Database Users

[GUIDE] Tips on Awesome Battery Life for Power Users

Most of my droid using colleagues are quite impressed at how i manage to squeeze so much battery life out of my handset. I thought it was time to compile and share my tips and tricks with the community. I get about 20+ hours with relatively heavy use
First some caveats.
This is what I personally do - and I simply want to share if some of these tips and tricks can be useful for others. Your personal mileage will vary and not all of these tips will be applicable to all users. With that in mind, these are my personal requirements and phone capabilities which affect my strategy for longer battery life:
Some sort of data Connection Always On
At least 2,000 in quadrant after standard boot
Background Data Always On and AutoSync always on
WaveSecure and LBE Security Service Always On
Google Voice for sms and call forwarding/routing
1000 minutes + 5gb data grandfathered plan - so no use for major data monitoring and no use for wifi calling
Frequent use of bluetooth stereo headphones in conjunction with Amazon MP3 and Google Music Beta - music synced then listened to, rarely streamed
Infrequent use of Pandora
Required ROMS, Apps and Programs
Cyanogen Mod 7 Latest Nightly (kernel of your preference)
Tasker
Autostarts
Root Explorer
Titanium Backup (useful, not required)
Step 1: Remove CM Bloat
Before and after flashing a nightly I run Titanium Backup and backup all system apps just in case something gets ****ed up during what I do next. In general, I uninstall any apps i don't use and backup + uninstall any apps i use very infrequently.
I then uninstall the following:
File Manager (replaced by root explorer which is far more powerful)
Sound Recorder (keep in mind, im using GV for SMS and do not use MMS),
Music (replaced by the new google music from market and amazon mp3)
Voice Dialer (i've never understood the need for this when we have google voice search)
Home Screen Tips
Magic Smoke Wallpaper (if you don't use it)
Music Visualization Wallpapers (if you don't use it)
ADW Launcher (if you don't use it)
Gan Optimizer and Wifi Calling
Email (i only use gmail app and have it setup such that other accounts are forwarded, labeled, and gmail can SEND AS: other account)
FM Radio (people still listen to FM after howard stern went to satellite?)
Dev Tools (I never find a need for this)
Keep in mind all of these are backed up in case you decide you want them back or something breaks. Also, you might need to force close out of kineto/wifi calling before the uninstall through applications -> running services.
Step 2: Settings
I don't **** around with Render Effect for battery savings - it only helps on AMOLED screens (confirmed by c00ller here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=14509485&postcount=4)
I have auto brightness disabled and use the status bar swipe brightness to adjust
CPU Governor: I prefer Smartass if available, if not then interactive, if not then on demand. I used to use Pershoot - but I think i now prefer Umaro or stock.
CPU Clock: I have this set to 1.2mhz. Honestly, its faster than most phones out there both in how it feels and quadrant score. 1.5 seems like overkill - and it will drain the battery faster. This really comes to personal preference though. Min should always be lowest frequency.
to make the system feel faster, i make all animations fast in spare parts. as a result, i do not use the screen on/off animations.
VM heap @ 32 mb
lock home in memory, use jit, enable surface dithering
GPS Always On
Step 3: Take control over startup
This where autostarts comes into play. Note that both After Startup and Connectivity Changed are triggered on boot - so this is where things need to be disabled. Here is what i have disabled:
xda premium
(Amazon) Appstore
Messaging (I only kept messaging so i can recieve t-mobile alerts)
Springpad
Maps (should be disabled unless you are a big latitude user)
Amazon MP3
Skype (keep enabled if you do sync and want to be signed in on boot)
Ebay (keep enabled if you have auction alerts on)
Touch Pal Dialer (still deciding if i like this or stock)
SyncMyPix
ROM Manager Premium License
DropBox
Netflix
Shopper
Firefox Beta (keeping this app around to see if it ever improves vs stock or dolphin)
(Google) Earth
(Google) Docs
Note that this isnt fully comprehensive for what u would want to disable - in general keep the google apps enabled and any apps u know should run at startup (for example those that receive push messages) or that you want to poll immediately.
Step 4: Automate with Tasker
I use tasker to do some automatic toggling of settings.
Primary battery savings: location based profiles that use location w/o tears (network location) that intelligently turn wifi on and off in locations where I know I have wifi access (for example in my apartment or near work + during work hours + not holiday + weekday). Under wifi settings -> advanced make sure the wifi sleep policy is set to Never.
I don't do this, but you may also want a profile that sets wifi off or data off or autosync off while at home during sleeping hours.
Secondary battery savings: when bluetooth is turned on, wait for connection for 3 minutes. if no connection is made, turn off. when bluetooth device is disconnected, check for another existing connection or new connection for next 3 minutes. if no connection is made, turn off.
Tertiary battery savings: Profile that alerts when battery is fully charged (with british higher pitched female voice) to prevent overcharging/battery damage (please correct me if this is a myth but ive found it to be true, anecdotally).
Additional Thoughts about Other Profile Apps and Tasker
I have found that apps like setcpu have a definite negative affect on battery life. Most kernel governors manage themselves properly and profiles are not needed unless doing heavy overclocking where you need high temperature failsafes.
Additionally, apps like juice defender seems to waste a lot of battery in their monitoring (versus Tasker) and I think the tendency for that app to toggle the cellular radio on and off (with that 20s delay) actually hurts battery. Again, I own these apps and have used them extensively and decided against them - but it does come down to personal preference. Still, an app like Tasker can do everything juice defender and setcpu do, if necessary albeit less intuitively, but with a smaller memory footprint.
A note on Bump Charging
See here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=871051
condensed: bump charging works but can weaken your battery in the long run. avoid it if you care about your battery longevity or have frequent access to chargers throughout the day.
Thanks to c00ler for the tip to byrong's research.
Open Questions that I have
Radio questions
If in a high 4g/3g penetration area - is it better to be on WCDMA Preferred or WCDMA Only?
If in constant wifi coverage - is it better to be on 2g only or a WCDMA setting?
If in constant wifi coverage - is it better to have cell radio off and make calls over wifi only?
Other questions
Is there any battery life correlation to USB PC charging vs Wall charging? What about stock charger vs other micro usb chargers?
Is battery weakened from extended time spent plugged in?
Is there anything else I am missing? I hope this guide is helpful.

