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Secret to extended Battery life

wallace3d

Newbie
Oct 16, 2009
15
11
I cannot take credit for this as it's mentioned in multiple threads here, I would just like to bring it to the attention of anyone that doesn't already know.

Disabling APN when not required has allowed my phone to run for 3 days and still be at 70% battery.

To disable APN I installed the app WiSyncPlus from the app store.

This app can be used for controlling network/data access on your phone in multiple ways, but all I use is the very simple APN toggle widget.

I only toggle APN on when I require data access for web/email/market etc. then switch it straight back off.

When APN is off you can still use the handset as an old school phone, for calls and texting, but not mms.

There are multiple options in this app for controlling syncing etc. very much worth a look if you use your phone for email too.

I also have my Samsung switchers widget app next to the APN widget, so if I have a wifi connection available I use this instead of enabling APN to surf the web etc.

There is also a free app called APNDroid that can disable APN but I haven't tried this so can't comment on it's usability.

One last thing though, some of these APN apps stress that you should enable APN before uninstalling/updating the app or you could lose your APN settings completely, so please remember to do this.

Also, I don't have any self-updating widgets on my Home screen, just lots of shortcuts to open the apps instead.

At last I can get longer battery life from my Samsung Galaxy than I could from my N95, charging everyday was putting me off big time before discovering this app.

Big thanks to the developer of WiSyncPlus.
 
I'd go for an app that would turn background data on for 3-5 minutes every hour or two, to let Gmail download new mail and other apps get what they want (forecast, ADC2, what have you...). I don't need instant e-mail.

For example, Nokia's Mail for Exchange has profiles that enable you to specify peak (or work) hours and set certain sync intervals for those, as well as for off-peak hours.

It's just I haven't found such an app yet :(
 
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tisti - I have left my phone in sleep mode for the past few nights and for the first couple it only dropped a few percent but that was with APN disabled. I read your post on Improving.troubleshooting battery life, an interesting read indeed. It was while I was going through your list of apps that I found out about the Wisync app, thanks.

I noticed in your post you have a custom OS build, this could be the key to getting the long battery life with APN on, also disabling Google Sync seems to help.

Thanks
 
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wallace3d did you do any overnight tests?

I have apn and background data enabled 24/7 and my battery drops ~1-2% though the night. And the phone isn't warm.

I however have google sync disabled.


Tisti by the way how's your new GalexoRom doing? how's the performance comparing to the stock cupcake? did the battery or speed improve? coz i think later on today if i have time i'll upgrade mine to I5 and then root and then put GalexoRom. so just wonder how it's doing as i think you upgraded your's few days ago.thanx
 
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I upgraded mine almost a few weeks ago. Speed is definitely better since some processes have elevated priority (keyboard is much more responsive). After you remove some unnecessary apps from the galaxo rom it only gets better.

The difference between II5 and II5 Galaxo is that you have:
-a few custom apps
-SSH server
- wifi teether
- app priorities are sorted
- compcache (not really useful right now, it slows the phone too much)
- homescreen replacement (allows folders in pullup menu)


Can't comment on battery life before galaxo since I always had that leach TasKiller with its widget installed. Drained my battery for quite a long time.




@wallace3d
You did disable google sync via WiSync? I can leave my APNs enabled with no major battery drain.

@informale
WiSync Plus lets you force sync with google on time basis. ;)

You chose the time and duration, then you chose what to enable (apn, wifi, force sync) and what to turn off at the end (APN, Wifi)
Force sync does not enable sync, it only forces the phone to sync once.
 
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I don't mean to derail the thread, but I'm the author of WiSyncPlus. Thanks for the thumbs up. Your support is much appreciated.

You can read more about WiSyncPlus at WiSyncPlus and WiSyncPlus FAQ and at WiSyncPlus Battery Rundown Results

I truly believe WiSyncPlus is in a class of its own. It has features no other application provides and is very well supported, if I do say so my self. So thanks again for your recommendation.

