Database Users

Android OS Killing my battery?

My phone has been off the charger for roughly 3 hours and my batter is already down to 66% .. I spent about 10 minutes in the market and that's about it.
Battery status looks like this-
Android OS 70%
Display 10%
Android System 5%
Cell Standby 4%
Phone Idle 3%
Market 2 %
Any ideas on what is going on with my android OS?
*Running completely stock*

Rooted phones have a few extra options like cpu settings unvolted kernel. Stock phones-try to lower you brightness, shorten screen time out, turn off gps and bluetooth. There is a app called juicedefinder that seems to help.

check what services are running maybe?
settings>applications>running services

dionysos911 said:
My phone has been off the charger for roughly 3 hours and my batter is already down to 66% .. I spent about 10 minutes in the market and that's about it.
Battery status looks like this-
Android OS 70%
Display 10%
Android System 5%
Cell Standby 4%
Phone Idle 3%
Market 2 %
Any ideas on what is going on with my android OS?
*Running completely stock*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can click on Android OS and get a more detailed break down of what is using up the most juice in that subset... I am betting you downloaded an app at some point that is corrupt and running non-stop draining your battery.

pjcforpres said:
You can click on Android OS and get a more detailed break down of what is using up the most juice in that subset... I am betting you downloaded an app at some point that is corrupt and running non-stop draining your battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I clicked on it from the battery status but it only lists CPU Total, Data Sent, and Data Received. Doesn't break out what programs are doing it.
Under the running services is there a way to see the programs power usage or perhaps an app that will do this?..
On a side note my battery is now down to 30% with it's only uses since it was at 66% was taking it out of standby every once in a while to see the battery usage. Android OS is now up to 73% of the usage..

You either have a high refresh rate for data on a running service, or you downloaded a program with crappy code that doesn't kill itself when not in use.
List your installed programs.

dionysos911 said:
I clicked on it from the battery status but it only lists CPU Total, Data Sent, and Data Received. Doesn't break out what programs are doing it.
Under the running services is there a way to see the programs power usage or perhaps an app that will do this?..
On a side note my battery is now down to 30% with it's only uses since it was at 66% was taking it out of standby every once in a while to see the battery usage. Android OS is now up to 73% of the usage..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Odd... I am on a Desire ROM, but when I open up my system battery usage, AndroidOS isn't even showing, it has a long list of apps, and appears to be in order of battery usage. I could swear AndroidOS does the same.
Download Spare Parts from the market, then click on Usage Statistics to see which apps have been running the most, etc.

I am using Task Manager to autokill apps but I feel this tool is itself eating battery no??

How do you like this ??? ...(but: no WiFi/3G used !!)
Check out the battery & hours!

vegetaleb said:
I am using Task Manager to autokill apps but I feel this tool is itself eating battery no??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
Task manager are running service(battery eaters) that monitors and closes apps in saved states(not battery eaters) and other running services. It's counter intuitive to run autokill applications because it itself, is wasting battery killing stuff that doesn't need to be killed.
Task managers that autokill are good for applications that have ****ty code and don't close themselves, or for programs that hang up.
Nothing More
If you're autokill killing services alll day long, why are you even running the services? Just run then as needed.

my display is like 65/70% of the battery use

So you are using Cyanogen ROM
Try Emo or Desire Roms it should fix display battery problems

muncheese said:
Yes.
Task manager are running service(battery eaters) that monitors and closes apps in saved states(not battery eaters) and other running services. It's counter intuitive to run autokill applications because it itself, is wasting battery killing stuff that doesn't need to be killed.
Task managers that autokill are good for applications that have ****ty code and don't close themselves, or for programs that hang up.
Nothing More
If you're autokill killing services all day long, why are you even running the services? Just run then as needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried more taskkiller programs (ATM, Taskiller, etc) and came to the conclusion, that the ONLY auto task killer which actually SAVES battery (compared to setup w/o task killer program) is Task Panel. Don't ask me why/ how, but with TaskPanel my N1 is fast en lean, battery lasts about 130% of native (w/o/ TaskPanel).
Of course, question is whether task killer necessary, but as I use lots of widgets, programs, in my experience task killing helps to keep my N1 fast..

vegetaleb said:
So you are using Cyanogen ROM
Try Emo or Desire Roms it should fix display battery problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
imm using modaco custom R13 rom
http://android.modaco.com/content/g...custom-rom-for-nexus-one-with-online-kitchen/
this one
this morning at 100% it was 8am
at 2PM im at 52% , its been 6hours with 3G on, light at 25%, everything else off.
with 30min music, 10min calling, some sms and a 50min TV show....
my iphone held quite a bit better

So after some systematic disabling of apps it seems the culprit was the Touch Input that came with the HTC_IME .. After disabling that I am back up to regular battery life and android OS is only using 2% of my battery again.

