Help Battery Drainage after Updating to ICS

[touringhaggis]

I still don't really know what is meant by 'background data'. Can you clarify?

Ian

I would guess any data traffic not directly related to user interaction e.g. your Google calendar syncing, skype checking the status of your contacts, mail accounts polling every 30mins, apps checking for new versions and so forth. There are a huge number things going on over your data connection all the time.

Regards,
Eric Ritchie.

 

[ifb-online]

Have you considered installing a switch widget to control your mobile data connection? I had this on Gingerbread, using Widgetsoid, but this stopped working properly after the ICS update. I now use APN Switch. I only switch mobile data on when I need it.

Ian

 

[Beards]

There is an awful lot of comments here recommending users to do this do that don't do this don't do that but what you are forgetting is prior to the ICS upgrade no one had to do any of these. As such there should not be any difference in what you should and shouldn't have to do under ICS.

It is not the single user who is at fault nor should he/she be told to uninstall whatever (unless it is non ICS friendly that is) or terminate whatever process/procedure.
The plain fact of the matter is if it worked fine before ICS then it should damn well work the same without any other intervention or heartache, period!

 

[laurie53]

I'm a bit uncertain here.

I've seen several reports, as stated by jbeef86, that a factory reset may (just may) brick the phone, rooted or not (mine isn't).

Thanks to all who responded to this.

I may give it a try. My minor problem is that I use Pocket Informant as a PIM and on my old SGS it was a bit flaky, and lost all my data, with an unusable backup, on such occasions.

Once bitten and all that!

It is more than just a minor inconvenience.

 

[ifb-online]

There is an awful lot of comments here recommending users to do this do that don't do this don't do that but what you are forgetting is prior to the ICS upgrade no one had to do any of these. As such there should not be any difference in what you should and shouldn't have to do under ICS.

It is not the single user who is at fault nor should he/she be told to uninstall whatever (unless it is non ICS friendly that is) or terminate whatever process/procedure.
The plain fact of the matter is if it worked fine before ICS then it should damn well work the same without any other intervention or heartache, period!

When was a major OS update on any platform without potential problems unless you did a fresh install?

Ian

 

[Beards]

When was a major OS update on any platform without potential problems unless you did a fresh install?

Ian

Asus Transformer Prime to name but one.
I installed ICS on my Prime, it went through without a hitch and hasn't given me any issues since.

 

[bennevis1]

Whether ics is cleverer, better at multitasking or whatever, but battery only lasts 8 - 10 hours of very light use then for my money it's an absolute disaster.

Anybody knows if we can downgrade to GB?

It's getting to the point where I can't keep the damn thing charged to unless I keep it plugged in and then it gets crazy hot.

Hi. Me to i want to roll back to GB...This battery game , turn this on turn this off take out battery is truly napping my head...

Please some help with roll back...

 

[touringhaggis]

Hi. Me to i want to roll back to GB...This battery game , turn this on turn this off take out battery is truly napping my head...

Please some help with roll back...

Try this thread. Post 18 looks like a winner.

Regards,
Eric Ritchie.

 

[Devonian]

I had the same trouble as many people here - moving from Gingerbread to ICS cut battery life in half.

I did the usual things - reduce screen brightnes, stop background data and so on - but this made little difference. What worked for me was the battery discharge/charge procedure described by Koolman above.

My version came from a Samsung technician, apparently, and it worked really well for me. Before it, I had to recharge twice a day to keep going. Now I have at least 50% left at the end of the day, and that has Bluetooth on all the time to link to my neck loop.

The procedure I used was to run the battery right down to near zero, so it shuts the phone down. Then leave it switched off and recharge to 100%. When I switched it on again battery life was excellent, and this has continued for several days now.

I did not do a factory reset, but I do use Juice Defender to keep power use down.

Good luck

 

[marcjohnson]

I did that procedure last night but I have to say the real saviour for me has been wiping the phone.

Its staggering how much it improves battery life, yesterday I got over 20 hours and today so far I've been on for 10 hours and have 59% left.

This phone is now a machine.

 

[ifb-online]

Asus Transformer Prime to name but one.
I installed ICS on my Prime, it went through without a hitch and hasn't given me any issues since.

If you are saying nobody else had a problem updating their Asus then I would ask you how do you know?

Ian

 

[ifb-online]

I did that procedure last night but I have to say the real saviour for me has been wiping the phone.

Its staggering how much it improves battery life, yesterday I got over 20 hours and today so far I've been on for 10 hours and have 59% left.

This phone is now a machine.