Reserved for followup.

Great posts.
I recommend to freeze those system apps rather than to remove/uninstall them using Titanium Backup.
Considering that you 're using CM 7 nightly, there's a bit much work to do to uninstall the unnecessary system apps after flashing new ROMs.
Just don't know whether freezing a app would do more harm to performance than to just remove/uninstall them or not.

A few answers:
sundar2012 said:
Is battery weakened from extended time spent plugged in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not know the exact answer but I will tell you that PC USB ports are limited to providing a typical maximum current of 500 mA while the wall charger that came with our device is capable of 1.0 A or 1000 mA. I use an app called Battery Monitor Widget and realistically I've seen numbers like 200-300 and 500-700 mA, respectively, as the charge current is a function of battery %. What I'm saying is USB charging for Wall charging is really more a matter of how battery life is affected by charge rate. I've read on the one had moving ions too quickly in a battery can lead to decreased lifetime while on the other, fast charging avoids crystallization of battery microstructure, which is good. Read more at batteryuniversity.com
sundar2012 said:
Is battery weakened from extended time spent plugged in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read this post.
sundar2012 said:
Does render effect only confer battery savings to AMOLED screens?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it only affects AMOLED screens. Why? Because in an AMOLED, every pixel IS its own light source. Every pixel can turn itself on and off at will. Therefore, darker wallpapers, images, themes, etc will have more pixels at a low-power state and lead to decreased power consumption. On the other hand, LCDs have a backlight that is always on, even when looking at a "pure black" image. To produce the dark image, the LCDs have liquid crystals that polarize the light perpendicularly to each other so that (theoretically) none goes through. However there is always leakage, which is why blacks never look as black as they do on AMOLEDs (lower contrast ratio), which can literally turn off to produce true blacks. Basically for dark images, AMOLEDs are dynamic go into a lower power state while LCDs are static and maintain one relatively high power state at all times.

