just said..."Nup".

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I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

ArtooDetoo

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#432218 28-Jan-2011 14:23

Linuxluver:
This is was one of the main reasons I didn't go that way two years ago. I couldn't change the battery in my iPod Touch. (The iPod Touch had me salivating heavily for an iPhone for a while). Then Apple also started kicking entire classes of apps out of the Apple Store....and combined with the enclosed battery and my horror of iTunes (no linux version and slow on everything else) I just said..."Nup".

Our household has 2 iPhone 3Gses, and 2x Symbian devices as well as my SGS. The Nokias' batteries seem to go on for days without a charge, (prolly because they don't get much use as multimedia kit). The 3Gs iPhones are forever on the charge. The SGS is someplace between.

So like you, the iPhone was never really a contender for me, much as I had the lust early on. I note that there's tacit admission of that battery weakness with the external battery solutions that are on the market, (not that having the form factor totally negated my some bulky add-on is a particularly elegant solution).

Still, most iPhone users are as highly forgiving of such inconveniences with their devices as they are critical of Android's foibles. :D

Apple certainly understands the marketing game.

Cheers,
R2D2

Galaxy S has gone to its new owner. HTC Sensation has gone to its new
owner. Galaxy S3 has gone to its new owner. Now using Galaxy Note 3. Skipping Note 4 I think...

tardtasticx

3075 posts

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#432357 28-Jan-2011 18:38

My nokia e63 would go about a week without a charge, it was great. But my Samsung Galaxy 3 lasted 1 and a half days before needing a charge. This phone is brand new :/