Help ICS battery disaster

[leftystrat]

It's been a week. Did you do a reset after ICS was installed?
And has your battery issue been fixed?

Reset.
Problem still exists.

Thanks.

 

[leftystrat]

Why is com.android.phone running? I don't remember that from earlier.
I have the cpu processes being displayed [Developer menu].

nvcpud
kinteractiveup
com.android.phone
com.android.systemui
kworker/0 0
system_server

and other stuff pops in, as one would expect.

According to Battery, all the usage shows as Android OS.

 

[Omnispheric]

Had the same battery issue after ICS upgrade.
Fixed with factory reset.

Check this thread for info: http://androidforums.com/samsung-ga...date-telus-galaxy-tab-10-1-a.html#post4953561

 

[leftystrat]

Had the same battery issue after ICS upgrade.
Fixed with factory reset.

Check this thread for info: http://androidforums.com/samsung-ga...date-telus-galaxy-tab-10-1-a.html#post4953561

Did that about a week ago, thanks. Failed to help.

 

[leftystrat]

I did another factory reset, just for fun. Charged to 96% yesterday. Added no programs, set up no mail, cell/wifi/bluetooth off, airplane mode.

As of this morning, I had 69% battery.
This device's OS sure is busy doing something. Awful shame I don't know what it is. And it seems reluctant to give up the info.

Will try rooting and installing a different ROM. If that fails, no doubt Samsung will tell me I have to send it back. Again.

It was so nice when it worked.

 

[leftystrat]

Device rooted.

Whether or not this is the solution, there is nothing like the satisfaction of deleting the metric ton of crap that came with this device. Social media-GONE. T-Mobile nonsense-GONE. Phone app that ran constantly for no apparent reason on a tablet-GONE (safely backed up, of course). Live wallpaper, Blio, Zinio, cloudware-KAPUT.

Plus I installed a firewall, which lets me decide which apps get net access.

Hopefully this fixes the problem.

 

[leftystrat]

Now that I've had a little time to play with the device post-root, I can report that the battery drain has gone down. Not as far as I'd like but not as bad as it was. I am starting to wonder if there's a hardware problem here.

Thank you for all of the suggestions and info!

 

[Pattie]

Just read this thread today, I am having the battery drain problem. I didn't notice if it happened immediately after ICS update, but it sure is happening now.

I rarely use my tablet, it just sits on my kitchen counter most of the time. So sitting on the counter it used all the battery in one day. When I checked what was using the battery, it said "Phone" was using 96% of the battery, Lookout 4%.

Is there a way to access whatever Phone is and turn it off?

Thanks.

 

[gilsonrockz]

if i factory reset my android phone, will all the apps will be wiped away? even the built in games and apps? thanks

 

[Deleted User]

if i factory reset my android phone, will all the apps will be wiped away? even the built in games and apps? thanks

Yes.
All the downloaded apps/games will be removed/deleted as it wipes the internal memory of the device. This is normal. And a good thing.

Whenever I do a major update, such as HC to ICS, I always do a 'factory reset' to wipe the device clean, installing a fresh and clean operating system, and then re-installing the apps and games I want. Google Play is better today at keeping track of all of my apps, so it's a lot easier today than it was a year or two ago.

I have several devices, but for these purposes I have a phone and tablet with Android on them. I know it's a bit of a hassle to wipe a device and lose texts, settings, apps, etc. But the positive aspect is a clean device and then installing 'new' apps and settings. Seriously, how many texts from your close family/friends are really needed for posterity? Just wipe and start fresh. It's the best way to go.

 

[jaypeecee]

What an interesting thread but also slightly worrying to find other people with this battery drain problem.

I very recently upgraded to ICS and now have a battery drain problem. I am using GSam to understand what is going on under the hood. Over the last two nights, I have seen which apps were draining the battery. These have been uninstalled but battery now falls at 1% per hour overnight. By contrast, my HTC Desire S falls by 1% the whole night.

The Tab is switched on overnight but WiFi, data, Bluetooth and GPS are all switched off.

JPC

 

[Deleted User]

What an interesting thread but also slightly worrying to find other people with this battery drain problem.

All I can say is that my Tab GT-P7500 3G has no battery drain issue. I'm not sure but it may be a 'factory reset' issue either before or post update. I did a reset before AND after the update to Samsungs ICS v4.0.4 update, and it works well.

But I heard that some users have issues after updating without doing the 'factory reset' either before OR after the update.

If you have a battery drain issue, perhaps the solution is to do a 'factory reset', then use ODIN to wipe the device, then install the new v4.0.4 ICS update, then another 'factory reset' after updating...???

Or...if you have already installed ICS and can't fix it, perhaps doing a 'factory reset' then using ODIN to flash ICS again, then restarting again, may fix the issue???