Here are some tips to better improve battery life:

  • Use 2G whenever possible - A poor 3G connection can drain battery faster than WIFI; some times a lot faster. WiSyncPlus can also notify you of this, allowing you to take action.
  • Disable auto-synchronization when not needed. This is a huge drain on your battery - especially if on 3G and even more so on a poor 3G connection.
  • Adjust display brightness to the minimum level required. Your device's display is one of the largest potential battery drains. Plug warning: DimBot helps here as it automatically adjusts based on your locations sunrise/sunset, plus various shortcuts.
  • Turn off your WIFI device when not in use. WiSync and WiSyncPlus both remind you of this. Leaving your WIFI on, when not in use, does drain battery life, and at a much higher rate than Google devs openly admit. The device, if left on, will periodically wake and scan for APs.
  • Take care in the location aware applications you have installed. Many apps, especially apps like Locale, constantly turn your WIFI device on, scan for APs, and back off to determine your location. As a side note, they also report your location and use history to third parties.
  • Be mindful of the applications you install. Many applications have spurious and frequent network activity which can rapidly drain your battery. Many weather based applications are notoriously ill behaved in this reguard.
  • Be aware, disabling network access with the background data toggle may provide for mixed power saving results; depending on the applications you have installed. Background data is strictly an application advisory mechanism and does not actually restrict or prevent background data. I strongly suspect many third party applications do not properly honor the setting as explicit support is required in each application.

Thanks again for your recommendation and support.

Greg
 
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But first check with your operator. Some ops may disconnect you for using 2G phones in their network. I guess switching your phone to 2G mode may cause your operator to detect your phone as non-3G phone and execute the disconnection.

I would be suspicious of such a statement. 2g is a natural fall back for failed 3g connections. Even areas with spotty 3g coverage are likely to experience a fall back to 2g. In other words, 2g is a natural occurrence even for 3g devices. Besides, what exactly does "disconnection" mean? Loss of 3g services?

Oh, one more thing. Toggling APNs, when using 2g, typically results in much faster service restoration when compared to 3g. For me, toggling APN with 2g results in almost instantaneous data connection restoration. Data services is typically restored faster than it takes to go from sleep to desktop. Exact duration will vary from carrier to carrier and location to location.

Oh ya, one more thing, one more time. Each phone constantly goes through a battery calibration process. If you use multiple chargers, make sure all chargers deliver the same output capacity (likely rated in mA and labeled on your charger). Using chargers with mixed outputs seems to confuse the calibration. To properly calibrate your phone's capacity, make sure you periodically run your phone down to less than 5%.

Be warned, some phones have check disk issues, etc...so running it completely down *may* result in data loss. In other words, the potential exists but not likely. If you're willing to chance it, you may even try running your battery down to 1% or even until the phone turns off. When done, you'll likely notice the battery life appears to be better. The less accurate the calibration was in the past, the more perceived life you'll realize. In reality, its not really improved but the reported % is simply more accurate, allowing you to get more duration before the phone reports its almost out of power.
 
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Greg,

that was more of a precaution than a statement. I'm not sure about my theory, but people should be aware.

To be precise, the 3G rule belongs to the UK operator 3G Hutchison. It claims that whenever you insert your sim-card in a 2G phone (again, the question is, whether an Android handset with 3G turned on will be regarded as a 2G phone) you will breach the agreement with operator and will be disconnected from network immediately, though still charged your monthly fee:

SIM is only to be used in 3G mobiles. SIM will be disconnected if used in a 2G mobile and you’ll still be charged for the contract.
 
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3G "only" networks use other 2g networks as a backup. Therefore it costs them alot of money if you stay on 2g all the time!

'three' in the UK is a perfect example. They use Orange as a backup for 2g, and if you use a 2g handset, or set your 3g handset to 2g only mode they will loose revenue.

This doesnt apply to 2g networks which have added 3g because the calls always go over their network. However in this case they may be more likely to enforce a fair-use data limit if you're using loads and loads of data (especially streaming) on 2G. This is because GPRS is timeslot based and congestion can impact call capacity.
 
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If you're willing to chance it, you may even try running your battery down to 1% or even until the phone turns off. When done, you'll likely notice the battery life appears to be better. The less accurate the calibration was in the past, the more perceived life you'll realize. In reality, its not really improved but the reported % is simply more accurate, allowing you to get more duration before the phone reports its almost out of power.

Hmm running Lithium based batteries all the way to flat is not a very smart thing to do. When they run totally flat there is a risk that they will deteriorate and you will loose overall capacity.

They also have a limited number of charge cycles, so its not smart to keep charging them either.

The best course of action - for normal use is to charge it at about 20%, which is a good balance between wasted capacity (re charge cycles) and optimal charging voltage (undercharge protection).
 
