Sudden change in battery use

[notacoach]

No new apps or networks, but after 2 months of consistent and excellent battery life, phone is suddenly consuming way more battery (like, 20% more) for basic tasks. It's also the first time I'm aware of the battery heating up during use.

Thoughts? Troubleshooting?

 

[madmikess]

I had mine for about a month before I started having trouble with the T-Mobile app on my phone using a lot of CPU and causing major battery drain. Ended up factory resetting it and it's been normal again.

 

[notacoach]

I had mine for about a month before I started having trouble with the T-Mobile app on my phone using a lot of CPU and causing major battery drain. Ended up factory resetting it and it's been normal again.

That app isn't even running in the background; not logged in.

This is weird - it gone over down 10% in the 10 minutes since I first posted. I've typically been getting 2+ hours sot with only a 5% battery drop. ?!

 

[madmikess]

For me, I couldn't get rid of the app at all. In settings and battery usage it was always showing the T-Mobile app as my biggest battery drain. I tried to get rid of the app but it always kept reloading. That's what ended up causing me to resort to factory resetting it.

 

[notacoach]

I've been looking for a bg app, but don't see anything running . But it's still used 43% battery in 2 hrs this morning! Normally that would use maybe 10% (at most) .

 

[notacoach]

This is very NOT normal.

 

[notacoach]

It also deleted SwiftKey and the vibration strength when typing has changed. This IS WEIRD.

 

[today]

Did the battery ever die? Shut off while in use?

 

[notacoach]

Nope. Currently backing up; seems like I have no choice but to try a reset, which is a major pain in the backside.

It has run PERFECTLY since I got it on November 2nd. Like, dream device. This has come out of nowhere, and I have no idea what the cause is to prevent it happening again. Grrr.

 

[Napalm]

that bit with swiftkey isn't all that surprising. since the app drives the haptic feedback.

but hold the phone (ha had to)

so before you do a factory reset let's try a few things.

1) have you ever let the phone die - actually go protection shut down? Then waiting 2 minutes - charge it back to full

This helps to calibrate the limits of the controller circuit. which tests current throughput at specific voltage, battery temp, and the like. this is important as all your %'s are based on these values and a set reference point.

2) If you have done step 1 - have you taken the battery fully out of the phone for a moment - put it back and powered back on? Vs doing a hard reset - reasoning - absolute full power down of the entire device including the voltage regulators. Something again you can only do if you can remove the battery.


3) If neither of those fix your problem or highlight major changes in power use - I'd say first guess is you have a bad battery that is down a cell block (OK so lipo doesn't necessarily work that way but it's the easiest discritpion I can use). Fundamentally you have an internal dead spot - which also increases internal battery resistance which is part of why it's hotter than you think.


3a) try an app called accubattery for a day or so and atleast 5 re-charge cycles and see if it points to anyting specific. More detailed info than you get in standard battery history.

 

[notacoach]

Ok, pulled battery and am starting from scratch. Will try your suggestions before doing a hard reset!

 

[sreum]

No new apps or networks, but after 2 months of consistent and excellent battery life, phone is suddenly consuming way more battery (like, 20% more) for basic tasks. It's also the first time I'm aware of the battery heating up during use.

Thoughts? Troubleshooting?

Pull battery while phones on. Leave out for 5 minutes. Put battery back in and start back up.
I've had the same issue before. And that's what I did to fix it.

 

[Napalm]

unless it's been mentioned - but there are plenty of rogue apps out there that get started and keep a process loop running or some other thing such as to burn battery life. I thought it was less common after 6.0 but doesn't mean it can't happen.

OH did your phone take the security update about 3 days ago - or so. I know I had a stuck boot and really bad battery life for a day - that day. but it resolved with a battery pull and eventually another recharge cycle.

 

[notacoach]

I downloadwd accubattwry, let it go flat , pulled the battery, and then charged to 80% using the original wall charger. Behaving more normally.... for now.

 

[Napalm]

no charge it to full - let it stop. It's about the voltage values. Don't pay much attention to the accubattery 80% for right now. Reason. The controller needs to see the charged battery at _____ V. which I think is at or near 5.1V for this battery.


so let it go all the way now that you let it die. It calibrated the monitor - so to speak.

