Battery flat after having turned off Maps

[JBentleyR]

Hi,
I was using Google Maps during a journey yesterday (it's OK, my wife was driving!) and kept the phone charged up from the car battery.
When we arrived home, I made sure that cellular data, GPS, and the Google Maps app were all turned off. The battery was at 70% when I went to bed.
This morning, the phone wouldn't switch on (from standby), so I put it on to charge and re-booted it. The battery meter showed a constant drop overnight from the earlier 70% down to zero.
I have, in the past, found similar problems after having used NAVMII.
I assume that something has been running constantly overnight, despite the phone being off, and can only assume this is related to the Google Maps and NAVMII apps. The journey 'directions' I had been using had definitely ended and, to be sure, I deleted the journey route details.
Admittedly, the phone is now well over two years old, but the battery is still reasonable good for all other purposes.
Can anyone please offer any advice or explanation?

 

[kate]

Did you go to Settings - Battery to see which apps used the most power? Tapping each app will show more info.

If the phone is now fully charged those stats should have reset and you wont be able to see.

 

[JBentleyR]

Thanks for your quick response, Kate.
I can't remember what the list was like before the phone shut down overnight, but before I went to bed I do remember that Maps was high on the list and I clicked 'force stop'.
Incidentally, both Maps and NAVMII always seem to remain in the battery usage list after I have stopped using them, although as I understand it the standard battery usage app. is not exactly reliable!
Now, after re-booting, Maps doesn't appear on the list. Top is Mobile Standby 34% and WiFi 19%. WiFi, however, has been turned off since yesterday. This is something I don't understand, as I only turn on WiFi as and when I need it, yet it usually appears towards the top of the list.
BTW, I should mention that I am still using Android 4.4.4 and have never bothered with the update to 5.0.1 as it seems to work well on the old OS. Should I take the update?

 

[Daniel Fernandes]

What do you mean by standard battery usage app?

 

[JBentleyR]

What do you mean by standard battery usage app?

The one that came pre-installed when I bought the Nexus 5.

 

[Daniel Fernandes]

Then probably not snake oil... (?)

It could be a calibration error also. I have used a phone with 70% battery, but when I reboot it, it comes to 25%, if I reboot it again, it will come back to 70%...

And you can take the update, the phone isn't working well, it's battery...

 

[JBentleyR]

Thanks for your contribution, Daniel.

What I was really trying to ascertain is, if I update to version 5, will that improve the battery meter reliability or accuracy?

If it is just a calibration error, and the battery has not gone completely flat, would that cause the phone to turn off completely and require re-booting?

But more to the point, are Google Maps and NAVMII continuing to run in some way despite having been turned off. This would possibly explain the continued drop in battery level despite the phone being in a standby situation?

 

[kate]

are Google Maps and NAVMII continuing to run in some way despite having been turned off. This would possibly explain the continued drop in battery level despite the phone being in a standby situation?

It's possible the app is draining your battery, I've had an app do that. The way to check is looking at the battery stats when your battery is almost empty.

After charging the phone (and I think rebooting) the battery stats are reset.

Does the battery drain only happen after using Google Maps and NAVMII? Have you tried rebooting after using them to see if that helps?

If the battery drain only happens after using Google Maps and NAVMII I'd guess it's not a calibration error.

I am still using Android 4.4.4 and have never bothered with the update to 5.0.1 as it seems to work well on the old OS. Should I take the update?

Nexus 5 was upgradable to Android 6, if you want to install that after going to 5. They are supposed to be more power efficient. It's a good idea to backup important data on it first:
https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/2819582

 

[JBentleyR]

It's possible the app is draining your battery, I've had an app do that. The way to check is looking at the battery stats when your battery is almost empty.

After charging the phone (and I think rebooting) the battery stats are reset.

Does the battery drain only happen after using Google Maps and NAVMII? Have you tried rebooting after using them to see if that helps?

If the battery drain only happens after using Google Maps and NAVMII I'd guess it's not a calibration error.

Yes, that is certainly the impression I get. I did re-boot this morning (after I discovered the battery was completely flat) and the Maps entry on the battery meter had gone.

As this happens after using both Google Maps and NAVMII, I can only assume that I should make it a practice, after having used either app, to re-boot my phone completely before using it again.

It does sound like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but if there is no other option to effectively stop those maps from draining the battery, then that's what I must do.

I just think it is strange that no-one else has encountered this problem.

Nexus 5 was upgradable to Android 6, if you want to install that after going to 5. They are supposed to be more power efficient. It's a good idea to backup important data on it first:
https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/2819582

Yes, the only data I need to keep are photographs, which I shall back up to my laptop before upgrading to 5 and then 6.

Thanks very much for your help, Kate.

 

[JBentleyR]

Well, perhaps it's just me. In any event, I haven't read anything about others experiencing the same problem.

 

[Deleted User]

I should mention that I am still using Android 4.4.4 and have never bothered with the update to 5.0.1 as it seems to work well on the old OS. Should I take the update?

I liked KitKat on my Nexus 5, but gave in and decided to install all the updates this year, which brought it up to 6.0.1 and my battery drain has been worse on Marshmallow compared to using the phone the same way as on KitKat.

Also, Google fixed the mobile data loophole in Lollipop, so from Lollipop onward widgets can no longer enable and disable mobile data. I do miss this one click on/off use, but I knew about this before I took the plunge to update. I didn't expect the battery drain to get worse though.

 

[JBentleyR]

I liked KitKat on my Nexus 5, but gave in and decided to install all the updates this year, which brought it up to 6.0.1 and my battery drain has been worse on Marshmallow compared to using the phone the same way as on KitKat.

Also, Google fixed the mobile data loophole in Lollipop, so from Lollipop onward widgets can no longer enable and disable mobile data. I do miss this one click on/off use, but I knew about this before I took the plunge to update. I didn't expect the battery drain to get worse though.

Thanks for that. Just in time!
So I think I'll upgrade to Lollipop, but pass on Marshmallow and see how things go.

 

[JBentleyR]

I have upgraded, but find that I am now on 6.1. I had intended to stop at 5, but somehow the upgrades continued.
Also, I copied all my photos and music to my laptop. Now, when I try to copy them back to the phone, I receive the message "Cannot copy items. The device has either stopped responding or has been disconnected." (It hasn't.)

 

[JBentleyR]

Well, thank you all for your help and advice.
I shall assume the cause of the phenomenon is unknown and there is no known solution.

Incidentally, I found that all my photos and music were already there. I just had to download 'Photos' ('Gallery' seems to have gone), and click 'Play Music'.