Torch apps bad for LED light? - Nexus One General

Will using a torch app kill the longevity of the LED light?? I thought I heard this before somewhere but I'm wanting to install the Nexus Torch app on my N1..

pookguy88 said:
Will using a torch app kill the longevity of the LED light?? I thought I heard this before somewhere but I'm wanting to install the Nexus Torch app on my N1..
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search is your friend...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=624592&highlight=torch+app+led

@Krumb
Thanks for the link.
But the discussion stopped in April, pre-froyo.
Now that G has enabled Led-on Video recording in Froyo, I am curious to know if any one faced issues while using it for prolonged night time video recording.
I personally used it for a max of 5 minutes continuously, for video recording as well as for use as torch, faced no issues.

I think the light is fine with 'normal' brightness for extended use, but not the ultra-bright setting.

LED light has "lifetime" - which is, it's built to last X hours on average.
Each time you turn it on, you take Y seconds out of its lifetime.
By analogy, each day you live, you're 1 day closer to death. You don't stop living to avoid death, do you?
Yes, the LED will die one day if you use it. If you're not unlucky, it'll be way after your phone turned to a piece of junk. If you're unlucky - it can die the next time you turn it on. Pure statistics of semiconductors, can't predict it.

Related

Can you break the LED flash by using N1 Torch?