c00ller said:
A few answers:
I do not know the exact answer but I will tell you that PC USB ports are limited to providing a typical maximum current of 500 mA while the wall charger that came with our device is capable of 1.0 A or 1000 mA. I use an app called Battery Monitor Widget and realistically I've seen numbers like 200-300 and 500-700 mA, respectively, as the charge current is a function of battery %. What I'm saying is USB charging for Wall charging is really more a matter of how battery life is affected by charge rate. I've read on the one had moving ions too quickly in a battery can lead to decreased lifetime while on the other, fast charging avoids crystallization of battery microstructure, which is good. Read more at batteryuniversity.com
Read this post.
Yes, it only affects AMOLED screens. Why? Because in an AMOLED, every pixel IS its own light source. Every pixel can turn itself on and off at will. Therefore, darker wallpapers, images, themes, etc will have more pixels at a low-power state and lead to decreased power consumption. On the other hand, LCDs have a backlight that is always on, even when looking at a "pure black" image. To produce the dark image, the LCDs have liquid crystals that polarize the light perpendicularly to each other so that (theoretically) none goes through. However there is always leakage, which is why blacks never look as black as they do on AMOLEDs (lower contrast ratio), which can literally turn off to produce true blacks. Basically for dark images, AMOLEDs are dynamic go into a lower power state while LCDs are static and maintain one relatively high power state at all times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, will update thread to reflect information about bump charging and AMOLED.

Tips to improve battery life

Just want to share my setup to improve your phone battery life.
Im using [ROM] FroyoBread.
I install Undervolt module.
I use setcpu and create profile. Screen off>Max cpu 320>Min cpu 120>Priority 90>conservative
Im using Fast Reboot not Advance Task Killer
lowest brightness, no animation, 30 sec screen off, disable (wifi, bluetooth, background sync, vibration), 2g network only
you will be more informed if you visit this site [FIX] Drain Battery Fix for CyanogenMod
(Fast Reboot vs Advance Task Killer)
Now this is what i get. With modetare to heavy SMS, minor phone call, minor gaming, minor to moderate listening music. I been using my phone for 3 straight days and still have 4% remaining.
Note: I don't have wifi in my house so i don't know what will be the result of my phone battery life.
Thanks to Dare-Devil Inside for his tips and doixanh for his great module and rom. I hope this will help to improve your phone battery life.
P.S. sorry for my english if you think its bad.

Ok i do like u said i will check how it works
Sent from my X8 using Tapatalk

battery life is key to smart phones.
Here are some tips when not using it:
Turn GPS off
Turn wifi off
Turn Bluetooth off
Turn Mobile Network off
hope that helps. It is not only battery-saving, but also keeps you away from radiation.

old skul.....

...its simple... no live wallpapers and no apps runing.

[Q] what functions use most battery?

Gaming ofcource. I know.
But im wondering what "gimmicky" features are the most power sucking.
What about hand gesture during standby? Does that leave camera on?
What about finger hover?
What about the rest?
Wich are not heavy on battery and wich are?
Thanks.

borgqueenx said:
Gaming ofcource. I know.
But im wondering what "gimmicky" features are the most power sucking.
What about hand gesture during standby? Does that leave camera on?
What about finger hover?
What about the rest?
Wich are not heavy on battery and wich are?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screen of course.
To maximise battery life, it is recommended, you do not use the phone at all.
I guarantee you will have outstanding battery life if you hardly touch your phone at all.

I haven't done extensive testing, but I have noticed that even though I get incredible deep sleep over night (95%), my phone still uses a lot of battery over an 8 hour period (15-25% - as opposed to my SGS3 which would use <10%).
I thought at first maybe it was the Air gesture -> Quick glance feature, as it will have to monitor the gyroscope constantly and if the phone is flat (which it is over night for me), then it'll have the gesture sensor on as well. Last night I tried turning that feature off (actually i turned all motion and gesture, smart screen, and air view features off), and there was no noticable improvement in battery life overnight, so it seems that my problem is still there, but also that the gimmicky feature doesn't actually appear to use too much battery.
Note; the gesture stuff doesn't use the camera, it has it's own sensor.
the Air view (i assume this is what you're referring to when you say finger hover) feature won't use more battery as it's only active in certain apps, so will only use more battery while those apps are active.