 

[Napalm]

after that knock yourself out. I use accubattery to read the values but I charge mine to 100% every night.

incidentally if you're curious - useage since October. - always charging to 100%. My estimated capacity as shown by accubattery is 3215mAh. And that number varies quite a bit day to day. some days the charged estimate is 3100 - other days it will be 3400. It's not really that accurate.

what the monitor systems prime goal is to keep from exploding and catching fire. so it's accurate with respect to temp and voltage. Current output isn't quite as accurate - because the voltage is constantly dropping over time. And there is a relationship with voltage and current. So there's a tick of inherent inaccuracy in the measurements.

Which is why you need to let it die - and then let it power to full. This helps to set/reset the voltage threasholds. It shuts down when the battery gets below 3.5 volts (or some value there abouts - again dependent on the pack design and chemisty - so that's all on the maker). and it's full up at 5.1 volts (again same story). These set the bases of the span

 

[Zufabulous]

New to the forum, so forgive if I post incorrectly. I came across this post after searching for any fast draining battery issues with today's date. My phone was fully charged at 5am this morning. By 7am it was at 55%. By 9am it was down to 5%. I figured it may just be an app that I downloaded yesterday, so I removed it. But since that time I have heard of three separate Android users who had the same issue, today, for the first time. And we didn't download the same app. Perhaps we are all Verizon users and they did something? Anyone know? Thanks.

 

[tonytx42]

I had the same thing happen recently. Battery usage statistics showed Facebook Messenger and Facebook were the two biggest hogs. Phone was running crazy hot as well. I deleted Messenger (I don't use it anyway) and it seems to have fixed the issue.

I'm using a V20 on Verizon, by the way.

 

[synical]

I also noticed my battery drain today. I did what some have said about taking out the battery. Currently it seems like it fixed itself. I'll definately know on my commute home.

 

[Napalm]

New to the forum, so forgive if I post incorrectly. I came across this post after searching for any fast draining battery issues with today's date. My phone was fully charged at 5am this morning. By 7am it was at 55%. By 9am it was down to 5%. I figured it may just be an app that I downloaded yesterday, so I removed it. But since that time I have heard of three separate Android users who had the same issue, today, for the first time. And we didn't download the same app. Perhaps we are all Verizon users and they did something? Anyone know? Thanks.

so gotta ask - I'm a VZ user too. Did you get a system update notice recently and did you take the update and let it install and boot?

I'm but even money on that - as I got one this weekend but I was also home with snow. so I wasn't all that bothered with it stuck on boot and I had to battery pull to get it back out. ATE battery % like 40% in the hour, but after that peachy keen.

so it might be due to a system update.

 

[LightGuy48]

I've got two phones also sucking down their batteries like they're going out of style, just started yesterday. Phone is running warm to hot, reboot, clearing cache, etc. doesn't stop the drain. My slow car charger just barely keeps up with the drain, I had to run home and grab my fast charger to get it back up. I've got friends on Facebook also saying they're seeing the same thing, about 50/50 saying yet they have an issue or no things are fine.

Checking the usage manager shows nothing abnormal for battery usage. Both my phones are on AT&T but I've got a friend on Verizon reporting issues and another on T-Mobile. All said it started in the last 48 hours, one said it started Sunday

 

[notacoach]

I am T-Mobile. But I had a friend who posted something similar on Facebook today and I even commented that it was weird that I have had the same problem (not sure what brand her phone is) . So what the heck is going on?! I have not downloaded any updates that I am aware.

 

[sreum]

I am T-Mobile. But I had a friend who posted something similar on Facebook today and I even commented that it was weird that I have had the same problem (not sure what brand her phone is) . So what the heck is going on?! I have not downloaded any updates that I am aware.

Usually every time it happens to me, after a battery pull and reboot I always have an app update waiting from Google app store. It could all be coincidence, but I'm starting to lean towards it being a Google play issue.

 

[foxeybingo]

No new apps or networks, but after 2 months of consistent and excellent battery life, phone is suddenly consuming way more battery (like, 20% more) for basic tasks. It's also the first time I'm aware of the battery heating up during use.

Thoughts? Troubleshooting?

have the exact same issue with my iphone 7 - actually freezes ALL the time to! buggy as hell!

 

[notacoach]

Compare today with yesterday's usage (upthread) . This included watching video, so should have been more battery intensive,surely? So weird.