JayS3

What the actual fark. Went sleep real late last night, Looked at my phone and saw it had like 95% battery left, Thought Ah I'm off work today I wont charge it, An its not good to re charge without letting it fully drain.. It'l be at 80 something percent when I wake. Its all good. WELL.. Screens here.






So judging from what they say, You and I can see what the main culprits were. The 'com.sec.app.whatever' thing and the Cell standby. I thought if you left a phone unused the life should hold on sufficiently.. Forgive me for sounding bratty but this is getting silly now. In this day and age I NEED my phone to last me a day of use, I NEED to know, That if my phones in my pocket at work, Doing NOTHING, After say hmmm 5 hours of it sitting there, That I have atleast 85% of juice left.

This hasn't been an isolated issue, This happens frequently and I also see it widely complained about. When I'm on a 9 hour shift @ work, By the time I commute there, Id say it takes 15 or so minutes, I'd have already lost a good 10 to 15 percent, Including the time taking it off charge then getting ready,Eating ect. But the time I'm through with my shift, If my batteries not dead its on between 0%-10% to maybe if I'm really lucky touching 20%.

That's with medium usage, Wifi off, Screen brightness only about 25% up, Around 1 hour of actual use, Inc internet calls texts ect ect.. The hell? I recently done a test and cranked my brightness all the way down, And surprisingly got home with around 40% juice left. But then I think why should I even have to do that?.. Just to get my phone to last longer I need to turn everything off, Have no widgets updating, Have no data running, Have my already dim screen dim as fu*k, Have vibration turned off, The list goes on. I tried some tricks recently too, I read about turning off background processes instantly from the dev options, Flicked both of the boxes on and also let my battery to drain to A minimum before charging to get the cycles going again properly, To no Avail.

So what is there to do now? Is my battery pooped after only four months? Do I buy a replacement battery? Or is this how its going to be? Or do I buy a big battery with the sacrifice of adding bulk and weight.. Should I even have to do that if I have a phone of this level, The flagship phone of Samsung and android? I think not..

I always, When running into issues of any kind, Think should I need to put up with X X or X, Same way I left my iPhone 4 for the S3, I used to say to myself why should I need to jailbreak my phone so I can download files directly to my phone? Why should I need to pay for apps which are free on android? Why cant I expand the memory cheaply? And so on..

Thing is though, That bastards little battery lasted me. I'd get back from work with 80%+ battery, Had a few real busy days where it just sat in my pocket without being used and came home with 90%+left. Stick the guy on charge before you know it we're back to 100. I could actually go out straight from work and not worry or think twice about its battery, I knew it would last me well over till I got home. With my S3 I'm constantly worried about charge, Turning things off, Thinking when I'll be able to fill her up next. Not trying to sound fan boyish. And you can see how long I've been a member and my posts here that I'm far from one, But I look at things from a total impartial view. I don't stick to sides when buying stuff, If it works for me and I'm able to get it within means, I'll get it. No brand loyalty here broskis. As much as I hate to admit it, My feelings for my once cherished S3 are waning away.. I now feel it was a good choice to buy this outside of my contract, Leaving me the option to upgrade to another phone in December when my actual upgrade is due. If I had held onto my iPhone and got this as my upgrade I'd be really stuck and annoyed. Luckily that isn't the case..

Rant done. Roll on September 12th. Lets see what you've got to offer me..

Flame suit on. Come at me bro's

NJRonbo

Just switched from the iPhone to the GS3.

I really love the GS3 more than the iPhone, but the battery issue with this phone is so bad that I might also be forced to return to Apple come September 12th.

I realize there are some posting here saying they have no problems, but it's apparent from the amount of posts from people with problems that there is an issue here that Samsung needs to address.

sherlock5545

Not sure, but I guess that process, seems like a weather app, sucking the battery down. My phone lasts me the whole day and during the night, if not on charge, drops about 2 or 3 %.

ylexot

That's what it seems like to me. Looks like the weather widget trying to update in an area with bad cell reception and with wifi off.