Hi,
I rooted my N1 and installed a flashlight app (N1 Torch) that uses the phone's LED flash. It warns you that continuously using the flash might break it, though.
What has been your experience? Does "continuous use" mean "hours", "minutes" or just "more than the 0.5 seconds the flash is supposed to turn on when you make a photo"?
frandavid100 said:
Hi,
I rooted my N1 and installed a flashlight app (N1 Torch) that uses the phone's LED flash. It warns you that continuously using the flash might break it, though.
What has been your experience? Does "continuous use" mean "hours", "minutes" or just "more than the 0.5 seconds the flash is supposed to turn on when you make a photo"?
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I think that using it for a couple of minutes would be fine, the problem is that if it gets too hot it could damage the the phone especially the camera. I remember that I installed a similar program on my nokia n70 and several times happened that by accident i turned on the led while the phone was in my pocket, I only noticed that when i started to feel something burning in my pocket Now my n70's led and camera doesn't work anymore... so just be carefull not to turn on the led by accident
I had read that the LED flash was designed for quick bursts. If that is true than constantly running it could - at least - burn out the LED bulb. I doubt is it user replacable, so that is not a good thing.
I have hoped to use Torch too, but have decided its just not worth it. I will just use the lit up screen as a flashlight.
Yeah.. I'm thinking about uninstalling torch I get random clicking after I turn the app off
It's an LED.. by default LEDs are low-power, have low-heat emission and super long lifetimes. They also tolerate turning on/off repeatedly for extended periods of time.
I somehow doubt you could do any damage to the phone/LED.
Has anyone even heard of doing damage this way, or is this just speculation and ass-covering in case something goes wrong?
my old sony erricson w810i LED flash lasted for atleast an hour of continuous use with no ill effect.
LEDs don't get that bright either, not the ones you are thinking of. The LED in the nexus one is much brighter than "usual", and it's also much smaller.
High power LEDs (HPLED) can be driven at currents from hundreds of mA to more than an ampere, compared with the tens of mA for other LEDs. They produce up to over a thousand lumens. Since overheating is destructive, the HPLEDs must be mounted on a heat sink to allow for heat dissipation. If the heat from a HPLED is not removed, the device will burn out in seconds.
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(bold for emphasis)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led#High_power_LEDs
Obviously the LED in the N1 is designed to deal with its heat under "normal usage" for a camera flash, and it probably can handle longer usages than the stock camera, but I wouldn't push it too far.
Edit:
If anyone wants to use some debug tools to find how many mA the phone pulls when the flash is on vs when its off, they could probably look up the usual heat generation for an LED of that size and see how 'safe' it is to run.
I just contacted the developer on google wave, waiting for his reply now. Please give me your address if you want to be added to the wave.
DarkLord7854 said:
It's an LED.. by default LEDs are low-power, have low-heat emission and super long lifetimes. They also tolerate turning on/off repeatedly for extended periods of time.
I somehow doubt you could do any damage to the phone/LED.
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High power LEDs do get hot (i have an LED flashlight that gets quite hot after prolonged useage. it chews up batteries as well) and, ill bet that continued useage at high output can damage it.. and the camera... theres a reason that its not enabled stock
A way around heat and power is the cycle the LED at 30-60hz. I am unsure if the developer of N1 Torch could make it happen with software alone though.
Not sure if this helps but I have shot several videos and even changed a flat tire with my BB Storm LED. Besides draining battery, the only thing I worried about was space on mr MicoSd because I could only leave it on continuously in video mode.
I used mine this morning for about 5 mins and no problems.
Still works and so does the camera.
Wait, so the Nexus One uses the High Power LED, not a regular LED?
NexusDro said:
Wait, so the Nexus One uses the High Power LED, not a regular LED?
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no he was just using that quote to prove that some leds do produce heat. judging by the brightness i would say its relatively high power, and because htc might not have mounted the led on a heatsink big enough to keep it cool after prolonged use because they designed it for a camera flash, not a flashlight. so better safe than sorry.
britoso said:
my old sony erricson w810i LED flash lasted for atleast an hour of continuous use with no ill effect.
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Ya! I had a K750 (flashed with the W800i firmware) that had as one of it's features, used the flash as a torch and a SOS beacon.
SonyEricsson's XPERIA X1 (Win Mo device, HTC manufactured) has an app for the flash too. The app has two options.
First (dimmer) is mostly OK (not recommended for hours of use either).
Second (brighter) caused a meltdown of the LED's plastic holder if used for long enough. The holder melted over the vibrator motor, thus shutting it stiff and ruining it.
aad4321 said:
exactly. led's dont get hot.... someone should email the developer of the app. i know he has done some extensive testing. post what you get
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Folks should stick to things they know. There are many VERY high power LEDs, such as those used as a flash. Depending on the application they end design may be to be used in short bursts because they create so much heat. LEDs waste LESS power through heat dispersion than a conventional lamp, but they do indeed create heat. I've seen LEDs that need a heatsink 10x their size to keep them cool. In the interest of size I would be willing to bet there is not enough heatsink on the LED flash to be able to use it for extended periods of time without burning it out.
comparing light sources from different phones as others have done here is silly. Unless you are positive that they are the same LEDs and that they have proper cooling behind them, then don't compare.
Source - Me. almost 20 years in the semiconductor design and test industry
Seconded. It's possible the LED is being driven at peak currents, or beyond too, which is fine for a short burst but not for prolonged use.
I'm the developer of N1 Torch, and was pointed towards this thread. So I can offer some answers and insight...
Standard brightness is supported 'naturally' by the LED kernel driver. I tell it to come on, and it comes on until I give it a command to turn off.
High brightness is only enabled by the kernel for ~0.5 seconds before the kernel turns it off automatically. I simply send the command repeatedly to keep it on.
I had the app tested on a sacrificial N1, and the following were the results:
- On standard brightness mode, the torch ran for over 1/2hr continuously with no problems or heat issues detected.
- On high brightness mode, the torch was noticeably warm after 1/2hr, and there was a bit of a 'heat' smell coming from it. After a further 18 minutes (total 48 minutes) the LED started flickering of its own accord and was hot. After cooling, it resumed working normally (no idea how the lifetime was affected).
You can use your own judgement based on these results (and of course, YMMV due to manufacturing differences). I would be happy to say that standard brightness is fine for extended use (1/2hr at least), but try to limit high brightness to a few minutes at a time.

HTC Flashlight and Related LED Flashlights.. Damage LEDs?

