A simple Handcent question

[eghill1125]

I know there are a ton of handcent threads, but most just say they use it and like it. I also like Handcent and use it, but I have a quick question.

Does anyone feel Handcent uses battery more than it should? I know that when you receive a text, both Handcent and the stock messenger receive it. I have done all the necessary steps to stop the stock from being the default and stuff, but it still seems to me that if both are being used for receiving and sending texts, are we getting a double hit on battery???

My battery can sit around 98% for hours in the morning at work with a bad connection and as soon as I get 1 text, it starts to drop very quickly.

Is this taking a double toll on battery life by both messengers sending and receiving??

 

[thetomlin2]

I didnt see a difference in battery useage when I installed it on 1.5 ... I have noticed that using my phone uses battery quicker in 2.1 than in 1.5, but I wouldnt say its just with Handcent ... its with all uses.

 

[eghill1125]

I am thinking about trying the stock for a few days and see if it does seem to make any difference with only one app sending and receiving instead of both. Anyone who uses the stock messaging know of a way to make the messages private? Every text comes up with the message scrolling across the top instead of just showing the persons name only... Could be dangerous with kids..

 

[ral2108]

I am thinking about trying the stock for a few days and see if it does seem to make any difference with only one app sending and receiving instead of both.

I could be wrong, someone correct me if I am, but from a programming point of view I would think that the OS itself has a "mailbox" that both apps watch for new messages. both apps don't send and receive the same message.

As for battery issues with handcent, I have never had any. I keep very few apps running at all times and I keep mobile network and wifi off unless i need internet access (you can still text and make phone calls w/o mobile network)

 

[eghill1125]

Thanks for the responses ...

Here is what I have seen so far. My battery has consistently lost on average 4-6% an hour everyday the whole time I have had the phone from March. I started at 6:15 off charge this morning and by 11:15, I was down to 67% charge left after around 20 texts and checked a twitter account 2 times. I put my phone on charge to trickle some juice in and removed Handcent for the time being and set the stock back on my home screen. At 12:22, I took the phone off the computer here at work with 80% on it. Since that time I have had 8 text messages with my wife and check 1 email and 1 time on my Twitter account and I am sitting at 80% right now.. If this is how it will owrk on my phone, I will not change back for any customization of Handcent. This may be just the way my phone is working, but those are the actual text numbers and there is a big difference.

5 hours with Handcent texts - 20 or so - 33% battery gone
1hour and 5 minutes with Stock texts - 8 - 0 % battery used..

May change, may not. These phones all seem different for everyone.

Add on - it ended up being 1 hour and 10 minutes - 10 texts and now has dropped 1% down to 79%. This is really big if this holds true for me. I tend to text a lot to the wife and that has always been my drain on battery..

 

[truelove79]

This is just a guess at the Android msg architecture, someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think any app "receives" a text at all. The OS (Android) receives the text and shoves it into a database. All the messaging apps do is query this database, which is why all msgs show up in all sms apps on your phone. The question is: how often do sms apps query this database, is it a push or poll system, and do they still update when thy're not running if notifications are turned off. Again I have no idea how it all works, I'm just guessing.

Sent from my Eris using Tapatalk

 

[eghill1125]

That one is above my head..

Not sure how it works, but it does seem to me that the custom stuff on Handcent and Chomp might have to work a bit harder on the phone to show the fancy colors and stuff and that is draining my battery more than the stock is. The stock also seems to me to come up a lot quicker when clicking on it than Handcent was.

This all seems to really be helping me battery life now more than anything I have done in the past, but it also sucks too. I liked the custom colors and stuff with Handcent and think it is a good program, just not sure I want to use it now after checking how it is without it..

 

[truelove79]

Handcent and Chomp might have to work a bit harder on the phone to show the fancy colors and stuff and that is draining my battery more than the stock is.

There is no way that is true, at least not to any significance.

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