Ok that sounds actually quite good made by samsung then...although weird you lose so much battery. Maybe the rom and kernel you have?

Maybe some applications you use ? Try WakeLock Detector or Greenify from Google Play Store

i think the most power battrey goes to screen. and second goes to signal mobile network.if the signal low,that will consume more battrey because always search for better signal

The screen and signal. As above, the phone will consume extra battery searching/adjust the signal to make sure you have a good reception. There are different schools of thought but I have most battery life when on WiFi.

borgqueenx said:
Gaming ofcource. I know.
But im wondering what "gimmicky" features are the most power sucking.
What about hand gesture during standby? Does that leave camera on?
What about finger hover?
What about the rest?
Wich are not heavy on battery and wich are?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well let me place it to you from the most to least :
1-Screen
2- CPU Runs (any apps using too much CPU )
3- signal and 3g/4g
4-Smart Features and camera
5- music , and mostly all the rest

lambstone said:
The screen of course.
To maximise battery life, it is recommended, you do not use the phone at all.
I guarantee you will have outstanding battery life if you hardly touch your phone at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And keep it permanently connected to a good wall charger! :laugh:

[Q] How to optimize battery life od Note 3 ?

Hi !
I'am interested in optimizing battery usage/life on my Note 3.
I want to know what functions is free to switch off or reconfigure to decrese battery usage
But I dont want to cut phone functonality too much...
I'am not interested to tips like:
- switch Wi-Fi OFF
- switch Bluetooth OFF
- switch GPS OFF
- disable synchronization
- disable background data
- disable S Beam, NFC, Air Gesture, Air View, Smart Stay
- disable vibrations
- switch phone OFF when not using
- turn Power Save mode ON
- turn Airplane Mode ON
- lower down CPU/GPU frequency
Because they make phone much less usable and fun because it's many nice and amazing functions wont work...
I've already applied following tips:
- disable Google Now
- disable raporting GPS position
- disable location history
- turn screen brightness to AUTO
- remove unused/unneccecary widgets (especially this with auto update/sync)
- turn off autostart of unnececary apps (with All-In-One Toolbox)
- turn off "notifications from server" in "Samsung Apps" settings
Because i know that following tips are working and have positive impact on battery life (about 20% more power in my case)
I can't root phone (MJ7 firmware...) so I cant use Greenify to make more battery life...
If somone know some more configs/tips/apps that can be applied to increase battery life I will be very interested

- turn screen brightness to AUTO
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This I believe is a myth, if anything AUTO uses more battery IMO. I set my brightness at around 40% or so and I get 30 hours (with 3-4Hours screen time) or so average out of my battery, Only other thing I disable is GPS.
It's more about how/what you actually use on your phone rather than what you can disable and not use.

I think you're looking for a reduction in "idle" battery drain as in use battery drain is kinda unavoidable.
There are tools like "Tasker" you can use to automate all the radios
you can use "app ops" to stop all the apps that push your location (this will do the most)
"autostart manager" allows you to stop apps from running all the time.

Do you have an n9005? If so the Snapdragon Battery Guru app definitely helps by switching your networks on and off based on usage, etc.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

dr.m0x said:
Do you have an n9005? If so the Snapdragon Battery Guru app definitely helps by switching your networks on and off based on usage, etc.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never thought about that, I had that on my HTC One. But I didn't find that it helped much in all honesty. I'd be interested to know how well it's responding with the N9005 though, are you using it?

radicalisto said:
I never thought about that, I had that on my HTC One. But I didn't find that it helped much in all honesty. I'd be interested to know how well it's responding with the N9005 though, are you using it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I am. It doesn't make a night and day difference but it definitely makes a difference. I even uninstalled it to double check that I wasn't imagining it, now I'm annoyed with myself because it's still learning again.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