MrMister

get batter battery stats app, that monitors the battery usage even more, to tell you what process etc. Its a little complicated to use, but may be worth it

JayS3

Im sure it will help, And I'll look into finding one. Again the way I view it is I spent a good amount of money on this phone, It should work fine without me needing to do all this, It should allow me to use it at its full potential and get good battery life out of it. Oh well. Might give in and get a 4000mah batter with its bigger casing, Just so that i can use this phone to its full potential without worrying about the battery, Hopefully I can add jelly been to that soon and I'll see if it'll be worth keeping, They way things are looking though come December I'll be once again taking a bite from a juicy apple.

valorian

You should still be able to use the phone to it's full potential. Installing an apps that sucks the life out of your battery does not indicate a poorly designed phone. uninstall the weather app and see what your battery life is like. There are lots of other great weather apps in Google Play.

__________________

JayS3

My friend, I haven't installed any weather apps. The only one I have is the one that came stock with it. So to me that does indicate something poorly done along the line.

anna_p

Sadly I share the same feelings as you OP. I wish I hadn't sold my S2, I'd sell my S3 right now and wait for the next phone. I've never had an iPhone (had androids since the dream) before but I'm looking forward to checking it out.

This battery issue combined with a couple other things (crappy camera on my unit being anoyher big issue for me) that are bugging me are really making me wish I hadn't used my upgrade for this phone... I'm just not happy

JayS3

I share the pain! Bit the bullet and ordered a 4300mah battery. Not that is should of needed to!! Hopefully once jelly bean drops I'll feel the beast inside of this phone and it'll rekindle the flame I had for it.. Finally being able to use it to its full potential.. People who say that can already, I know you wouldn't have it with full brightness, Power saving off, Live backgrounds, All your social media and emails instantly synced and expect it to last for a day with the stock battery. That's what I personally expect from this phone, To use all its features and to not have to make sacrifices.

NJRonbo

Jay,

Did you order the battery mentioned in another thread with the larger backing?

I was thinking of ordering the more powerful battery, but I have a RED phone from AT&T and that white backing would not look good at all.

What did you actually purchase?

JayS3

Which one was that? I ordered a cheapy. And yes it has a larger backing, I'll PM you the one I bought.

NJRonbo

This is the one that people on this forum have been looking at.

Has a larger backing, but I don't think that white would go well with the Red phone.

JayS3

Ah yes I know that one, That was the one I originally wanted, But sadly it is not available here in the UK yet.. That's why I got that cheapy one to tie me over till a proper one gets released here.

Also from what I've researched, That company (hyperion) also makes cases to fit the phone+ extended battery, So maybe get the white one and get the red case? Could look kinda cool.

NJRonbo

ay,

Been sitting here for the past couple minutes since you and I started communicating (thanks for the private PM) looking at the advantages/disadvantages of getting a larger, extended battery.

I know the Hyperion battery is not available in the UK, but this should apply to you as well since you're considering a larger battery...

The Hyperion battery adds bulk. That worries me. What worries me more is that if you want a case for your phone -- which would most likely be the Hyperion Case -- it's not a very good one.

I just have a hard time sacrificing the slim form factor of this form to add bulk for an extended battery.

I would much rather just buy a second battery and charger and have a spare on me at all times.

....however, that doesn't take away from the fact that this should not be even something we should be discussing. Why the #1 posted problem on this forum concerns battery life is beyond me. I love this phone -- much more than the iPhone -- but the biggest problem it has is crappy battery life.

JayS3

I totally one hundred percent agree. We shouldn't need to be buying this, Hate to keep bringing it up but when I had my iPhone I don't think it ever completely went flat on me like this has done. I really didn't want to spend extra money on a bigger battery but it has to be done. Its not practical or safe to have a phone with such short battery, What if your out and there's an emergency? Break down in the middle of no where? Consequences are countless. So for the pure fact of peace of mind I went ahead and got one.

NJRonbo

Jay,

Don't blame you. Think you made a good choice.