just wondering what type of leds are used on the evo,
if the htc flashlight is prone to "wearing out" the leds,
and if led based flashlights are even safe to use??
i dont want to shorten the lifespan of these leds
TorxT3D said:
just wondering what type of leds are used on the evo,
if the htc flashlight is prone to "wearing out" the leds,
and if led based flashlights are even safe to use??
i dont want to shorten the lifespan of these leds
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led#Lifetime_and_failure
Short answer, unless HTC is running damaging levels of voltage through the LED and you have the flashlight on constantly you have nothing to worry about. Even if you run it 24/7 the low end estimate for most LED's is 2.8 years.
sk63 said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led#Lifetime_and_failure
Short answer, unless HTC is running damaging levels of voltage through the LED and you have the flashlight on constantly you have nothing to worry about. Even if you run it 24/7 the low end estimate for most LED's is 2.8 years.
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That may be the case for average LEDs, but high powered LEDs need proper heat dissipation setups. Philips Lumiled K2 LEDs have 1W versions that will burn up without a proper heatsink.
But since HTC released this as a stock app, I'm sure it's fine. I do prefer the "LED Light" widget over HTC's app.
liquidkernel said:
That may be the case for average LEDs, but high powered LEDs need proper heat dissipation setups. Philips Lumiled K2 LEDs have 1W versions that will burn up without a proper heatsink.
But since HTC released this as a stock app, I'm sure it's fine. I do prefer the "LED Light" widget over HTC's app.
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Light widget is nice for quick turn on/off, but I hear it causes a wake lock and besides, the HTC one has more features (3 brightness modes, SOS, and blinking) and it turns on when you first press the app icon. Just hit back and you turn off the flashlight. I guess you can't leave it and use another app while its on like you can with the widget, but what are you doing using a flashlight while texting? lol. Anyways, if it wasn't for the wake lock, I'd still keep the widget around, just in case.
1 watt leds last 4.5 years with avg use of 8 hrs a day. So I'm sure these are even less and should last much longer.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
The LED on my htc ppc-6800 burned out from occasional flashlight usage. Maybe a couple hours of total combined use over a year long period. Just some anecdotal evidence to throw in the mix...
novanosis85 said:
1 watt leds last 4.5 years with avg use of 8 hrs a day. So I'm sure these are even less and should last much longer.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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It doesn't matter how long they last when they are attached to a proper heatsink as mentioned already in this thread.
The LED's in the camera flash are capable of being driven hard, but are intended only to do so for short periods (when the camera fires it's flash). There is at least one application out there that allows you to put and hold the LED's at that power level, and if used for extended periods at that high level the potential of overheating and destroying the SMD's is there.
I am sure that HTC has determined the maximum thermal dissipation of the SMDs and built their flashlight application around that, knowing that users will be tempted to use the application for longer lengths of time.

Phone restarts when the led flashlight is on for 60 seconds?