Sometimes the Android OS is stuck at 70% and the battery is drained really quickly. A reboot fix it. Next time I have to check what exactly is causing that Android OS is at 70% battery usage.

So after some systematic disabling of apps it seems the culprit was the Touch Input that came with the HTC_IME .. After disabling that I am back up to regular battery life and android OS is only using 2% of my battery again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just to be sure, you're using nexus one? if so, can you elaborate more on what app or service you're talking about. thanks

that's weird because i am using the HTC IME keyboard and i have touch input running too, but my display takes up 90% of my battery all the time. must have been some weird glitch.

RogerPodacter said:
that's weird because i am using the HTC IME keyboard and i have touch input running too, but my display takes up 90% of my battery all the time. must have been some weird glitch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes this is a Nexus One running stock ROM.
It may have just been a fluke with the version I downloaded from this forum. I am going to install the new version as soon as I get around to it. Not sure how it did it but as soon as I disabled it my battery usage went back to normal.

I was having this same issue on a MyTouch 3G running a 1.6 Rom (TheOfficial), and it appears it's a common problem on the Droid as well from some research. I was using HTC_IME. I just switched back to the default android keyboard and will see if it fixes my battery drain issue.
(My thread in the mytouch devel forum got locked for some reason, even though I consider this a legitimate concern for ROM development, since it's a rather major and hard-to-find defect.)
UPDATE: the "Android OS" task has stopped being a problem after I switch from HTC_IME, but "Cell Standby" is now taking up 50% of the battery, so the battery still drains, but slightly 30% slower.

Auto Killer

I don't have battery issues, but I'm always looking for ways to conserve power. I downloaded autokiller and I only lost 1% in a hour. It shows you what services are running and gives you the option of killing them. I have slacker radio, it came with the rom, but I have'nt opened a account yet, and I saw it was running in autokiller. As soon as I killed a couple of services that should'nt have been running, my phone went cold, I knew that it had did something. My phone stays warm especially when I'm overclocking. Ima see how it runs for a couple of days and if it works well then I'm giving up on advanced task killer. If you don't have autokiller check it out, it may solve some of you issues. I just checked my phone again, still only 1% in a hour & half.

today i had my first bad experience with low RAM and phone sluggishness.
for 4 months i have never used any auto task killer. and phone has always ran smooth as can be. the ONLY thing i did today was install the Ustream viewer, and tested it out. then i set the device down and took a nap. when i tried to use the device 2 hours later, it was so slow to respond to anything i did. checked ram with system panel, only had 15 mb free. but ustream did not show as a running app.
maybe it was just a one time event, or maybe ustream app is buggy, or not updated for froyo.
but i strongly am against auto task killers. never used them and never had any issues. without a task killer and i can take my phone off charger, not use it for 1 hour, and still have 100% battery. i do this everyday going to work. at 2 hours i can still have 98%. so i dont think task killing has anything to do with it, unless you have some bad apps.

AutoKiller in not an Uutomatic task killer but a minfree manager, give it a try.
http://andrs.w3pla.net/autokiller

Task Killers aren't needed with android 2.2

I have seen over and over people state how they use ATK or other task killers to improve battery life, when in fact they are actually hurting android 2.2 multi tasking. In 2.2 google changed the api that devs used to kill apps in all other versions of android. I myself use Auto Killer and Auto starts. Those two apps tweak androids internal task manager and keep my phone running smooth
Even the creator of ATK and the other most popular task manager Advance task killer have stated it. Your better of using an app like Auto Killer ( http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.rs.autokiller ). It tweaks android internal task manager.
AutoKiller is an award winner minfree tweaker, it fine tunes android's inner memory manager to keep your device fast and lowers battery consumption. Also includes a manual process/service manager.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are a couple articles about why you dont need them in android 2.2
FAQ: Why You Shouldn’t Be Using a Task Killer with Android
http://geekfor.me/faq/you-shouldnt-be-using-a-task-killer-with-android/
Froyo update kills Android task killer apps
http://androinica.com/2010/08/09/froyo-update-kills-android-task-killer-apps/
Task killers have long been a crutch for users to forcefully shut down applications and “free up memory” to conserve battery life and space. However, that’s a common misconception buoyed by old Android flaws and the power of the placebo effect. Task killers actually get in the way of Android handling memory management as intended. We’ve already written an article on why you should not be using a task killer, so read that post for more information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google and Cyanogen comments imply task killer/manager apps are pointless
http://androinica.com/2010/05/07/go...-imply-task-killermanager-apps-are-pointless/
However, developers of task killing apps are of a different opinion. Arron La, developer of Advance Task Manager, suggests that task killers are more important for legacy devices like the G1 and phones running older versions of Android.
“Task Managers were absolutely needed in the past before the new services UI came out in Android 2.0 or 2.1,” La said in an e-mail. “Task Managers had a niche of allowing users to quickly kill services associated with apps – including all the other stuff as well, such as alarms – but that was the only way to do it before the introduction of the new services UI.”
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I am gunna try out the difference. I do follow cyanogen and I saw that exact tweet lol. at the time though i was on windows. we will see what happens.