I am just going to opt for a second battery. The only downside will be the laughs I get from friends who see me exchanging my battery from the case because I can't get a full day's charge on my phone.

What year is this?

sherlock5545

Well, to me it seems like there's an app sucking the battery. My GS3 lasts the whole day if I don't play with it the whole time. On Sundays, when I'm free and don't have anything to do, I just keep using the phone, Wi-fi on, watch videos, play some games, do some work, browsing, etc. It gives me 3.30/4 hrs of screen-on time. With all the due respects, with such a big screen and specs, it surprises me to be able to achieve so much. My iPhone gave me about the same, but it is not even close the specs of the GS3.

Coded

Installing a new rom (omega) onto the phone helped my battery life.

NJRonbo

Coded,

I am rooted. Haven’t played with ROMS yet. My concern is losing Touch Wiz, which I really like. I don't know what true improvements you get with a ROM install, but I do keep hearing that it does give better battery life.

drumshark

A super easy way (although i agree, unnecessary) is to flip airplane mode on for the night, and back on in the morning. I do this, because in my room, i get horrendous signal, which kills battery life (check the signal strength graph, and compare it to battery life). When Im in an area with good signal, the battery is no problem, only when its constantly trying to find a good signal does the battery become a problem.

dennygreen

there's no way your battery should run down that quickly. I bet most people will get better battery life out of their stock battery than you'll get with your huge one if you don't fix what's draining it.

redhook

Then take it into the store and warranty exchange it since there should be no issues with your camera. The camera on my 32GB S3 is amazing.

dezl

I just got rid of my iphone to get the s3...the battery in the s3 will outlast the iphone any day of the week. I had to charge my iphone several times throughout the day.

NJRonbo

Dezl...

Uhm...

You may be very disappointed with the Gs3 battery life

mattywalnuts

What's up folks, first time posting on the SGIII forum.

Has anyone had both the SG3 and the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon? Went to the VZ store yesterday to look at the new Razr M and left admiring the SGIII.

I'd really like to know how the standard SG3 battery compares to the Nexus. I do have the Verizon extended battery (2100), but it's still terrible IMO. I may just wait for the HD Maxx to come out, unless I get a good deal on ebay for the SG3.

ylexot

Honestly, your iPhone battery was probably getting to the point where the battery life drops off. The advantage of the S3 is that when that happens, you simply buy a new battery.

En4cer2k11

It just recently came to my attention that the cell radio (cell standby) does NOT turn off automatically when wifi is turned on and connected. I took my phone off the charger an hour ago and I'm already down to 91%. It says "cell standby" is taking up 22% of battery drainage, and has been on for that whole hour. I used to conserve my G2 battery by connecting to wifi at home and it made a HUGE difference. The GSIII? Not so much...

90% now, as I continue typing this. It appears to melt away by 1% every couple minutes...

En4cer2k11

89% just that quickly...

The one positive, however, seems to be that it recharges pretty fast. About 40% per hour when plugged into an outlet. My external battery pack seems considerably slower though, around 10%.

Last edited by En4cer2k11; September 14th, 2012 at 01:24 PM.

Wisheezy

No. This is what's frustrating. Samsung don't need to address ANYTHING. The battery is completely fine, it's really f***ing good. It's user error and faulty battery to blame. The faulty ones can easily be replaced with a new functioning battery (as the Samsung..you know..lets you CHANGE out a battery) and the user error is usually apps draining the phone, poor common sense and amongst other factors.


As for OPs case..yes that app is clearly messing with your phone. Disable updates, or make them every 24 hours just to test that solves it draining then you'll have your issue. Good luck

__________________

En4cer2k11

Dude, it is an issue. In the 2 minutes it took me to type out both of my last posts, I lost 3% from my battery. IN 2 MINUTES. Just typing on a message board on wifi, with Bluetooth and GPS OFF. Even the heaviest of usage shouldn't drain a battery at such a high rate as 1% per minute. That would leave you with a mere 100 minutes of battery life. My Galaxy Player with medium-to-heavy usage DESTROYS this GSIII battery with only light usage.