On every rom I have used, when I'm outside in a pitch black situation and I need my flashlight on my phone. When I leave it on for more than 60 seconds, the phone automatically restarts. I suppose because the LED gets too hot? This is on Torch bright widget or widgetsoid flashlight using method 2 for led. However I'm fairly sure that using heart rate monitor app in the market the phone can stay on with the flashlight for more than 60 seconds. I'm going to test this now. This is weird since my HTC HD2 could leave the led flashlight on for hours if I wanted. Well I never had it on for more than say 20 minutes but it worked and the phone never restarted. Any help would be great, thanks!
By the way this happens on all roms including with all kernels and all radios.
I wouldn't leave it on for more than 10 seconds at a time. That is just plain stupid.
Damn I hate useless replies!
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
Ok try this out. You're going to burn out your LED and the reason it restarts is from the heat. When you take a pic in your camera app does the LED flash for 60 seconds? um no.... you need a flashlight? Get those small LED keychain ones.. how's that for useful? Use your head....
And tour HD2 does not have a Tegra 2 in it so perhaps why that one does not overheat. Either way you'll kill the LED. They aren't designed to be used like that.
I have the exact same problem on CM7 - was fine on my HD2 for a very long time too
At times I find myself needing a flashlight for a minute or 2 at times. The HD2's LED never overheated unless you left in death ray mode but I'm not sure since I can't remember ever having a problem ever. Just use regular brightness at a reduced continuous voltage therefore reducing heat production. That's not stupid to need my f*ing phone as a flashlight for a couple minutes when needed. LED's are very efficient and can take a hell of a beating, however they're efficient in nature so leaving it on may reduce it's life sure. But has anyone reported their cell phone led light going out? I have never heard of it so stop posting stupid idiotic comments. Posting dumb offensive comments makes you look stupid. You could respond with an intelligent response unleashing to the world your hidden genius. Instead you decide to do what you do best.
If anyone who may be having the same problem. I have found a solution to the problem. Downloading instant heart rate monitor will allow the light to stay on forever with no problems.
Later
Atrix_E said:
And tour HD2 does not have a Tegra 2 in it so perhaps why that one does not overheat. Either way you'll kill the LED. They aren't designed to be used like that.
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I'm sorry. I do understand you stating they aren't designed to do that. However I don't care what you think about cell phone led's. I asked a question therefore I would expect an answer. Not an electronic's lecture.
1chris89 said:
I'm sorry. I do understand you stating they aren't designed to do that. However I don't care what you think about cell phone led's. I asked a question therefore I would expect an answer. Not an electronic's lecture.
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That was my answer. Sorry that you do not like it. Why not troll on now about video playback on your HD2?
Had the same problem with widgetsoid.
Download Tiny Flashlight + LED from the marketplace. My 60 second reboot problem does not happen with this particular application. I am on stock at&t rom rooted.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Atrix_E said:
That was my answer. Sorry that you do not like it. Why not troll on now about video playback on your HD2?
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Well my suggestion is to you. Next time you post a comment. Please take a moment to think about the question. So then you can give a helpful answer. Questions are meant to be answered, nothing more and nothing less.
jmaddr said:
Had the same problem with widgetsoid.
Download Tiny Flashlight + LED from the marketplace. My 60 second reboot problem does not happen with this particular application. I am on stock at&t rom rooted.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
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Thanks buddy! I will give that app a shot. As for the moment. Instant heart rate monitor from the market works wonderfully.
1chris89 said:
Well my suggestion is to you. Next time you post a comment. Please take a moment to think about the question. So then you can give a helpful answer. Questions are meant to be answered, nothing more and nothing less.
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Noted and thought about. Wouldn't change my answer.
First of all you don't have to be a flamer, second....you have no clue what your talking about. The led light is led ...led lights put out insanely low amounts of heat...which is why that technology has been incorporated into growing plants...not that it's good ti leave the led on for too long but I have uses the led flashlight for about 30 minutes before on my ATRIX, ya it gets a little warm but that's it. Yes it's possible to burn it out over time but you will be fine for short durations. Why do you think there are so many flashlight apps, if they really caused that much damage google would remove those apps from the market.
