Help Verizon - Galaxy Nexus - Ideas on how to improve battery life?

AJ McKay · Feb 12, 2012

The attached is what I got pure stock today. This was typical weekend usage. My battery is worse at work, but I have crap for 3g there, still I can make it 8 hours or so.

P.S. No 4G here, so that's something.

P.P.S. Still 14% left too.

jr313 · Feb 12, 2012

Theeulogy said:
Any chance I could exchange for a new on at a Verizon store, I am just about to go back to my DroidX. With the DroidX I was able to get 24 hours on battery with 3-4 hrs display time on standard battery.

Is this your first 4g phone?? First thing you should know is 4g is a battery killer, the Droid x is only 3g plus this is a bigger screen thus taking more battery also.

Theeulogy · Feb 12, 2012

jr313 said:
Is this your first 4g phone?? First thing you should know is 4g is a battery killer, the Droid x is only 3g plus this is a bigger screen thus taking more battery also.

\
No 4G in my area, I keep the 4G radio off. I see people getting 24+ hours battery life and 3-4 hours screen time on the Nexus and I just dont understand. It seems like battery life WILDLY varies on these CDMA Galaxy Nexus'.

jr313 · Feb 12, 2012

Theeulogy said:
\
No 4G in my area, I keep the 4G radio off. I see people getting 24+ hours battery life and 3-4 hours screen time on the Nexus and I just dont understand. It seems like battery life WILDLY varies on these CDMA Galaxy Nexus'.

A lot of those 24+ use mainly wifi all day, that's why the get that kinda battery life unless they have that super big battery that's 3800 I believe and makes their phone look hunchback. In real world usage you can get 8 1/2 hrs of life with 2 1/2 hrs screen on time with the suggestion I made. Maybe even better for you seeing that you don't have 4g.

zerocool79346 · Feb 12, 2012

jr313 said:
A lot of those 24+ use mainly wifi all day, that's why the get that kinda battery life unless they have that super big battery that's 3800 I believe and makes their phone look hunchback. In real world usage you can get 8 1/2 hrs of life with 2 1/2 hrs screen on time with the suggestion I made. Maybe even better for you seeing that you don't have 4g.

I routinely get 3+ hours of screen on time only on 3g. BTW so far 4.0.4 has been the best standby batter I've ever had, literally doesn't drop.

Theeulogy · Feb 12, 2012

zerocool79346 said:
I routinely get 3+ hours of screen on time only on 3g. BTW so far 4.0.4 has been the best standby batter I've ever had, literally doesn't drop.

Flashed 4.0.4, I will run it for a few days and see what happens.

bburzzycki · Feb 13, 2012

How am I on 4.0.2 and others have 4.0.4 - that is not an official release I assume...

I run the extended battery and really can almost make it through a day..

Here are screenshots I have been collecting:

My thoughts on my Galaxy Nexus – Cases and Extended Battery | Black Diamond Productions

Sandroidfan · Feb 13, 2012

Theeulogy said:
\
No 4G in my area, I keep the 4G radio off. I see people getting 24+ hours battery life and 3-4 hours screen time on the Nexus and I just dont understand. It seems like battery life WILDLY varies on these CDMA Galaxy Nexus'.

On 3G, I can get about 20 hours with 1.5~2 hours screen on. I also keep WiFi on all the time and it seems to help a bit. I disabled Google+, Gtalk as well because they are possibly battery hog. Basically remove any apps that might be chewing up battery with frequent syncing and you don't use. If you still get horrible battery life even with this kind of setting/usage, yours might be a bad one, either phone or battery.

havi007 · Feb 14, 2012

Theeulogy said:
BTW I have a "day one" device.

my is a day one batch too. My boss also got the phone day one ( he is the owner of our store) he swapped out hated the battery. I seriously think there were a bad batch or two out there.

kg2128 · Feb 14, 2012

Day one device with no issues. Honestly the small tweaks like syncing and brightness help a little, kernels can too if you undervolt/underclock. The only thing that has a major effect on the battery is LTE though. If I turn off LTE then the battery life is similar to my old droid x (20+ hours is not that difficult with moderate use). Turn it on and it seems to be 40-50% worse with similar usage. Of course LTE is too fast for me to leave off.

Mahalo · Feb 14, 2012

Theeulogy said:
Flashed 4.0.4, I will run it for a few days and see what happens.

Did the same, incredible improvement so far.

dhworph · Feb 14, 2012

I normally get just over 2 hrs screen time on a full charge (100% -> 1%), nonstop 4G, maybe over a 14-16 hour period, with half of that just sleeping and the other half regular daily use. If I do alot of web surfing and game playing, obviously it drains faster using the screen time up... on auto brightness, which is usually in a fairly bright room, probably 30-50% brightness on average. rooted, stock.

This is just barely bearable for me, luckily I'm never far from a charger and am usually tethered at home, forcing me to plug it in anyways.

I'm trying to hold off until the official OTA, and will see how that changes things. Then I might try some custom roms/kernels... leaning toward AOKP with franco currently. I'm sure after the official OTA drops, they will be absolutely phenomenal --- AOKP m4 or m5 should entice me enough to make the move to custom.

