Free apps use more battery: the cost of free

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testha

116 posts

Master Geek

# 597957 20-Mar-2012 21:52

Hmmm A Microsoft sponsored study to bash Android...

As I couldnt believe the percentage of power wasted I had a read through the PDF and it turns out that all the apps were only run for less than 30 seconds. So you start up the free app it downloads advertisment at the start and before the app can run normally you close it and use this data for statistics. No wonder they get numbers from up to 30% used by ads.

Imagine car makers getting stats of a cars fuel consumption with a cold engine and only driving 5 minutes in a city stop and go. Before hitting the open road.

Microsoft doesnt seem to like the free app model Google prefers for advertising. Hard to compete with free...

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
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Geekzone

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# 598030 21-Mar-2012 08:28

testha: Hmmm A Microsoft sponsored study to bash Android...

As I couldnt believe the percentage of power wasted I had a read through the PDF and it turns out that all the apps were only run for less than 30 seconds. So you start up the free app it downloads advertisment at the start and before the app can run normally you close it and use this data for statistics. No wonder they get numbers from up to 30% used by ads.

Ming Zhang has been with Microsoft Research since 2005 and his latest work was in the development of EProf, "a fine-grained energy modeling and accounting tool for smartphone".

It seems a generic tool, and that is what was used to collect data for this report. Unless of course you are implying he has made the software in a way that tests "if Android then bash"...

The other authors are from Purdue University.

Microsoft Research is in general pretty good, not in the marketing or market wars dept. The paper is going to be presented in a conference in Switzerland, so I'm pretty sure some smart people will raise concerns, if any.

testha: Microsoft doesnt seem to like the free app model Google prefers for advertising. Hard to compete with free...

There are plenty of free, ad supported apps in Windows Phone, so I have no idea where this comes from.

My technology disclosure | Digital Transformation | Enterprise Content Management | Customer Relationship Management | Data Insights, Business Intelligence and Advanced Analytics

Giggs

252 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 598055 21-Mar-2012 09:04

nakedmolerat:
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

Yeah and there is nothing more annoying than getting a call just as you are getting to the end of a level

Seriously though the reason I turn everything off is battery preservation. Games tend to suck enough juice as it is.

stevenz

2786 posts

Uber Geek

# 598236 21-Mar-2012 14:34

I can turn whatever I like off on mine, it'll still eat the battery running the screen. It was bad on the SGS2, and it's even worse on the Note. It still lasts for more than long enough so it's not an issue though.

@KnightNZ

mattwnz

15214 posts

Uber Geek

# 598245 21-Mar-2012 15:01

freitasm: 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.
?

I have wifi and 3g disabled unless I am using safari or using email, so I don't it would affect me when using free apps.

ArtooDetoo

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# 599736 25-Mar-2012 13:22

freitasm:

It seems a generic tool, and that is what was used to collect data for this report. Unless of course you are implying he has made the software in a way that tests "if Android then bash"...

Hi Mauricio,

The NS article you link to contains the following quote:

Up to 75 per cent of the energy used by free versions of Android apps is spent serving up ads or tracking and uploading user data: running just one app could drain your battery in around 90 minutes.

Two things:

The study is about free apps in general, not specifically Android apps, so the quote above is at best disingenuous in failing to accurately reflect the facts - the implication, unintended or otherwise, is that this problem is just an Android thing. The study shows otherwise.

Secondly, the conclusion that "running just one app could drain your battery in around 90 minutes" is laughable. As Testha points out, the methodology reflects a scenario so far removed from actual use that it beggars belief. I suspect that it will be amended prior to submission for peer review, or if not, will be roundly criticised.

My wee anecdote, having numerous free apps and no ad blocker, suggests the drain in my battery will continue to be led by the screen and that there's no visible evidence that those apps being free are contributing to that drain in any significant way.

Sensationalistic clickbait from NewScientist, I'd conclude.

Cheers,
R2

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...

ArtooDetoo

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# 599745 25-Mar-2012 14:11

freitasm: 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.

Angry Birds probably doesn't need your location, although I suppose it might automagically configure the local language or somesuch maybe, but I doubt it's for AB at all. I think the point is that the in-app ads are targeted to the viewer and I can readily understand why I shouldn't be viewing ads for restaurants in Uzbekistan or the local Tata dealership in Mumbai.

And I'm not sure that being online at all does much for retaining your privacy, so I have a hard time getting my jocks in a knot over some ad server knowing where I live, assuming that's what we're talking about here. We regularly provide that info when we register software anyway.

But I understand that some are more sensitive to privacy issues than others, so I'm not being judgmental. Peeps who don't want to be identified should probably avoid ad-supported apps though. You're right about the meaning of "free" I think. But battery life isn't a believable 'cost' afaic though.

Cheers,
R2

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...

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