Free apps use more battery: the cost of free

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freitasm

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#99467 20-Mar-2012 09:19

It looks like free apps tend to spend a lot of battery just to serve those ads...

For example, in Angry Birds only 20 per cent is used to display and run the game, while 45 per cent is spent finding and uploading the user's location with GPS then downloading location-appropriate ads over a 3G connection. The 3G connection stays open for around 10 seconds, even if data transmission is complete, and this "tail energy" consumes another 28 per cent of the app's energy. Pathak blames the energy leakage on inefficiencies in the third-party code that developers use to generate profit on free apps.

Why would Angry Birds need to know your location, use GPS, etc? It seems the "free" is not "free" really. The price you pay is your privacy - and mobile data and battery.

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#597484 20-Mar-2012 09:21

Yep just goes to highlight there is no such thing as a free lunch.

kiwitrc

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#597493 20-Mar-2012 09:33

If there is an app I want I am happy to pay for it, but I guess for those too tight to do so, there is always Ad Killers to stop the battery drain and privacy leaks.

freitasm

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#597494 20-Mar-2012 09:34

Problem is... how do ad killers work? Because if they only stop "showing" the ads, but the processing is still happening in the background, then it's only cosmetic and doesn't really save anything.

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#597497 20-Mar-2012 09:37

I believe its a one time run as they modify the host file. I am no expert however, just rehashing what I have read.

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#597517 20-Mar-2012 09:55

AdFree basically just installs the MVPS hosts file, or a variant thereof.

Given that the vast majority of the battery drain is caused by the display itself and the modem, the relative drain caused by the ad lookups is insignificant enough that it's nigh irrelevant.

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#597545 20-Mar-2012 10:32

I put my tablet into airplane mode before I play games, it gets rid of annoying ads. That may not be as practical on a phone. I keep GPS turned off as well.

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#597594 20-Mar-2012 11:43

As people have said, there's adfree which does the hosts file thing.. In CM, you can also revoke permissions from apps, which is handy. :)

If you have root, there's also droidwall, a firewall, so you can stop things like Angry birds from ever accessing the net.
(You need root for adfree too)

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#597624 20-Mar-2012 12:44

timmmay: I put my tablet into airplane mode before I play games, it gets rid of annoying ads. That may not be as practical on a phone. I keep GPS turned off as well.

I have the GPS, Wifi and Mobile data turned off on my phone when I play games and that seems to do the trick.

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#597629 20-Mar-2012 12:54

If find it very annoying people using programs like ad free, as I am no longer a Android user I can see you are killing your own ecosystem.

If you like an app either pay for it or live with the ads, the developer has to eat you know.

I now use Windows Phone and would love a market place like androids, don't go and lose it by bankrupting all the developers.

kyhwana2

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#597636 20-Mar-2012 12:59

^ as above, ads are killing my battery/using my data quota/etc. *shrug*

timmmay

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#597640 20-Mar-2012 13:01

Giggs:
timmmay: I put my tablet into airplane mode before I play games, it gets rid of annoying ads. That may not be as practical on a phone. I keep GPS turned off as well.

I have the GPS, Wifi and Mobile data turned off on my phone when I play games and that seems to do the trick.

That's basically airplane mode.

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#597653 20-Mar-2012 13:12

Most ad-supported programs don't use GPS to check your location. They only require "coarse (network-based) location" information, which probably includes your public IP address and whatever cell site you're connected to.

As others have said, it's probably best to turn of 3G data and GPS unless you're using them, which helps to prevent the battery drain.

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#597798 20-Mar-2012 17:12

jbard: If find it very annoying people using programs like ad free, as I am no longer a Android user I can see you are killing your own ecosystem.

If you like an app either pay for it or live with the ads, the developer has to eat you know.

I now use Windows Phone and would love a market place like androids, don't go and lose it by bankrupting all the developers.

I use very few, if any adware supported apps, if it's useful and there's a pay version, then I buy it. I like people who make useful things to continue to do so.

I have the AdFree hosts file installed as loading webpages in a mobile browser is slow enough as it is without downloading all the graphics for the advertisements.

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#597860 20-Mar-2012 19:05

It seems some also have the ability to download and run extra code

http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/19/android-study-privacy-security-risks-in-app-ads/

nakedmolerat

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#597952 20-Mar-2012 21:44

timmmay:
Giggs:
timmmay: I put my tablet into airplane mode before I play games, it gets rid of annoying ads. That may not be as practical on a phone. I keep GPS turned off as well.

I have the GPS, Wifi and Mobile data turned off on my phone when I play games and that seems to do the trick.

That's basically airplane mode.

nope, you can still receive calls and txts

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