Without all you wrote.. rules are those:
1) NEVER close apps (if you close the app ram pages will be deleted, so, it's needed to re-upload those, it has an huge energy consuption
2) use the phone "slowly".. i'm meaning, the fingers moves
3) if you are reading a text, read all the page than slide to see the new text, it's to prevent an high ramp up of frequency for long time

radicalisto -> thx for tip
nakedtime -> App Ops is quite good app ! Thx But "AutoStart Manager" is not working on my phone (crashing)...
dr.m0x -> I need to test this app thx

It's npt a good way to install an app to controll emergy consuption..
App needs cpu usage.. cpu ramp up..
so, you disable the radios for little time, and energy spent to do it could me more by cpu ramp up frequency
i suppouse you have the snap version.. and.. as i can see, snap has a good ondemand sysfs setting, it means it doesen't grow up frequency too fast, so, more than this is quite impossible
Only with an huge undervolt

I've installed this "Snapdragon Battery Guru"... now it's in "learning mode" I will see if it will help or not...
I have better replacement for "AutoStart Manager" and it's called "All-In-One Toolbox" which have the option to chose apps for autostart (and has many more other features) - i'am using it for quite a while and it's working fine

iba21 said:
It's npt a good way to install an app to controll emergy consuption..
App needs cpu usage.. cpu ramp up..
so, you disable the radios for little time, and energy spent to do it could me more by cpu ramp up frequency
i suppouse you have the snap version.. and.. as i can see, snap has a good ondemand sysfs setting, it means it doesen't grow up frequency too fast, so, more than this is quite impossible
Only with an huge undervolt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Snapdragon battery guru raplace the sysfs of the governor

First impressions from this Battery Guru are not so good... Battery is running down faster than without it... Maybe because its still in "learning mode"...

Yup just cause it's in learning mode, it'll settle once it's learnt everything
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I will wait until "learning mode" ends and see if it's working

I am not a heavy user so a battery last more than a day sometimes 3 days.If I was I would just get an extra battery and not obsess over trying to maximise battery life.One of the advantages the Note has over most other phones is a removable battery.Take advantage of this feature.It takes less than minute to change a battery.

Replacing battery requires switch off the phone and taking off back cover of the phone (i'am affraid that it will damage it after many opens... i'ts a plastic after all...) and then put back cover and switch on the phone... It's troublesome and not comfortable...

FPPfan said:
Replacing battery requires switch off the phone and taking off back cover of the phone (i'am affraid that it will damage it after many opens... i'ts a plastic after all...) and then put back cover and switch on the phone... It's troublesome and not comfortable...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't take long to switch the phone off.Mine takes 10 seconds.Taking the back off and replacing the battery takes another 15 seconds.Turning it back on takes another 15 seconds.All up less than a minute.
I can imagine how some people might be reluctant to take the back cover off almost daily.The back cover feels a bit flimsy and it's reasonable to assume it won't be durable with that sort of usage.I have the Note 1 and after two years of almost daily taking the back cover off it is still fine.The Note 1's battery life is horrible and even with light use I don't get a full day from it.Most people replace their phone after 2 or 3 years anyway so I don't think durability is a problem unless maybe you plan to keep it for 5 years.
But I can understand why some people might be reluctant to repeatedly tear the back cover off their brand new pride and joy.

I guessed everyone had their own way of energy conservation. For me, I use dark wallpaper. For our screen (Super Amoled), Black = LED off. LED off = not using energy. So in theory, black wallpaper or black background should uses much less energy than bright sunny light wallpaper.

vandals01 said:
I guessed everyone had their own way of energy conservation. For me, I use dark wallpaper. For our screen (Super Amoled), Black = LED off. LED off = not using energy. So in theory, black wallpaper or black background should uses much less energy than bright sunny light wallpaper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is very true for Amoled displays.The only time I notice my N3 drains the battery more than usual is when the display shows a lot of white such as internet surfing and using WhatsApp.Watching a movie does not display a lot of white and the N3 battery life becomes remarkable.