Excellent news

Ian

 

[Beards]

If you are saying nobody else had a problem updating their Asus then I would ask you how do you know?

Ian

No Ian I am not saying that.
What I am saying is updating from one firmware to another should be problem free. It happens and often it does not. It's where it does not that I am getting at.
On both my ASUS Prime TF201 and TF101 the ICS went as smooth as silk. As such I commend ASUS for delivering not only many, many updates but timely ones and one's that actually work without having any issues.

Granted there are those with the same machine which had issues but they were probably from a rooted device or one which had been altered.
Regardless, ASUS were and still are quick to sort out any issues.
In other words they are not leaving it to members of the forums to sort out why their machines are problematic. In fact ASUS have a couple of active support staff (Gary Keys to name but one) on xda-devs who regularly contribute on ASUS matters. Gary has started four major topics himself.

Now, move on over to Samsung and you have a totally different attitude. They are a BIG outfit who think of themselves as the Android version of the Apple.
You do not get many updates, you are lucky to get the one and often it is not timely, nor do you have any active support from them.
In other words it is left to forum members to provide insight and recommendations to other fellow members.

Now when I made my first post you may have thought that post was directed at your good self, well it was not, it was directed at the general issues we all have to rely upon in having to sort out someone else's mess and that someone in this case is Samsung.
It annoys me no end when a developer expects you to purchase an expensive item but in turn does not provide that same level of service or commitment.

Beards

 

[K9696]

Hi
I am still confuse - what is what, which is which?

After upgrading to ICS, the battery is really given me big problem here, can any kind soul do once and for all to advise me what am I suppose to do? factory reset? or any other alternatives?

Thank you

 

[marcjohnson]

Hi
I am still confuse - what is what, which is which?

After upgrading to ICS, the battery is really given me big problem here, can any kind soul do once and for all to advise me what am I suppose to do? factory reset? or any other alternatives?

Thank you

Have you rooted it?

If not do a factory reset. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.

 

[ifb-online]

No Ian I am not saying that.
What I am saying is updating from one firmware to another should be problem free. It happens and often it does not. It's where it does not that I am getting at.
On both my ASUS Prime TF201 and TF101 the ICS went as smooth as silk. As such I commend ASUS for delivering not only many, many updates but timely ones and one's that actually work without having any issues.

Granted there are those with the same machine which had issues but they were probably from a rooted device or one which had been altered.
Regardless, ASUS were and still are quick to sort out any issues.
In other words they are not leaving it to members of the forums to sort out why their machines are problematic. In fact ASUS have a couple of active support staff (Gary Keys to name but one) on xda-devs who regularly contribute on ASUS matters. Gary has started four major topics himself.

Now, move on over to Samsung and you have a totally different attitude. They are a BIG outfit who think of themselves as the Android version of the Apple.
You do not get many updates, you are lucky to get the one and often it is not timely, nor do you have any active support from them.
In other words it is left to forum members to provide insight and recommendations to other fellow members.

Now when I made my first post you may have thought that post was directed at your good self, well it was not, it was directed at the general issues we all have to rely upon in having to sort out someone else's mess and that someone in this case is Samsung.
It annoys me no end when a developer expects you to purchase an expensive item but in turn does not provide that same level of service or commitment.

Beards

My point is that many, like me, have had no problems whatsoever. Your Asus update experience is like MY Note update experience. The Note is a more complicated device than your Asus tablets because of the Touch-Wiz overlay, pen interface and bundled apps. At least 5 million of Notes have been sold - Asus has maybe sold a few tens of thousands of their tablets. Why aren't we absolutely flooded with complaints here on Android Forums? I'm sorry to hear about your personal experiences and those of the others here, but we're talking about a few dozen people at the most. Just as many have taken the trouble to say that a) they didn't have any problems (like me) and b) that they had a problem and have now fixed it thanks to the helpful suggestions of others - even a couple of really angry folks are now happy.

And just to show that not all Asus tablet users have had a trouble-free ICS update, here is a link:

Asus Transformer Prime ICS update failing on some tablets | Android Community

Ian

 

[Beards]

My point is that many, like me, have had no problems whatsoever. Your Asus update experience is like MY Note update experience. The Note is a more complicated device than your Asus tablets because of the Touch-Wiz overlay, pen interface and bundled apps. At least 5 million of Notes have been sold - Asus has maybe sold a few tens of thousands of their tablets. Why aren't we absolutely flooded with complaints here on Android Forums? I'm sorry to hear about your personal experiences and those of the others here, but we're talking about a few dozen people at the most. Just as many have taken the trouble to say that a) they didn't have any problems (like me) and b) that they had a problem and have now fixed it thanks to the helpful suggestions of others - even a couple of really angry folks are now happy.