 

[jaypeecee]

Hi bfksc,

Many thanks for your comments. You know, I find it astonishing the trouble we go to in order to address problems that simply should not be there in the first place! It should not be necessary to do a factory reset, take a trip to South Korea, sing your national anthem backwards, run on the spot, do another factory reset and then hope for the best! Manufacturers like Samsung are being let off the hook too easily.

Rant over.

JPC

P.S. This thing of mine is drawing 160mA continuously overnight when it is switched off! That is ridiculous.

 

[jaypeecee]

Hi Folks,

This morning, I have emailed Samsung UK about this problem.

It will be interesting to hear what they say.

Watch this space.

JPC

 

[jaypeecee]

Hi folks,

I received a reply from Samsung - essentially suggesting that I do a factory reset, which I did. However, it hasn't solved the problem - battery still falls at 1.6% per hour even when switched off. After some detective work, I have tracked down the culprit - the Phone Dialler!

A search on the internet reveals that the Android stock Phone Dialler has a chequered history of causing memory, CPU and battery problems. When left overnight, 50% of the tab battery is being eaten by this run-away process. Compare this with the OS, which is using 30%.

I should add that my SGT10.1 is a 3G model and I use a mobile phone SIM in order to send and receive SMS messages via my carrier (Vodafone UK).

Armed with this information, I have contacted Samsung once again. As before, watch this space!

JPC

 

[jaypeecee]

Hi again,

This is not going to be straightforward. Last night, it was the turn of the OS to be at the top of the list for battery consumption. OS was taking 50% of the battery. Once again, battery had fallen by just over 1% per hour. Phone Dialler battery consumption was insignificant.

I am in for the long haul.

JPC

 

[Deleted User]

Hi folks,
I received a reply from Samsung - essentially suggesting that I do a factory reset, which I did. However, it hasn't solved the problem - battery still falls at 1.6% per hour even when switched off. After some detective work, I have tracked down the culprit - the Phone Dialler!
A search on the internet reveals that the Android stock Phone Dialler has a chequered history of causing memory, CPU and battery problems. When left overnight, 50% of the tab battery is being eaten by this run-away process. Compare this with the OS, which is using 30%.
I should add that my SGT10.1 is a 3G model and I use a mobile phone SIM in order to send and receive SMS messages via my carrier (Vodafone UK).

I too have a 3G model P-7500 with a SIM card. I don't have any issues with battery running the official ICS v4.0.4 from the European firmware update. I installed using UK English settings. I did not use the carrier branded firmware (Rogers Canada) as it has junk I don't want. The generic European has no extra apps or settings and it works great on my Tab.

Did you use a carrier branded update? If so, perhaps that is the cause of the rogue battery usage? I don't even see 'phone dialer' as a service in the battery usage settings.

 

[jaypeecee]

Did you use a carrier branded update? If so, perhaps that is the cause of the rogue battery usage? I don't even see 'phone dialer' as a service in the battery usage settings.

Hi bfksc,

I do not believe that I used the Vodafone branded update but how would I know? I simply received a notification to update but I don't recall anything popping up to say whether it was Vodafone, Samsung or BT (my ISP) from whom the update was being supplied. I assume it came from Samsung and I downloaded it via WiFi, not mobile data. Furthermore, I originally purchased my tab from Amazon UK, not Vodafone.

I have been doing more digging and Samsung want me to return my tab to them in order to take a look at it. I'm not convinced that will be of any benefit. The problem is that my tab is being prevented from going into the deep sleep state. Using GSAm Battery Monitor, I have established that a kernel wakelock called l2_hsic is preventing my tab from sleeping 90% of the time. Having trawled the internet, I see that there are many Samsung users with exactly the same problem - on a range of their devices. The general consensus on the internet is that the problem will only be corrected by another firmware update.

Why you are not seeing this problem I'm not sure. It would appear to be connected with USB and the tab 3G radio. As I'm in the UK and using Vodafone, that might have something to do with it but I'm really not sure. BTW, I don't think the stock battery usage settings on Android goes into the required level of detail. That's why I use GSam Battery Monitor.

JPC

 

[Deleted User]

I do not believe that I used the Vodafone branded update but how would I know? I simply received a notification to update but I don't recall anything popping up to say whether it was Vodafone, Samsung or BT (my ISP) from whom the update was being supplied. I assume it came from Samsung and I downloaded it via WiFi, not mobile data. Furthermore, I originally purchased my tab from Amazon UK, not Vodafone.

Take a look at the info in Settings, About device, 'baseband version'. Post that string and it will let us know if it's branded or not.

I have been doing more digging and Samsung want me to return my tab to them in order to take a look at it. I'm not convinced that will be of any benefit. The problem is that my tab is being prevented from going into the deep sleep state. Using GSAm Battery Monitor, I have established that a kernel wakelock called l2_hsic is preventing my tab from sleeping 90% of the time.