Battery
Go into the application settings and deactivate all samsung apps u dont need! Saves alot of Battery. Don't charge ur note if its Not empty. Just charge it if u are under 25%. You can also work with Tasker - it helps you to save your Power if u change yours settings automaticly. Also dont change ur brightness all the time
Hope it helps

**touchless sleep/wake control!! (app - gravity screen)**

Waking up a device involves the hassle of picking up our device, reaching for the power button, and then pressing it to turn the screen on.
However, using the gyrometer and proximity sensors, gravity screen wakes your device up right as you pick it up, or hover your finger over the proximity sensor!! Neat!
Pros :
Small and light-weight
Doesn't hog up on RAM
No appreciable effect on battery life!
Various options to tune the settings to your liking!
Helpful for devices with broken power buttons
Cons :
None. You say?
This app has been around for a while, and it works seamlessly with our device.
All credits to the developer Plexnor. It is his work. Be generous, and buy him a beer if you may.
Play store link :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plexnor.gravityscreenofffree&hl=en
Here's a video on the same : :laugh::laugh:
https://youtu.be/NJ6kgaDIwCU

[APP][2.2+] Gravity Screen > Turn Screen On/Off Automatically - Keep Screen On

It doesn't seem to show up on the stock battery consumption screen but on BBS and Gsam, GravityScreen was consuming almost 7 to 12% battery per day.
Maybe I'm doing something wrong but I even turned off the wake by motion and all other accelerometer related services and kept only Proximity Screen On and Proximity Screen Off options ON.
Any suggestions?
Sent from my Nexus 5

Achilles. said:
It doesn't seem to show up on the stock battery consumption screen but on BBS and Gsam, GravityScreen was consuming almost 7 to 12% battery per day.
Maybe I'm doing something wrong but I even turned off the wake by motion and all other accelerometer related services and kept only Proximity Screen On and Proximity Screen Off options ON.
Any suggestions?
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same here...i have done all suggested tips...
[4] Q: I'm experiencing high battery usage, why?
A: The app should use about 6 percent extra energy per day if you are not using too much the Turn Screen On by Motion feature. If you frequently lay your phone face up on a table and the Turn Screen On by Motion Timeout is too long, the battery consumption can be much higher. Because the CPU has to be constantly analyzing the data of to acceleration sensor to catch the movement when you lift up the device. Thus if you want to reduce the battery usage it's recommended to keep your phone often lying face down when it's on a table. Because in this situation the proximity sensor is responsible for turning the screen back on which uses much less energy. Moreover, please, keep in mind that the android en-built battery consumption measurement can show much higher results, because it shows the battery usage relatively to another apps. If the phone was not in use or the measurement period was short, it looks like my app uses too much energy however there was not too much energy used all together.
Yes I frequently lay the phone face up for see the notification led....

ironia. said:
same here...i have done all suggested tips...
[4] Q: I'm experiencing high battery usage, why?
A: The app should use about 6 percent extra energy per day if you are not using too much the Turn Screen On by Motion feature. If you frequently lay your phone face up on a table and the Turn Screen On by Motion Timeout is too long, the battery consumption can be much higher. Because the CPU has to be constantly analyzing the data of to acceleration sensor to catch the movement when you lift up the device. Thus if you want to reduce the battery usage it's recommended to keep your phone often lying face down when it's on a table. Because in this situation the proximity sensor is responsible for turning the screen back on which uses much less energy. Moreover, please, keep in mind that the android en-built battery consumption measurement can show much higher results, because it shows the battery usage relatively to another apps. If the phone was not in use or the measurement period was short, it looks like my app uses too much energy however there was not too much energy used all together.
Yes I frequently lay the phone face up for see the notification led....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update it and try using only the Proximity wake and sleep..
Battery drain is minimal. [emoji16]
Sent from my Nexus 5

Achilles. said:
Update it and try using only the Proximity wake and sleep..
Battery drain is minimal. [emoji16]
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i will try, but i have already updated app, i can't live without table mode