lavellep

Well-Known Member
Jan 7, 2010
127
5
36
Hi all.
Thanks for stopping by to read this.
My question is regarding the battery on the s2. I know it has never been considered phenomenal but mine seems to be getting worse., not better.
When I first got my handset only a month ago,, from a full charge., I could use it continuously for about 30-40 minutes before I'd drop from 100% now, I'm managing to go from 100% to 90% in about half an hour. My phone doesn't have anything else running in task manager., plus wifi is off and I have the brightness turned down. Am I being dense?

Thanks.
 
installed any new apps recently? added a new widget? something that is always running in the background or updating every hour or so. these wouldnt show in ur task manager. check out settings/applications/running services.. and see if there's any unnecessary process running.
 
Wow - that's great. Thanks for this. Turns out I have about 28 processes running.
Some are widgets I downloaded but are not actually being used on the screen - will they still be hogging battery power?
I'm tempted to run a new FW on it as I gather that they can help fix battery life but I don't really know what I'm doing. I don't want to lose any functionality and despite reading the tutorials, I may as well be reading mandarin for all the sense it makes to me. I am fairly tech savvy and was a jail breaker on the iPhone but I just don't seem to be able to get my head around it on Android.
 
widgets not being used on the homescreen should not drain battery, nor should they show up in ur running processes list.. however, just note any new app/widgets that u installed.. and check if theyre using a lot of battery, using the battery usage as steslatt said.
upgrading firmware is very easy, u just need to get started once and u'll realize :D its not rooting, u dont have to root to flash new firmware.. go here:
[ROM + Guide]Official i9100 Firmwares KF1/2/3/4/, KG1/2/3/5/6/7, KH1/3 Download - xda-developers

flash XXKG5 if u wanna stick to official firmware, or XXKH3 if u dont mind trying out a leaked firmware.. both are great on battery, and nothing will be changed on ur phone..

rooting can also help save battery life, by freezing unused system apps that drain battery.. u can also control which apps auto start, etc etc.. these methods too have really helped me extend my battery life.. the best and easiest rooting method is the CF root method.. here's the guide

[17.08.2011][CF-Root v4.1] KE2/7/8, KF1/2/3/4, KG1/2/3/5/6/7, KH1/3 - su+bb+CWM4 - xda-developers

hope this helps :)
 
Wow, Heshanj. Thanks so much for taking the time to write all that. I'm going to read it all now.

Just a few quick questions:

* If i upgrade fw, is it like doing an update on an iPhone or like a factory reset? i.e.. will I lose everything and the configurations I have?

* Can it be undone? ie. How would I obtain and ref lash with the original FW if it didn't work out?

* Are there any things that are lost in doing this to the phone? Any bits of the OS or functions no longer available?

* Can it be done via a mac?

Thanks again.

widgets not being used on the homescreen should not drain battery, nor should they show up in ur running processes list.. however, just note any new app/widgets that u installed.. and check if theyre using a lot of battery, using the battery usage as steslatt said.
upgrading firmware is very easy, u just need to get started once and u'll realize :D its not rooting, u dont have to root to flash new firmware.. go here:
[ROM + Guide]Official i9100 Firmwares KF1/2/3/4/, KG1/2/3/5/6/7, KH1/3 Download - xda-developers

flash XXKG5 if u wanna stick to official firmware, or XXKH3 if u dont mind trying out a leaked firmware.. both are great on battery, and nothing will be changed on ur phone..

rooting can also help save battery life, by freezing unused system apps that drain battery.. u can also control which apps auto start, etc etc.. these methods too have really helped me extend my battery life.. the best and easiest rooting method is the CF root method.. here's the guide

[17.08.2011][CF-Root v4.1] KE2/7/8, KF1/2/3/4, KG1/2/3/5/6/7, KH1/3 - su+bb+CWM4 - xda-developers

hope this helps :)
 
You dont lose any data when updating firmware.
It can be undone by flashing your original firmware (download a copy first)
Yes sometimes some functions are lost like text message skins are no longer present in the newer firmwares.
 
You are likely using more power because of an application that is polling the server for data. This could be a weather or social networking software. If the battery is all of a sudden being consumed quicker, there has to be a reason.
 
I've rooted. Pleased to say that it wasn't as painful as I expected. but bricking it about replacing the fw as haven't a clue which to pick for my needs (better battery) and xda-developers is sooooo hard to understand if you're a newbie.
Thanks fo ryour help!!
 
Wow, Heshanj. Thanks so much for taking the time to write all that. I'm going to read it all now.

Just a few quick questions:

* If i upgrade fw, is it like doing an update on an iPhone or like a factory reset? i.e.. will I lose everything and the configurations I have?

* Can it be undone? ie. How would I obtain and ref lash with the original FW if it didn't work out?

* Are there any things that are lost in doing this to the phone? Any bits of the OS or functions no longer available?

* Can it be done via a mac?

Thanks again.

ur welcome :) steslatt has already answerd those questions. i hope take the plunge n flash an update (even without rooting) the only thing i can think of thats missing is the messaging app themes.. apart from that, its pretty much all benefits (the biggest one being battry life almost doubling, in my case)
 
Not sure if its gonna make any difference but...
I followed one of the latest posts in tips & tricks sticky on this forum, started the phone in safe mode and it sorted my phone out as regards to memory usage etc, my phone seemed to be alot more responsive after rebooting, maybe nothing but try it, it maybe because there are less things running in the background and using more power.