The Ultimate Hero Battery Life Thread (Tips & Discussion)

[sarspants]

I have no problems with my battery so you can cross these of the list:
Amazon
Barcode Scanner
Wikimobile
Spareparts
Places Directory
My Tracks
Pandora
Flixster
and Hanscent

Check your update frequency on the facebook app, check this: http://androidforums.com/370487-post187.html, apps like OS Monitor, GPS Status, and WiFi analyzer might be constantly checking data which will really hurt your battery.

Have you gone into SpareParts and looked at battery history and then changed the first drop down box to each category? If you have anything higher than android system in the partial wake history, that app is a problem.

 

[gh0atd]

Yeah, Spare Parts reports nothing unusual. It says there is a partial wake time for the Android System for a total of 33 minutes for roughly 12 hours of on time. Which I think would be normal. My percentage is 7 to 14 usually, nothing incredibly high. I just don't understand. I have disabled everything with the Facebook App disabling notifications and setting the update time to the highest available. This is ridiculous.

Maybe I am not charging it correctly, I was waiting till the battery completely died, and then charged it up. Did that for 4 days. Afterwards, I tried to wait until it would get down to about roughly 5 percent. Is there any good way to charge the battery? I do have two, so I can do some testing if need be.

 

[ilee1990]

I decided to keep the phone since I do have 30 days to evaluate it. I changed some things based on some of the advice given here. I changed the scene to the blank slate and just added the widgets that I needed. No big time/weather update. I also turned off the location and only turn it on when an app needs it.
It's been 2 nights since I last charged and I'm still above 60%. Only had 2 calls and the longest was about 10 mins.

This I can live with and the apps that aren't made for Android aren't absolutely necessary to me so I can live without them.

 

[dmm5157]

I decided to keep the phone since I do have 30 days to evaluate it. I changed some things based on some of the advice given here. I changed the scene to the blank slate and just added the widgets that I needed. No big time/weather update. I also turned off the location and only turn it on when an app needs it.
It's been 2 nights since I last charged and I'm still above 60%. Only had 2 calls and the longest was about 10 mins.

This I can live with and the apps that aren't made for Android aren't absolutely necessary to me so I can live without them.

Glad to hear it seems to be working out for you.

 

[WhiteNoise]

Does anyone have a weather app thats easy on the battery. I hate having to put in the zipcode every time I turn on my phone. Thanks for a great discussion!

 

[bzzzzz]

Yeah, I tried. The program continually Force Closes for me, regardless of what data I put in it.

I am beginning to think that the battery is caused by a specific application that I have downloaded. I did a fresh wipe and reinstallation of the Gumbo Kernel and Fresh ROM 1.1 and my battery life was phenomenal. However, a day after I downloaded the programs and had to take out the battery, it was atrocious.

I'm not surprised. Give Android an extra day to get used to the new apps. Don't install or update any apps for 48 hours. Then see how you're getting on

I am not sure what the problem is.

I have done everything in here, I have also uninstalled multiple programs to try and find the root cause. I want to think that it is a problem with a couple issues. Either because the security permissions allow it to boot, or because the security permissions allow it to monitor phone calls or other data. I am not sure.

If anyone could help me out I want to see if there is a common grouping with several applications:
Amazon.com
Paypal
Barcode Scanner
Facebook For Android
Wikimobile Encyclopedia
GPS Status
Battery Widget - HTC
Spare Parts
Moon Phase
Google Translate
Text To Speech Extended
FxCamera
WiFinder
Key Ring Reward Card
Logger
US Yellow Pages Search
ShootMe
Places Directory
My Tracks
Aldiko Book Reader
RMaps
Torrent-Fu
Unit Converter -ConvertPad
Nav4All
MoonStats
Skyscrape Medical
Wifi Analyzer
TuneWiki Social Media
Pandora Radio
Movies - Flixster
HAndcentSMS
gUnit Converter - Lite
OS MOnitor
SMS Backup & restore

I want to think that it is one or more applications that are causing these problems and I just havn't found the solution.

remove the battery app

also out of interest why do you have "key ring reward card"

 

[gdubmedia]

Thanks for getting back to me TF1984. Of course it would help if I actually had a Hero or a Moment to test that on but I am currently using a Blackberry and have been watching the forums to determine which Android device I want to buy before I make the switch.