And im not talking out if my ass because I know quite a bit on the topic of led technology.
The possible reason for your phone rebooting is because a lot of the flashlight apps out there aren't compatable with the ATRIX for some reason, don't ask me why. You need to download "droidlight" from the market because it was developed for Motorola phones by Motorola ...then I doubt you will be rebooting
But please don't talk like your an expert on the subject and give false information to people because it just adds to confusion for those that don't know. Im no expert on everything so I don't chime in on things I don't know about. Cheers
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
Atrix_E said:
That was my answer. Sorry that you do not like it. Why not troll on now about video playback on your HD2?
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Also you should be suspended by mr.clown for a comment like that.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
Tiny flashlight +led works great. Has a good widget as well. Don't recall having a timeout. Accidentally turned it on and fell asleep for hour. Woke up to a dead battery and a brown spot on the coffee table lol. Led was still kicking an hour later. I use mine all the time.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
Its more than likely the app, I have the same problem using Tesla led + widget locker + cm7. Disregard about damaging your LEDs, as long as the proper voltage is applied... they will never burn out... if its getting HOT(not warm) then I would be worried. LED lights do have a "lifespan" but generally exceed it, tremendously.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
J-Roc said:
First of all you don't have to be a flamer, second....you have no clue what your talking about. The led light is led ...led lights put out insanely low amounts of heat...which is why that technology has been incorporated into growing plants...not that it's good ti leave the led on for too long but I have uses the led flashlight for about 30 minutes before on my ATRIX, ya it gets a little warm but that's it. Yes it's possible to burn it out over time but you will be fine for short durations. Why do you think there are so many flashlight apps, if they really caused that much damage google would remove those apps from the market.
And im not talking out if my ass because I know quite a bit on the topic of led technology.
The possible reason for your phone rebooting is because a lot of the flashlight apps out there aren't compatable with the ATRIX for some reason, don't ask me why. You need to download "droidlight" from the market because it was developed for Motorola phones by Motorola ...then I doubt you will be rebooting
But please don't talk like your an expert on the subject and give false information to people because it just adds to confusion for those that don't know. Im no expert on everything so I don't chime in on things I don't know about. Cheers
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
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I mean I don't really know anything about it, but if my LED light is on (for a flashlight) it get's noticeably hot within like 10 seconds...
I haven't quite had the same problem as the OP, but I was using TeslaLED with Widgetsoid (had a flashlight toggle in my rotary slider). I turned the screen on, and without unlocking used the flashlight like normal a few days ago, and had it on for 10+ seconds (after 10, my screen timed out like normal). I went to turn the screen on again though, and my entire phone froze - with the LED still on! I had to remove the battery...
I dunno all the technicalities of the LED, nor do I know if this was a freak accident and won't happen again (hopefully!). Might be a problem with TeslaLED/Widgetsoid, or maybe the screen shouldn't go off when the LED is on?
EDIT: Weird, I just tried it out again for fun, and it did in fact freeze my phone again lol. It did the exact same thing: turn on screen, turn on flashlight, use for like 10 seconds. Screen times out, flashlight flickers. Turn screen on, looks normal, but try to turn flashlight off, feel slight haptic feedback then froze.
Being an electrician by trade, I also specialize in luminaire devices, and tend to push LED devices over traditional flourescent, incandescent, halogen & HPS/MH lamps, for various reasons & applications. In fact LEDs last longer than the auxiliary components driving them .. which is why the still have a rated life span, many suppliers guarantee 12,000+ hours.
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JaronBang said:
Its more than likely the app, I have the same problem using Tesla led + widget locker + cm7. Disregard about damaging your LEDs, as long as the proper voltage is applied... they will never burn out... if its getting HOT(not warm) then I would be worried. LED lights do have a "lifespan" but generally exceed it, tremendously.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
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I don't know about everyone else but my led starts getting hot after only having it on for ~10 seconds. I try not to leave it on because of the heat. But yah I do leave it on for more than a minute all the time so it was probably the specific app causing a rare OS bug that caused it to crash.