Easilyamused

so, basically what you are saying is that your phone is normal, and the rest of us whose battery life is fine, have broken phones that somehow results in exceptional battery life?

Minimike

My S3 battery is usually fine, but occasionaly fast drains. If it has fast drained, I see Awake time as continoudly on - whereas on good battery live cycles Awake time is on very, very little.

What is causing the Awake time to be on continously?

Crafty

That sort of battery performance is abnormal and there are ways to resolve the issue. For reference my phone is sat on 40%, been running for 1 day, 17 hours 53 mins, 2 hours odd of screen time and I listen to music for most of the day at work.. this is about normal, it will probably last into tomorrow evening, say another 14/15 hours. This is what I usually get out of a charge.

Go look on XDA forums for BetterBatteryStats, the guy who wrote it has a thread on there and it explains how to use it to diagnose problems, I'm sure if you google you'll find other guides.

En4cer2k11

Where exactly did you read that backwards azz implication in my post? Don't ever attempt to twist my words again.

And considering the sheer EXISTENCE of this thread in the first place, any LOGICAL individual should be able to deduce that SOME PEOPLE HAVE BATTERY ISSUES. Just because you may not does NOT give you the right to dismiss the apparent problems that people OTHER THAN YOURSELF are experiencing as insignificant. Come down from your high horse one time.

Roll-Tide

Have you taken in to get a warranty replacement or at least a new battery? Done a factory reset? Done anything besides ask questions on a forum? Here's mine... And this is a typical day for me.....

Attached Images

uploadfromtaptalk1347675612954.jpg (59.9 KB, 32 views)

Jeepmaster

To the OP, did you try disabling the weather app to see if that solves your problem? It's nice to have the weather constantly showing, but personally I only need to check it maybe once or twice a day. So I just use a different weather app and just open it whenever I want to check the weather. My s3 used to last me 12 hours max, but now it lasts me at least 25hours. I am rooted, removed lots of bloatwares, and have a few tweaks.

hvrc

to the op, yes it is frustrating, but everyone is trying to help you, stop the widget, delete it, do what ever and see if that helps with your battery life, if not, go take it to your service provider and explain the situation, if you just got it, and get a replacement battery. done.

__________________
SPH-L710

redhook

The update to Jelly Bean that is coming out next month fixes the battery issues. I have been running one of the leaks and my battery life is much better than is was with ICS.

En4cer2k11

So is that a general ICS thing across the board, or just with certain phones like the GSIII? I know my Nexus 7 has GREAT battery life no matter what I do with it.

jacksonista

Like many here, I'm not happy. I did a full drain of my battery and full recharge, turned off all auto updates, screen is only at 50%, talked to my sister for about 45 minutes. Turned the phone on at 10AM, it's now 8:30PM, and it's down to 40%. I have done nothing else on the phone except talk to my sis. Yes. It's 10.5 hours, but seriously? 60% doing nothing except talking for a bit? Screen time usage 13%. Cell Standby 32%. Voice calls 23%. When I first got this phone the battery life rocked. Then 3 weeks later, it's in the crapper. WTF? It was measuring up to my old SII and I was so stoked! But no more. It's feeling more and more like my SII after Samsung/Google/Sprint cursed it with ICS.

My old SII running gingerbread would hold a charge for 24 hours with me doing all kinds of stuff on it. The ill-fated ICS install ruined that phone, absolutely ruined it! I didn't need to dim the screen, turn off updates, email, text, etc. I received updates all day long while on my work WiFi. I played angry birds non-stop and read my kindle app every night for at least 2 hours and lost almost no battery.

I've heard of juice defender, but also heard that it used a huge amount of battery to run. I guess if it helps find out what is going on it's okay long enough to use it for research.

I'm frustrated. And no, it's still not worth it to get an iPhone, I already know the battery life in those is going to blow.

Okay, that being said, what is the best tool I can use to really find out what is causing the drain? Is juice defender the best? I want to remove whatever it is that suddenly took my battery for a ride.