Your excellent and calm demeanor tells me it might be better to go with a Moment instead of a Hero as those users tend to be more polite and less dramatic when someone asks a question. They also don't appear to be so assuming either and ask additional questions to frame a question. However, since I don't have a unit yet I downloaded the PDF manual and could not find the "FRIGGIN MESSAGE" referenced anywhere in it. Perhaps it is a technical term only you understand and less trained people such as myself can only aspire to have in our vernacular some day. So, as you go to the podium to collect your employee of the year award for excellent customer service - Thanks again.

Tony

Consider yourself high-fived.

 

[gh0atd]

I'm not surprised. Give Android an extra day to get used to the new apps. Don't install or update any apps for 48 hours. Then see how you're getting on

I am not sure what the problem is.

remove the battery app

also out of interest why do you have "key ring reward card"

It was 2 or 3 days ago when I did download all those apps. Since then, the battery life has been an issue.

I have it because I work at a grocery store, and I actually do have a lot of different "Rewards" Based subscriptions, and I only like a couple things on my Keys. So, it works out.

 

[bzzzzz]

It was 2 or 3 days ago when I did download all those apps. Since then, the battery life has been an issue.

I have it because I work at a grocery store, and I actually do have a lot of different "Rewards" Based subscriptions, and I only like a couple things on my Keys. So, it works out.

I tried to use a similar app in a local Tesco and scanner couldn't read the bar code off the phone. Was I doing something wrong?

Also have you removed

battery widget - htc

 

[gh0atd]

The scanners they prolly use, the non-handheld's usually do have a hard time reading them. The Handguns can read them with ease. It is just how the scanners operate. For instance, if you have a certain product's barcode in a weird color, stationary scanners have an issue reading them because they can't detect the codes. It really is just up to a matter of luck and what not.

Nah, I had gone to the sprint store to see if they could test the battery for any defaults. I will be removing it today.

I just removed it, I will give it a few days or so to see if the charging and app updates that I did will have an affect on the overall battery life. I am using OSMonitor to actually look at the charge percentage.

 

[bzzzzz]

I just removed it, I will give it a few days or so to see if the charging and app updates that I did will have an affect on the overall battery life. I am using OSMonitor to actually look at the charge percentage.

I'd get rid of OSMonitor as well. The problem with a lot of these monitoring applications is that they are on all the time and so don't allow the phone to go into sleep mode.

See how you go - but it may be an issue of removing applications one at a time. But do give the phone at least a day with no changes before deciding that things haven't been fixed.

 

[gh0atd]

So far, so good actually. My battery usually when I took it off the charger dropped to 99% instantly, now, it is still at 100%. Yeah, It has been about two hours, and the battery is still at 100%.

 

[bzzzzz]

So far, so good actually. My battery usually when I took it off the charger dropped to 99% instantly, now, it is still at 100%. Yeah, It has been about two hours, and the battery is still at 100%.

Ok - what do you put this down to?

I keep recommending things to different people but I don't know if they've been successful.

Any sounds like your battery is improving which is good.

 

[gh0atd]

I am not sure, it could actually have been the HTC Battery widget, or it could have been one of the applications that I removed.

I will give it another day and we will see how it goes.

Maybe I spoke too soon. With about roughly 11 hours of use no texting, no phone calls, no browsing, etc is is already down to 37 percent.

 

[Veritas]

i just got my Hero 2 days ago. and ive been lurking the forums so far just seeing how everything is. i just read every post in this thread, partly because im at work and very sloowww

but i strongly believe, every person that gets a Hero, should read this thread post for post. i must have picked my phone up 15+ times to check a setting, or to confirm what i read.

great great thread.

and to the person posting about leaving the Hero to get the Blackberry, best of luck. i just made the reverse switch, blackberry to Hero. i got tired of the battery problems with, well, all 5 of the blackberrys i had. i had to have a change of scenery. i swore by blackberrys and got many of my friends/family hooked and they now have them.

i think i found something better

 

[gh0atd]

Hm, my battery life hasn't seemed to improve much. I am now getting around 12 hours of battery time. Roughly the same as before.