Strange that only some have the issue...we'll have to continue to dig.

 

[jaypeecee]

Take a look at the info in Settings, About device, 'baseband version'. Post that string and it will let us know if it's branded or not.

Hi bfksc,

The baseband version is P7500XXLQ8.

Thanks in advance.

JPC

 

[Deleted User]

Hi bfksc,
The baseband version is P7500XXLQ8.

That's the same baseband as mine so it's a generic UK firmware. When you did a factory reset, you installed some apps, right? You're using a battery monitor which often affects battery life. Also app killers are not necessary since FroYo v2.2, and they consume battery at a large rate. I don't use either and no problems here.

Perhaps try another factory reset, but don't install all your apps right away. Install your 'must have' apps like Twitter or Facebook or whatever, but don't install any monitoring apps or anything from Vodafone (keep it as minimal as possible) and see how that works out. You should know fairly quick if it's improved or not.

 

[jaypeecee]

That's the same baseband as mine so it's a generic UK firmware. When you did a factory reset, you installed some apps, right? You're using a battery monitor which often affects battery life. Also app killers are not necessary since FroYo v2.2, and they consume battery at a large rate. I don't use either and no problems here.

OK, so I have generic UK firmware. I did install some of my original apps but only those that I consider important. I am fully aware that some battery monitors can affect battery life. Not the ones I use. App killers are not a part of my vocabulary. The fact of the matter is that something is preventing my tab from going into deep sleep. This happens 90% of the time overnight. According to GSam and Better Battery Stats, this is being caused by the l2_hsic wakelock.

I am at the end of my tether with Samsung UK. Customer service is diabolical. I don't think I will buy another Samsung product in a hurry.

JPC

 

[Deleted User]

OK, so I have generic UK firmware. I did install some of my original apps but only those that I consider important. I am fully aware that some battery monitors can affect battery life. Not the ones I use. App killers are not a part of my vocabulary. The fact of the matter is that something is preventing my tab from going into deep sleep. This happens 90% of the time overnight. According to GSam and Better Battery Stats, this is being caused by the l2_hsic wakelock.

Ok, I did some more reading and that's a standard call in the firmware that many apps use to wake up the device to perform tasks. On my phone the Beautiful Widgets makes 'wakelock' calls to do background weather updates, as does Gmail and many other apps. However, I believe a rogue app is making excessive 'wakelock' calls and is keeping your Tab awake. When I look at my Tab, after 2 days, Gmail, Maps, and BW only use a combined total of about 120mins of wake time with about 100mins of that is active usage. That means about 20mins is used to wake the device while sleeping. This is normal and good. In my opinion, something else is making calls on your device and that's what is eating up the battery.

If it were me, I'd do a factory reset and don't install any extra apps. Just use Gmail, weather, browser, whatever, and see how it functions. If all is good, then install your other apps one at a time and test to see how the Tab works with each one. You'll likely find one app starts eating your battery.

I am at the end of my tether with Samsung UK. Customer service is diabolical. I don't think I will buy another Samsung product in a hurry. JPC

Sorry you're having problems, but I love my Samsung products. I have 2 flat panel TV's, a computer monitor, 2 phones, and my tablet. All of them work great.

I however would never buy a Samsung fridge as I've heard they work well but suck for longevity and maintenance. But Samsung is still kinda new at that, so they may get better. My next TV and cell phone will both be another Samsung.

YMMV.

 

[jaypeecee]

Many thanks, bfksc. I appreciate your help in trying to get to the bottom of this issue.

Out of interest, knowing that you have the 3G model, do you simply have a mobile data SIM or do you have a phone SIM - in other words, mobile data + voice calls? I'm just trying to eliminate any 'hardware' differences between our two tablets (I have a phone SIM). We are both running the same firmware so no difference there. Partly my reason for asking about the SIM is that the l2_hsic wakelock is apparently something to do with USB and/or the 3G side of things. Guess I could uninstall any 3G-related apps one by one to see what happens.

Dear, oh dear.

JPC

 

[Deleted User]

Out of interest, knowing that you have the 3G model, do you simply have a mobile data SIM or do you have a phone SIM - in other words, mobile data + voice calls?

I have a 'phone SIM card' as most 3G/4G tablets do. In order to provide cellular data on a tablet, they need to assign a cellular ID. I have a phone number associated with it, but it doesn't do anything if I call it.

the l2_hsic wakelock is apparently something to do with USB and/or the 3G side of things. Guess I could uninstall any 3G-related apps one by one to see what happens.

That's what I would do, either deleting one at a time, or reset and install one at a time. I'm pretty sure it's an app that's keeping the tablet awake.