This needs to be moved to the head of the class as it is great info and everyone should read.
There is a lot of people running around saying task killers need to be used.
THis isnt winmo.

The idea that leaving all your applications open not hurting performance or battery flies against what most of us expect to be true. Lately ATK hasn't worked. I'll kill all apps, then minutes later they will all reappear. I will try going without a task killer for a while and monitor subsequent battery life.
What about all the OCD people? I would imagine it being hard for people with OCD to not compulsively close tasks.

I would add the use of auto killer as the op has stated. It works in conjunction with the way android kills task. You can set it aggressively or not. I cannot quote on battery life as I tend to damage mine. Only a rogue app would cause major drain. I also use a program called data on demand. That works by turning off data when the phone is off and lock.

this is indeed an interesting light for us all!
testing begins.

Deleted...

polo735 said:
The idea that leaving all your applications open not hurting performance or battery flies against what most of us expect to be true. Lately ATK hasn't worked. I'll kill all apps, then minutes later they will all reappear. I will try going without a task killer for a while and monitor subsequent battery life.
What about all the OCD people? I would imagine it being hard for people with OCD to not compulsively close tasks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As an actual sufferer of OCD who is trying out the no task killer method, I will say that it IS making me itch a little bit :/

....need to stop killing tasks. Its hard. I'm so used to it now. Will report my findings!
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App

Glad to see everyone is finding this info helpful. The word really needs to be spread.
Also you can add an app called watchdog that monitors your memory and lets you know when it gets below a certain threshold. it will then notify you and let you know wich app caused the memory drain.

You can do it. Consider this the support group for those who don't use task killers.
Thank u mvp77 for bringing this to light. For me my hd2 runs so smooth!!!

Well, with no task killer, after about 90 minutes of sitting on my desk at work, sending about 20 texts & listenening to 2 songs, my battery went from 70% to 35%. I was shocked at the accelerated battery drain, and I noticed that the back of my phone started getting hot too, which it NEVER did before I disabled the ATK. I re-enabled it around 5:30 on the way home, and after heavier texting, data, and music usage, it's only gone down to 22% after 4 hours.
I'm gonna conclude that my task killer serves a very good purpose, at least with my specific setup. Methinks I'll keep it enabled!

wow thats really strange because that actually goes against the way android actually works. as it stands the task killer is needlessly killing so called process's that may not even be active.
This is based on what the google android developers say. To each their own I will continue you to run without it as a see a speed increase without it. I would venture to say that there is a program that is causing problems.

kabuk1 said:
Well, with no task killer, after about 90 minutes of sitting on my desk at work, sending about 20 texts & listenening to 2 songs, my battery went from 70% to 35%. I was shocked at the accelerated battery drain, and I noticed that the back of my phone started getting hot too, which it NEVER did before I disabled the ATK. I re-enabled it around 5:30 on the way home, and after heavier texting, data, and music usage, it's only gone down to 22% after 4 hours.
I'm gonna conclude that my task killer serves a very good purpose, at least with my specific setup. Methinks I'll keep it enabled!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have never experienced battery drain like that. It would seem you have a bad app causing it. I would suggest you install watchdog and set the threshold at 30% and see what app is causing the problem.
The Creator of ATK stated on his blog, witch I can't find now, that his app does not work the same with 2.2 because the API used is no longer there.
Also install autokiller and autostarts to tweak android internal task manager and to stop unnecessary apps from starting.
I think it is the placebo effect cyangon and others mentioned.

I actually think my screen is killing my battery. I have to much current draw as noted using current widget.

I'll try Watchdog, and I've already got autokiller & autostarts installed.
I'm thinking about hard resetting. I've noticed that lately my battery hasn't even been charging completely, it only goes to 95% unless I charge it in WM or when it's turned off.

hazard99 said:
I actually think my screen is killing my battery. I have to much current draw as noted using current widget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe I have the same issue running ShubCraft 1.5. 95% of the power consumption goes to display, while everything else is at 5%. This is after 1 hour of usage.
In comparison. If I use MattC SenseUI build. 45% goes to battery while everything else goes to Phone Standy or Idle.
Though I can get about 20 hours on Shubcraft instead of like 8 hours for MattC. SenseUI must be very taxing on battery.