Nexus 4 dim notification LED?

Hey there, got my N4 this morning, its a good upgrade from the GNexus. I haven't had any problems so far, besides the GMail not syncing and the lack of a LED notification light. Or so I thought at first, its actually on, but incredibly dim, so I didn't even notice.
Is this just me?
lundqvist said:
Hey there, got my N4 this morning, its a good upgrade from the GNexus. I haven't had any problems so far, besides the GMail not syncing and the lack of a LED notification light. Or so I thought at first, its actually on, but incredibly dim, so I didn't even notice.
Is this just me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It appears to just be you, my notification LED is rather bright, actually. Have you tried tweaking it with a third party app from the Play Store?
Its dim in comparison to the Samsung LED for example the LED on my Note 2 is a lot brighter and more vivid
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Thanks for the replies. Its very dim, even when I tried using Light Flow. I haven't installed any other app that may interfere with it.
In addition, my GMail syncs really slow.
I'm currently re-flashing the stock rom and maybe it'll be fixed.
Thanks
Moved to Q&A
Sent from my Nocturnalized One XL using Forum Runner
No your not the only one.. Did flashing the stock ROM help you?..
I notice mines is dim compared to my gnex
Its dim and it blinks unbelievably slow. I dont understand what they were thinking. Notification lights should be bright and obnoxious to.... notify you.
Has anyone found a fix for this yet? The notification light on mine only blinks once then stops. How is this suppose to notify me if I missed a message if it only flashes once and is extremly dim. The Samsung Led light are are way better. Is there going to be a patch for this problem?
Hello fellow RFDer - to the OP
I used light flow with the custom flashing rate, set at 1000/1000 (so 1 second flashes with 1 second gaps) and it seems to work well. Setting any of the other settings (slow - fast) didn't make a difference. I really can't wait for CM where all these items are built in and we dont have to mess with 3rd party apps.
It worked for a while yesterday, now it stopped working. I've since installed Light Flow with no luck, have Light Manager right now (all free so far), but still without success. I've always been a Blackberry person and had a GNexus before, so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't spoiled with a working light.
idividebyzero said:
Its dim and it blinks unbelievably slow. I dont understand what they were thinking. Notification lights should be bright and obnoxious to.... notify you.
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Agreed, I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to see if anyone has any recommendations.
Same thing for me, notification light worked fine the first day, then I rooted the phone and now it's very dim. LightFlow did not improve anything.
florentnicoulaud said:
Same thing for me, notification light worked fine the first day, then I rooted the phone and now it's very dim. LightFlow did not improve anything.
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Hmmm I noticed my light is super dim as well just like the pictures on the first page. Unlocked and rooted it before I got a notification though.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Agreed it's dim.
The LED appears to be under the plastic in the bezel rather than displayed through a hole cut through it. Not sure adjusting brightness at the software level will have much of an impact.
My led is dim as well
Mine is dim and glows really slow! Using Light Flow now, but still not as bright as the one in GNex.
Hi all,
I have a similar issue:
My LED light flashes only when I get notifications relating to Facebook & Whatsapp.
It does not work for missed calls, Gmail messages, text messages or while charging!
I had installed Lightflow and it was a little buggy, but I think, the LED notification should still work for all types of notifications?
I have also factory reset the phone and have the pulse notification option under the display menu turned on, but still no success.
Any help/replies will be much appreciated.
I have no issues with using light flow.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Ulver said:
I have no issues with using light flow.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
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Thanks mate, how about without light flow? Does lightflow drain a lot of battery?
pratopathak said:
Thanks mate, how about without light flow? Does lightflow drain a lot of battery?
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Click to collapse
Light Flow only drains battery when you leave a notification unchecked for long periods of time (i.e. the notification LED flashes for long periods of time). Naturally, the longer the LED flashes, the longer the wakelock.
In normal use, the battery hit is negligible (in my opinion).