And just to show that not all Asus tablet users have had a trouble-free ICS update, here is a link:

Asus Transformer Prime ICS update failing on some tablets | Android Community

Ian

We are going round and round in circles here Ian.
I did say not everyone who owns an ASUS Prime has been successful, you obviously missed that part otherwise you would not have needed to comment and pass on the link.

Look at my Thanks meter, I know and fully understand helping others here is paramount but this is not the issue.
Obviously I am not putting my case across in a way for you to see from my point of view.

I am more than happy to understand your point of view. Let us let it rest at that.

Beards

 

[laurie53]

If you haven't previously rooted your Note, doing a factory reset may solve your post-ICS problems. It's reported that if your Note has been rooted then doing a reset is a risky choice and may brick your phone.

Ian

I did give it a try as I said I might. Other than losing a hell of a lot of data, a number of installed programmes, and many personalised settings, which the backup didn't restore, it has not made one iota of difference. I think I've given it a fair crack, as soon as I can find a stock ROM I'm going back.

 

[ifb-online]

I did give it a try as I said I might. Other than losing a hell of a lot of data, a number of installed programmes, and many personalised settings, which the backup didn't restore, it has not made one iota of difference. I think I've given it a fair crack, as soon as I can find a stock ROM I'm going back.

I don't think installing a backup after a reset is wise. Your problem may be preserved in the backed-up state of the device. After resetting you should treat the device as brand new and manually reconfigure and install apps.

Ian

 

[ridgmont61]

I just put this in another thread but it seems relevant to this one also:

"
I initially tried the LPY German Version of ICS, but reverted back to GB as battery life was poor and many crashes.

I have followed the advice above and read comments by ifb-online. I have now gone back to ICS but prior to this did a reset in GB, then after installing ICS did another reset and a USB format.

It was a bit of a faff as all Apps needed to be reinstalled and then configured.

The phone is now far more stable (than previous ICS and as stable as GB) and now that I have also under settings>applications>all I have disabled apps that I was not going to use I have found that battery life is excellent.

As an example yesterday phone was taken off charge at 8am, used lightly all day on wi-fi and at 9pm battery was showing at 70%. Today from 8am to 1pm battery has dropped by just 8% to 92%.

So it is possible to get stable ICS and with excellent battery use.

Feel free to feel smug ifb-online - and thanks for the advice. Also thanks to t sport 1978
"

 

[ifb-online]

Smug? Never. I will confess that some knee-jerk reactions to the ICS update do frustrate me because I know that there is a good chance that the product of such reactions (having a go at Samsung or reverting to Gingerbread) are unnecessary and can divert others. Yes, of course I'm pleased that some of my own whingeing has resulted in people finding a better course. I can't deny that, but I'm never 'smug'.

Ian

 

[jbeef86]

@Ian

are you finding any rogue apps running now after you reset? I haven't reset and things were going smoothly but the past couple days when I use my maps with GPS the damn thing just stays on. Even when the phone is locked its running and never goes to deep sleep. Are you seeing any of this on yours after the wipe. I am talking like never ever ever.

My situation was I just got this thing 2 weeks ago. Right when I booted up the phone it asked me to setup Google accts etc then it said I had an update which was ICS. I didnt install any apps before this so the phone was very clean. But the batt life sucked once I started using it. Now I have rooted, froze apps and all that stuff and stick get these phantom wakelocks and the only way is to reboot. I like the phone but I am getting tired of the constant need to check whats running and whats not, whats using juice, is this thing going into deep sleep blah blah blah.

I know I am kind of changing my tune on this reset thing but thats when everything was running good. I was thinking about resetting before but then everything seemed to sort itself but now back to square one. Almost ready to do it and if it bricks it bricks...take sim out and go back to iPhone4.

 

[laurie53]

I don't think installing a backup after a reset is wise. Your problem may be preserved in the backed-up state of the device. After resetting you should treat the device as brand new and manually reconfigure and install apps.

Ian

I have data going back to 1997.

As you can imagine, it has been transferred between quite a few devices since then.

Manual reconfiguration of the amount of stuff I have is not an option I would face with any degree of equanimity!

 

[ifb-online]

Can't you export your data, say to your PC, and then re-import once you have reset?

I treat my note as a duplicate of my data that is either in the cloud or on my PC.

Ian

 

[ifb-online]

@ jbeef86 - I personally haven't needed to reset myself. It emerged as a solution for others and makes a lot of sense.

Ian