Last edited by jacksonista; September 15th, 2012 at 07:58 PM. Reason: I wasn't done yet!

En4cer2k11

That's better than mine. On a typical school day, I take my phone off the charger at 8am and am out the door by 9, at which point I'm down to 90%. One hour train right later, I arrive at school with 80%. Just on web browsing alone. That's basically the only thing I CAN do because I'm afraid doing anything more intensive will kill the battery even further. By 2 or 3, its down to 40% or less from more web browsing in between classes (data off in class).

Oh yes, and I just lost 4% of my battery just from typing this post.

En4cer2k11

For those who seem to think that all of us are somehow LYING about the quality of our phone's battery life, I give you Exhibit A:



This after only a HALF day of "practical" usage, unplugged at 4:30pm - web browsing, 35 minutes of YouTube, and about 5 minutes of Asphalt 7.

Nearly one hour since I took this pic, I now sit at 10%...

Roll-Tide

My issue was not the possibility of lying... It's that it seems that nothing has been done to try and fix the problem. If your car was screwing up and you had a warranty, would you just keep driving and bitching or take it in and get it checked out?

Crafty

As I already said instead of posting how crap the battery is redirect your efforts in to finding out whats causing the drain.

You have abnormal battery performance, millions of others don't - so lets figure out what the problem is.

John P

To those with battery problems.

We will be in a much better position to help you if you download

1) 'Better Battery Stats' app (either in the play store, or free if you are a member on xda site here http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1179809).

2) 'GSam battery monitor' app.
With these you can check up if certain apps are causing your battery to drain.

I previously had a really bad drain on my battery, which I overcame using these apps and some patience by testing day on day, my battery now lasts exceptionally well both whilst in use and in standby mode.
I would say its more than likely an app causing your battery drain rather than a problematic/faulty phone. I spent weeks thinking I had a faulty phone then discovered these battery apps to find the problem... my battery lasts very well now. It just takes some patience to find the culprit.

To help we need the full picture.

When you use these battery apps you need to see whats causing problems 'since unplugged'. With GSam battery monitor, if your problem is a standby mode drain pay particular attention to the apps sections 'View time held awake' and 'View num times waking device'. If your phone is draining excessively whilst the screen is on - we need to look at all sections then narrow it down.


Try these and report back with the findings/screenshots and we may be more likely to be able to help you.
We will also need to know your screen on time. Settings >> Battery >> click on screen and it will tell you the screen on time.

John

En4cer2k11

With brightness on zero, this is the only thing that stands out...



For one thing, I posted my first graphic to see if somebody else might notice something that I didn't. Others have posted graphics without receiving such hostility in response.

I also mentioned a concern about cell standby in my initial post, but nobody seemed to even acknowledge it whatsoever. Instead, everybody gets mad at ME for even SUGGESTING the mere capability of any problem. Its as if to say "everybody else is fine, so screw you for being the odd man out". What is a forum FOR if we are apparently not allowed to voice our potential concerns? Might as well delete this whole thread then.

At the moment, I'm not really in a position to buy a new battery that isn't of the suspiciously cheap Chinese variety (I couldn't even get a screen protector), nor do I wish to pay a restocking fee associated with a return. So as you can see, I'm painted into a corner...

En4cer2k11

Here's the screen on also. Again, on zero percent.

Last edited by En4cer2k11; September 16th, 2012 at 06:34 AM.

John P

Referring to my post #46 above. I wasn't in any way intending to sound hostile towards you (if you were talking about my post?), I was trying to help you and advise the next steps you need to take for us to help you further.
I do want to help, as from my own experience I know first hand how frustrating battery draining is.

If I can refer you to my post #46 above again, and the battery apps to download. Once you have done this and posted the results we can try to pin point a possible problem, or at least rule certain things out. Without the information these apps gives we are guessing at best.

John

Roll-Tide

My apologies... All this whining about battery life with nothing being done to try and fix the problem (it HAS a warranty)... No one here can tell you or anyone else what's wrong with your phone...My comments are directed to ANYone who fits in this category... Not just you.