How To Get Best Battery Life?

Sooo, I just got the Fossil Q Explorist HR. And so far, I LOVE it. It looks so good. It's better looking than my Gear S3, way lighter, and a lot thinner too.
BUT, so far, battery life isn't looking good. I got it today, so I definitely need a couple days to be sure, but I've had it off of the charger for less than 3 hours and it's at 64%. I did all of the setup while it was charging. All I've done off the charger is update some apps, change the complications, and setup Fit.
What I've done to hopefully help with battery life (again, while charging), is turn off everything except Bluetooth and location, I've disabled any apps I don't feel I need or hopefully won't cause problems disabling, I've turned off permissions for a couple as well. I have always-on on, auto brightness, Fit with heart rate on, and that's pretty much it. I really need to get a full day out of a smartwatch, INCLUDING using it for up to an hour workout with Fit. The Gear S3 would do that as well as last about 24+ hours.
Am I missing something? Should I NOT disable apps or turn off any permissions? Is there a better way to set this up to get some decent battery life out of it? I really really want to get rid of my Gear S3, and I'm hoping this one will help me do that. Let me know what you have done to improve your batter, and how many hours your watch lasts.
Please and thanks!
Man, Fit workout really takes some battery! I used strength training, which detects workouts, has a built-in timer, etc. It used 24% in one hour... I'm going to use the weight lifting one tomorrow to see if it's any better, it doesn't do any of that, just heart rate and calories burned. Before my workout, 4 hours in I was down to 76%. 6% per hour. Not horrible, but could be a LOT better.
Seriously, anyone have any tips to help with the battery life? Disabling any particular apps, permissions, anything? Should I NOT disable anything? I really want to keep this watch, but as it stands, without using it to workout, I *might* get through the day. I refuse to have to charge this thing at some point in the day just to make it until I take it off.
I use mine for notifications, music control, maps, alarms and today even translating. I went to work at 5:30AM and came back at 6-7PM and had 53% left. I also called an Uber and tried Shazam and some other stuff with it. I use fitness only for my daily walking.
I can't complain.
Sent from my CMR-AL09 using Tapatalk
MirageBlader said:
I use mine for notifications, music control, maps, alarms and today even translating. I went to work at 5:30AM and came back at 6-7PM and had 53% left. I also called an Uber and tried Shazam and some other stuff with it. I use fitness only for my daily walking.
I can't complain.
Sent from my CMR-AL09 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
What watch do you have? And how did you set it up? That would be great. Mine's on the charger now. It was at 13% just a few minutes ago. Came off the charger at about 7:15am.
I have the Q Explorist HR (Silver with leather). I have display always on, turned on. I was Wi-Fi usually turned off but I had it turned on for some time too (I wish they would add Wi-Fi into the quick settings). Brightness was set on automatic. Gestures was all turned off, touch to wake was on. Location (GPS) was on. NFC was turned off (I never use it).
Also very important is the watch face you use. The more colors you have, the more information witch updates often you have on it, the faster it drains battery. So I use the simple black watch face, with battery, weather, date and alarm widget.
The 2nd battery killer is the connection (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS). Try to stay with 1.
Gesture controls often activate when you even don't need it because you run or shake hands. So I turned them off. Only touch to wake I leave turned on. The watch wakes up on notifications anyway and time is shown as well. If I need weather, I touch the screen.
I have the "OK google" detection turned off. Never using it.
I hope this helps you squeeze some more juice out of the watch, I was very surprised yesterday how long the Battery survived. But as mentioned, I use it for basic stuff.
Take care and let me know if it helped.
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MirageBlader said:
I have the Q Explorist HR (Silver with leather). I have display always on, turned on. I was Wi-Fi usually turned off but I had it turned on for some time too (I wish they would add Wi-Fi into the quick settings). Brightness was set on automatic. Gestures was all turned off, touch to wake was on. Location (GPS) was on. NFC was turned off (I never use it).
Also very important is the watch face you use. The more colors you have, the more information witch updates often you have on it, the faster it drains battery. So I use the simple black watch face, with battery, weather, date and alarm widget.
The 2nd battery killer is the connection (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS). Try to stay with 1.
Gesture controls often activate when you even don't need it because you run or shake hands. So I turned them off. Only touch to wake I leave turned on. The watch wakes up on notifications anyway and time is shown as well. If I need weather, I touch the screen.
I have the "OK google" detection turned off. Never using it.
I hope this helps you squeeze some more juice out of the watch, I was very surprised yesterday how long the Battery survived. But as mentioned, I use it for basic stuff.
Take care and let me know if it helped.
Sent from my HTC U12+ using Tapatalk
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Thanks! This is very helpful, and makes me hopeful since we have the same watch (mines the gunmetal grey). Did you disable anything, like apps, turn off permissions, anything like that?
No problem.
Not really, I use mostly Spotify app and 1-2 other but didn't disable any. Didn't even know I could do that.
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MirageBlader said:
No problem.
Not really, I use mostly Spotify app and 1-2 other but didn't disable any. Didn't even know I could do that.
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Yeah, you can disable quite a few actually. And turn certain permissions off on some. The problem is, some apps talk to others, and you can actually cause more battery use if one is disabled, or something turned off. I'm so new to wear os, I have no idea if I'm causing that or not. I'm going to see what today brings, but otherwise I'm going to reset the watch tonight and leave apps alone.
Thanks again. I'll report back for sure.
I will look into that, thanks. I am using my watch today since 5AM and now it's 3PM here. I have 69% left.
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Another questions, are you able to connect your watch with the Fossil Q app on Android? It tells me that the connection failed all the time while my phone is connected to the watch.
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MirageBlader said:
Another questions, are you able to connect your watch with the Fossil Q app on Android? It tells me that the connection failed all the time while my phone is connected to the watch.
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I haven't tried. Is there any benefit to it?
So, I turned off wrist wake up, and that was the trick! I took my watch off at around 9pm last night (off the charger at 7am), and even after an hour workout and run, I still had close to 40% left. And I actually don't mind just seeing the always on face most of the time. It's a little less annoying the constant waking up and such. Thanks, that really helped. Def keeping the watch now
Glad it helped you. But crazy how one setting can make such a difference.
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MirageBlader said:
Glad it helped you. But crazy how one setting can make such a difference.
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Seriously! I would have never guessed that it waking up when tilted used that much battery. It's seriously at least twice as much battery life now.
I know right, I am testing it atm which Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC and heart rate stuff on all time and even then the battery life is more then 1 Day.
This one function is a major energy killer. Hopefully the Wear OS 3 update fixes this.
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MirageBlader said:
I know right, I am testing it atm which Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC and heart rate stuff on all time and even then the battery life is more then 1 Day.
This one function is a major energy killer. Hopefully the Wear OS 3 update fixes this.
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I've had GPS and heart tracker on this whole time. Those are essential to me. The only thing I dislike about not having the tilt to wake on is, the always-on does not really work with adaptive brightness it seems. If it's darker when the screen is fully on, it stays that way even with I go outside for example. It also takes a few touches sometimes to wake up. Are you having either of these problems?
Anyway, agreed on the new Wear OS. I really hope it fixes some battery issues.
Yes, I experience the same issues. The Auto Brightness works fine for me but the extra taps to wake up are true.
They said roll-out is until end of October so let's hope it's starting soon.
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