Well Like i stated at the beginning I ruin batterys by constantly tethering or atleast I think it does.
Watching the current widget the ma's can be upwards of 150ma which isnt right at all. When I look at watchdog I am under 95% idle which means apps are behaving correctly.
looking at the battery information it shows that the display is using the most of my battery.
Watch dog states that the android system is using 1.3% of cpu.
If i select real time watchdog jump to 6.8 percent which is understandable since it isnt being passive.
Right now I think the screen management is the problem. I cant do this any scientific way but based on what I see it seems to be the only reasonable thought.

+1 for screen being the cause every thing i use to test shows as screen being the issue of battery drain next to some live wallpapers

100% AGREE!!!
I have tried Taskiller and ATK and both did what they were made to do but my battery simply was eaten 12% every hour... So, I uninstalled EVERYTHING related to "battery preservation" and installed AUTOKILLER - this gave me 60% improvement over my old setup and battery life... I now easily pull more than 24hrs in stand-by - about 15hrs with average usage!
FYI: When installing certain apps (as AutoKiller) allow three four charging cycles - use phone as usual and re-charge 3-4 times... You will see that battery self-operates into the best working option and it starts working great...
With setCpu and ATK installed (with kill set during screen off and setcpu on ignore list) I had 12% drain / hr on stand-by ...
Both have been uninstalled now and only Autokiller is installed (Akiller shrinks memory threshold so Apps are shut-down natural "organic" way by Android OS) and I get less than 5%/hr drain on batery...
How is that possible? Simple - Linux is not like WinMo or WinOS - running process does not necessarily means it will drain battery.

Battery Life

Alright guys...
Post everything you do to boost battery life.
Some of us have long days, and it would be sick if we can keep the phone running for 12> at above 15% battery life.
What do you have?

If you are using JI6, the best thing you can do for yourself is to use Wi-Fi whenever possible. The modem in JI6 eats the battery.
Set your Wi-Fi sleep policy to "Never." Press menu on the Wi-Fi settings screen to get to advanced.
Also, if you are rooted, install AutoKiller (NOTE: it isn't a task killer). It controls the amount of free RAM you have by regulating your programs.
Set to Auto-Brightness.
Limit the amount of widgets and apps you have. You should know at all times what is running on your phone. If you don't know, that is a problem. An app on your phone that you don't even use could be running in the background killing battery.
Don't use a task killer. Exit out of your programs using the back button.

Battery Life?

How long does a full charge last for you on your continuum?
I got a new warranty replacement battery from verizon yesterday, because my battery only lasted 4 hours. This was with turning off applications and having the screen off. I also have the brightness turned all the way down for when I actually use the phone.
Right now, Im running Adrynalyne's kernel and the "3.30.11 Clean Continuum DL17 Rom". I hope this battery lasts.

Mine will usually last all day (around 12 ish hours) with moderate use (meaning checking facebook, browsing the internet lightly and checking email, making calls and texting). I've never had a problem with my battery except when I first go tit and I couldn't put the thing down lol

Tricks to get your battery to last longer:
1. Get "Advanced Task Killer" from the market and kill all unnecessary processes that run. The Task Manager that comes on your phone can detect applications that are multitasking, but it can't detect processes. Processes can randomly start running when you open apps like Facebook, Browser, etc. When you press the "back" button to exit an application, these processes keep running and consume lots of battery life. I saved muchos battery life with this app.
2. Go to Settings>About phone>Battery use and see what's consuming the most of your battery life. Click on the items you see that are consuming battery life and it'll tell you if you can do anything about it.
3. Live Wallpapers consume a considerate amount of battery life, so if you're having battery problems, avoid using them.
4. Remove unneeded widgets.
5. A friend told me using battery conserving apps actually increased his battery consumption. I don't know if it's true, or why that would be but I would try testing to see if using a battery conserving app actually helps, or makes it worse.
6. Turn off WiFi when you're not using it, or it will constantly attempt to search for WiFi, decreasing your battery life.
7. Try using SetCPU, and set a limit to the processing power (is that what it's called?) that your phone can use. Don't set it to the minimum because you don't want a laggy phone, but try lowering it a bit and see if that reduces the amount of battery life used.
If that doesn't work, nothing will. I don't know why you only have 4 hours of battery life, but that should fix anything that makes your phone have less battery life

There's a better apparently than adv task killer it has like 5 apps in one its called android assistance. And its worth looking at trust me
Sent from my Rooted Space Time Continuum w/h a 2600mAh battery