I'd love to get 4+ hrs screentime over a full day!

mmiles84 · Feb 14, 2012

Get an extended battery,unlock,root,rom & new kernal youll be just fine. Remember its a phone with a big ass HD screen its gonna suck down a lot of power dim the light. Turn off wifi when you no you won't get wifi so its not scanning all the time. Go though apps and stop updates like Facebook and twitter.

ss584 · Feb 28, 2012

I am coming off a Droid X where I eventually got the phone tuned to get reasonable battery life. I thought I would make the jump to the Nexus. However, I found the Nexus's radio performance and battery performance to be dismal. I got an extended battery,I rooted, I flashed 4.0.4 and then experimented with multiple kernels and roms. I ran 350/350 with screen off. I tried juice defender and used better battery stats to help me understand the absolutely miserable battery life I was getting. I tried multiple batteries,etc. All to know avail. My nexus would get about 6 hours with no use. No sync. No apps running in background. I am in a strong coverage area so it is not my coverage. That said I was suspicious of the radio because it would seem to connect and then lose both 4g and 3g and then come back. All without moving. Anyway as much as I wanted to like this phone. I can't live with a 5hour phone. I like the idea of easily being able to tweak. I am not completely ready to throw in the towel so I exchanged my Nexus for another one. I am now going to run a simple test.

I am loading no apps. No email. I am keeping 4.0.2 which it came with. I am going toleave Wifi on, screen off, radio on and off of a full charge I want to see how long the battery lasts. If it can not last 12 hours like this then I am going to give up and try the Razr Maxx.

I will let you know how it goings.

havi007 · Feb 28, 2012

ss584 said:
I am coming off a Droid X where I eventually got the phone tuned to get reasonable battery life. I thought I would make the jump to the Nexus. However, I found the Nexus's radio performance and battery performance to be dismal. I got an extended battery,I rooted, I flashed 4.0.4 and then experimented with multiple kernels and roms. I ran 350/350 with screen off. I tried juice defender and used better battery stats to help me understand the absolutely miserable battery life I was getting. I tried multiple batteries,etc. All to know avail. My nexus would get about 6 hours with no use. No sync. No apps running in background. I am in a strong coverage area so it is not my coverage. That said I was suspicious of the radio because it would seem to connect and then lose both 4g and 3g and then come back. All without moving. Anyway as much as I wanted to like this phone. I can't live with a 5hour phone. I like the idea of easily being able to tweak. I am not completely ready to throw in the towel so I exchanged my Nexus for another one. I am now going to run a simple test.

I am loading no apps. No email. I am keeping 4.0.2 which it came with. I am going toleave Wifi on, screen off, radio on and off of a full charge I want to see how long the battery lasts. If it can not last 12 hours like this then I am going to give up and try the Razr Maxx.

I will let you know how it goings.

Try a rom 4.0.4 with stock 4.0.4 kernel if u dont get more than ten hours wifi auto brightness and about 3 hrs of screen time take it back and get another battery or phone

This is my battery life with about one hr of screen time lol almost wifi on the whole time also i am currently on bugless beaat with no changes to the kernel or no governer and i just got a tablet so i am mostly on that. I can get a full days worth if i have have 3 hrs of screen time

By the way i got the phone day 1 it came out

Tim K · Feb 29, 2012

Last week I ran over 29 hours on the stock battery, stock ROM, stock kernel
(rooted but nothing changed), no battery or task managers. 29 1/2 hours on battery. about 27hrs on wifi, 2hrs on 3g/4g. 2hrs 45min screen on time. about 5 minutes talk time. Brightness at 10% except in sunlight.

If you are on wifi and can't get at least 16hrs out of this phone with 3 hours of screen on time there is something wrong with your device or battery. I normally spend 85% of my day on wifi. Brightness at 10%. Screen on 2-3 hours. And after 16hrs I usually plug it back in with 20-30% remaining.

timetoroot · Feb 29, 2012

I just recently purchased the app Tasker, love it! I have setup a profile that only turns on my data when I launch an app that uses data and turns off data when I exit that app. I have noticed significant improvements in my battery life. Below is how I set it up if it can help anyone else out.

New Profile: (You choose this name)
First Context: 'Tap' Application
'Tap' the apps you want to connect data upon launch.
'Tap' the green check mark when done.
Task Selection:'Tap' New Task (You choose this name)
Click the '+' icon to add the Task.
'Tap' Net
'Tap' Mobile Data
Choose "On" in drop down menu, then 'tap' the green check mark.
'Tap' the green check mark on the next screen to exit the "Task Edit."
On the next screen, long press "Mobile Data On"
'Tap' Add Exit Task
'Tap' New Task
Give it a name if you wish then 'tap' the green check mark.
'Tap' the '+' icon to add the Task.
'Tap' Net
'Tap" Mobile Data
Choose "Off" in drop down menu, then 'tap' the green check mark.
'Tap' the green check mark on the next screen to exit the "Task Edit."