I am going to try the Less Aggro Gumbo Patch and see if that helps improve it at all. If not, I will be redoing the phone, once again.

 

[bzzzzz]

Hm, my battery life hasn't seemed to improve much. I am now getting around 12 hours of battery time. Roughly the same as before.

I am going to try the Less Aggro Gumbo Patch and see if that helps improve it at all. If not, I will be redoing the phone, once again.

Ok just go through which apps you have installed again.

 

[dmm5157]

i just got my Hero 2 days ago. and ive been lurking the forums so far just seeing how everything is. i just read every post in this thread, partly because im at work and very sloowww

but i strongly believe, every person that gets a Hero, should read this thread post for post. i must have picked my phone up 15+ times to check a setting, or to confirm what i read.

great great thread.

and to the person posting about leaving the Hero to get the Blackberry, best of luck. i just made the reverse switch, blackberry to Hero. i got tired of the battery problems with, well, all 5 of the blackberrys i had. i had to have a change of scenery. i swore by blackberrys and got many of my friends/family hooked and they now have them.

i think i found something better

My wife just joined me with a Hero and switched over from her Blackberry. She compared it to going from dial up internet in the 90's to high speed broad band now and couldn't believe she had put up with her Blackberry for so long.

She also had a lot of problems with her 8330. She had to go change out the battery several times, it stopped charging a couple times (traded in her phone for another about 4 months in). The thing she hated the most, though, was the slow internet. she's been surfing the web on her Hero and loves Swype. That's made the transition much easier.

 

[momoceio]

Check this new app out...looks like it could be pretty useful.

JuiceDefender Saves Batteries by Automating Android Data - Battery Life - Lifehacker

 

[gh0atd]

See, I don't understand this. Past three days, I have only had to charge it once. Today, the battery just dropped, magically. Havn't installed any new Applications, only thing I have enabled was GPS, which shouldn't give me that bad of a battery life. Not sure what it is going on.

 

[WhiteNoise]

After all the tweaks I am getting a solid 16 hours with regular usage throughout the day. I can live with that.
-WN

 

[cephraim]

Quote: Originally Posted by DFRESH
Don't install Battery Widgets or apps ...THOSE WILL DRAIN YOUR BATTERY EVEN MORE!

Yes, I tested a few for over a week myself and all of them drained my battery even more. I uninstalled them and timed the battery once again and noticed that the phone battery runs longer without battery widgets, etc...

Does this include "Power Manager"?

 

[cephraim]

Just a tip that really helped me:

Settings>Social Network>Menu>Account Settings and then change the update frequency of facebook. I just stumbled across this the other day. I really don't care how often my contacts list gets facebook updates so I changed it to 24 hours from the default of 2 hours. I went from about 35 hours to 42 or so. It's a lot of data to update so the less it does it the better.

If you do this, will it also affect how quickly you get notifications of FB messages, etc.?

 

[WhiteNoise]

If you do this, will it also affect how quickly you get notifications of FB messages, etc.?

I believe that is exactly what it does. Its basically telling your phone to check Facebook only once every so many hours.

 

[jmxp69]

I've implemented all of the tips in this thread and saw a nice change in battery life. Mainly, with a normal (moderate) day of use, I was around 15% by bedtime--7:30am - 1:00am. I've been hovering around 40% at bed time after implementing the tips in this thread.

One observation: I think the auto-dim setting eats battery. The first day I cleaned up the widgets, and turned off auto-dim is the first day I saw 40% @ 1am. A few days later, I turned auto-dim back on, and the phone went back to ~8% discharge per hour. I turned it off again today, and I'm sitting at 65% at 10:00pm. I'll continue evaluating it, and I can't explain it, but it sure seems like auto-dim contributes heavily to battery consumption. I set the brightness slider to about 25% which is fine inside.