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3G "only" networks use other 2g networks as a backup. Therefore it costs them alot of money if you stay on 2g all the time!

'three' in the UK is a perfect example. They use Orange as a backup for 2g, and if you use a 2g handset, or set your 3g handset to 2g only mode they will loose revenue.

This doesnt apply to 2g networks which have added 3g because the calls always go over their network. However in this case they may be more likely to enforce a fair-use data limit if you're using loads and loads of data (especially streaming) on 2G. This is because GPRS is timeslot based and congestion can impact call capacity.

Does galaxy support Edge?
 
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Hmm running Lithium based batteries all the way to flat is not a very smart thing to do. When they run totally flat there is a risk that they will deteriorate and you will loose overall capacity.

They also have a limited number of charge cycles, so its not smart to keep charging them either.

The best course of action - for normal use is to charge it at about 20%, which is a good balance between wasted capacity (re charge cycles) and optimal charging voltage (undercharge protection).


I thought that only applies to the Ni based batteries. Li based batteries count charge cycles by the % used. ie 1 charge cycle is when the battery has provided its capacity and not when it is recharged. But yes I agree about the deep discharge. In fact on a particular site that gives tips for Li based batteries, they state that keeping your battery charged constantly helps maintain it.
 
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Hmm running Lithium based batteries all the way to flat is not a very smart thing to do. When they run totally flat there is a risk that they will deteriorate and you will loose overall capacity.

That's a good point and something I should have mentioned. Every pack has its own charging circuit. That circuit on cell phone packs prevents rapid discharge, rapid charge, detects peak charge, and typically cuts off at minimum discharge - specifically to prevent too deep of a discharge. They often offer some form of thermal charging protection as well. I do not know for a fact the pack has a cutoff. Having said that, I feel reasonably sure my ADP1 pack does have such protection because of charge behavior after discharge.

Without realizing it, that was a universal and incorrect assumption I had made. Its up to you if you want to take the chance.

Thank you for bringing up this point.
 
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But yes I agree about the deep discharge. In fact on a particular site that gives tips for Li based batteries, they state that keeping your battery charged constantly helps maintain it.

The big problem with deep discharge of packs which do not provide discharge protection is cell charge disparity within the pack. Basically, not every cell in a pack discharges evenly. This can result in a pack which can no longer even obtain its peak charge. In really bad, deep discharge cases, so I'm told, you can even have a cell reversal, which means the entire pack is useless.

So again, I want to stress, he was right to call me out on it and raise the risk potential. The risk varies from pack type to pack type. As such, I have no idea what protections are offered by the packs provided with your Samsungs. Caution is advised.

The general rule of thumb for discharge is no less than 10%-20% (more cells, higher threshold) for normal discharge - which, IMOHO, is likely why the phone kicks in at 15%. The problem quickly becomes a catch-22 because if your phone is not properly calibrated it may tell you it has reached 15% discharge despite actually being at 20%-30% discharge - which is the problem we are trying to address. Likewise, if you happen to have a somewhat below par or older pack, when the phone reports 15% discharge, you may already be at 10%.
 
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Greg,

that was more of a precaution than a statement. I'm not sure about my theory, but people should be aware.

To be precise, the 3G rule belongs to the UK operator 3G Hutchison. It claims that whenever you insert your sim-card in a 2G phone (again, the question is, whether an Android handset with 3G turned on will be regarded as a 2G phone) you will breach the agreement with operator and will be disconnected from network immediately, though still charged your monthly fee:

I see. Must be a European thing. Its a cost thing for the network rather than a technological constraint. Good to know.
 
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I thought that only applies to the Ni based batteries. Li based batteries count charge cycles by the % used. ie 1 charge cycle is when the battery has provided its capacity and not when it is recharged. But yes I agree about the deep discharge. In fact on a particular site that gives tips for Li based batteries, they state that keeping your battery charged constantly helps maintain it.

Its a bit more complicated than that on a chemical level :)

The cycles are just an indication as to how many total charges it has had. The circuit/software itself can count them as a percentage or total number of any charges. A battery with a maximum charge count of 300 may last till 600 or even higher.

The main thing is what happens chemically when you pump a bunch of current into a cell to charge it. Deteriation occurs, especially when heat is involved. So charging long enough to heat the battery up, weather for 5% or 50% would still deteriorate the battery.

There's alot of technical info about batteries out there, and its really boring! But feel free to read up about it if you're really interested :)
 
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