You are done! You can add additional variables to that equation if you wish but the above is the simplest form I have found (granted I am new at this) of accomplishing turning data on with the launch of an app. Has worked flawlessly so far. I will note that you have a 3-5 second slight delay after launching the app until the data connects but for me it is worth the overall battery savings.

rickaltman · Feb 29, 2012

jr313 said:
You could update to 4.0.4 if your rooted or even if your not, im getting amazing battery life with stock rooted 4.0.4 and stock kernel 4g all day full bars also. I honestly am getting better battery life with this setup than any rom kernel combo ive used and im a flashoholic. give it a try you cant do anything but hopefully be pleased. This is with stock battery also. Im getting ar least 8 1/2 hrs a charge with moderate to heavy use and at least 2 1/2 hrs screen on time.

JR, I have resisted rooting (I'm a root virgin) b/c the ROI did not seem very high, but better battery life is a powerful inducement to try. From your accounts, you believe that it is very safe and relatively unobtrusive. However, I'm drowning in jargon -- is there an idiot's guide to rooting the GNX the way that you have?

Lucky Armpit · Feb 29, 2012

Tim K said:
Last week I ran over 29 hours on the stock battery, stock ROM, stock kernel
(rooted but nothing changed), no battery or task managers. 29 1/2 hours on battery. about 27hrs on wifi, 2hrs on 3g/4g. 2hrs 45min screen on time. about 5 minutes talk time. Brightness at 10% except in sunlight.

If you are on wifi and can't get at least 16hrs out of this phone with 3 hours of screen on time there is something wrong with your device or battery. I normally spend 85% of my day on wifi. Brightness at 10%. Screen on 2-3 hours. And after 16hrs I usually plug it back in with 20-30% remaining.

Guess I never thought about it that way... keeping the Wifi on all the time yields better battery life than 3G? I'm so used to turning off Wifi on my tablet to extend the battery life is why I ask. But I'm going to switch and see how I make out.

jr313 · Feb 29, 2012

rickaltman said:
JR, I have resisted rooting (I'm a root virgin) b/c the ROI did not seem very high, but better battery life is a powerful inducement to try. From your accounts, you believe that it is very safe and relatively unobtrusive. However, I'm drowning in jargon -- is there an idiot's guide to rooting the GNX the way that you have?

[GNex TOOLKIT V5.4] Drivers, Backup, Unlock, Root, CWM, Flash, Mods + MUCH MORE [LTE] - xda-developers use this link and its basically a 1-click rooting program that you dowload and install on your computer, it installs needed drivers and such. Just follow the directions and youll be fine it will even un-root and relock your bootloader.

rickaltman · Feb 29, 2012

By "unroot", do you mean that you can change your mind and return the phone to its native state? The only piece of jargon that I am familiar with is "bricking" a phone...hence, my fear.

viper689 · Mar 1, 2012

rickaltman said:
By "unroot", do you mean that you can change your mind and return the phone to its native state? The only piece of jargon that I am familiar with is "bricking" a phone...hence, my fear.

Yeah that's exactly what it means. When you unroot and OEM lock, it returns your phone to the state as when you first opened the box and took it out. All your data and settings would be wiped so be sure to back everything up, but unrooting would basically be like you never did anything to your phone.

rickaltman · Mar 1, 2012

I am reading everything carefully as I consider going forward with a root. In that linked discussion, I see the following instruction several times:

"Keep holding the 'Volume Up' and 'Volume Down' buttons and press the 'Power' button to boot the phone into FastBoot Mode."

This seems like an integral step, but also an impossible one on my GNX. The volume control is a rocker, depressed either one way or the other. It is not possible to hold VolUp and VolDown at the same time. How does one boot into FastBoot Mode on a Galaxy Nexus?

Tim K · Mar 1, 2012

Lucky Armpit said:
Guess I never thought about it that way... keeping the Wifi on all the time yields better battery life than 3G? I'm so used to turning off Wifi on my tablet to extend the battery life is why I ask. But I'm going to switch and see how I make out.

Yes, by all means turn on wifi. With your tablet leaving wifi off was good because no wifi uses less energy than wifi. On the phone though its not wifi vs nothing its wifi vs 3g/4g and both take more juice than wifi.

viper689 · Mar 1, 2012

rickaltman said:
I am reading everything carefully as I consider going forward with a root. In that linked discussion, I see the following instruction several times:

"Keep holding the 'Volume Up' and 'Volume Down' buttons and press the 'Power' button to boot the phone into FastBoot Mode."

This seems like an integral step, but also an impossible one on my GNX. The volume control is a rocker, depressed either one way or the other. It is not possible to hold VolUp and VolDown at the same time. How does one boot into FastBoot Mode on a Galaxy Nexus?

It's not impossible. Theoretically, yes, physically it would seem impossible to hold them both down at the same time, but it's not. Just give it a shot. Hold the down button and then press the up button and you'll see it's possible =)

Help Verizon - Galaxy Nexus - Ideas on how to improve battery life?

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