facebook app hatred: example of its battery killing abilities

[gtbarry]

1) This is written by the current coworker of one of my former coworkers. I respect my former coworker and he respects this guy
2) This is an example of the facebook app running on an apple phone
3) If it is doing this on apple, I assume it is similar for Android

- As an iOS developer I know Instruments form Apple

 

[nickdalzell]

I'm still angry that they don't even have tablet support yet but iOS has had it forever. It sucks to see pictures and posts blown up to a 10 inch wide-screen tablet. Friend caster works in the interim but it's not a valid replacement.

 

[chanchan05]

Uh, isnt the Facebook app supposed to stay awake for a few secs every now and then to check for notifications? He only mentioned disabling chat.

 

[funkylogik]

Facebook causes substantial wakelocks and im using the app from a few versions ago because aparently it gets worse.
Tbh im only an occasional fb user these days so i might just stick to using m.facebook.com ive been moaning about their app for years now and they dont seem to really care that its crap :beer:

 

[Petrah]

I never have battery or wakelock issues with Facebook. But then again, I don't set it to unnecessarily check for updates every few seconds, which obviously is going to eat the battery. Any settings that I can disable or make manual, saves battery.

 

[mikedt]

Uh, isnt the Facebook app supposed to stay awake for a few secs every now and then to check for notifications? He only mentioned disabling chat.

Presumably because it's a real time internet app, it's regularly phoning home, telling them everything you're doing, and checking for updates and notifications.

A while back a friend of mine had problems with the pre-installed FB app on a phone he bought from HK, because the app couldn't contact FB because FB is blocked here. It was repeatedly trying and wouldn't take no for an answer, causing the phone to lag, using data and draining the battery.

Might be best to remove the FB app and just use the mobile site, if one really must have FB and can't live without it.

 

[divinebovine]

I never have battery or wakelock issues with Facebook. But then again, I don't set it to unnecessarily check for updates every few seconds, which obviously is going to eat the battery. Any settings that I can disable or make manual, saves battery.

Based on this I decided to go check out settings on mine.
Menu -> Settings

• I turned off Chat Availability.
• Refresh interval was set to 1 hour already. I went ahead and set it to Never.
• I turned off Messenger location services (not for battery but for privacy...I don't need FB posting my location every time I comment on something).
• Sync Photos is already off.
• I turned off Notifications.
• Sync Contacts was already off.

I'm not waiting with bated breath for people to comment on my stuff, I just want the app available when I'm bored.

 

[MLSS]

It doesn't drain my phone because I keep notifications turned off and I turn refresh off..

 

[chanchan05]

I actually kept all the default settings on Facebook and I open it a lot but ot doesn't drain too much of my battery that I notice. I still get from morning to before I sleep on moderate usage. Heck if I follow the standby power consumption rate of my phone overnight, it could reach up to 30hrs, and that's with mobile data on, with GreenPower as the battery saver. For a phone with just a 1500mah battery, that's quite good.

 

[gtbarry]

Uh, isnt the Facebook app supposed to stay awake for a few secs every now and then to check for notifications? He only mentioned disabling chat.

I assumed this meant that he disabled updates:

After this discovery I searched for a way to disable this background actions. So I thought: you can disable the chat inside the app. Probably the app is just running because it is waiting for calls.

But upon further review, I would have to side with you and say that it seems more likely that he left updates running - as he does not specifically say that he disabled them.

 

[gtbarry]

Facebook causes substantial wakelocks and im using the app from a few versions ago because aparently it gets worse.
Tbh im only an occasional fb user these days so i might just stick to using m.facebook.com ive been moaning about their app for years now and they dont seem to really care that its crap :beer:

I agree 100%! I had version 2.3 (the store is now v3.3) installed until yesterday. I've been wanting to delete it for a while.

I admit the facebook app is very well made and easy to use. But it is a battery drain, resource hog and over extends permissions (as does facebook in general).

Slowly I weened myself over the last 2-3 months back to using the mobile browser interface and I won't miss the app at all. I kept it this long because it was v2.3 and was less invasive than the newer versions.

I figured that if I went back to the facebook app I would rather have v2.3 than whatever the current was. I now believe it is more likely I will leave facebook with the masses before I find a reason to use the facebook app again.

 

[gtbarry]

Based on this I decided to go check out settings on mine.
Menu -> Settings

• I turned off Chat Availability.
• Refresh interval was set to 1 hour already. I went ahead and set it to Never.
• I turned off Messenger location services (not for battery but for privacy...I don't need FB posting my location every time I comment on something).
• Sync Photos is already off.
• I turned off Notifications.
• Sync Contacts was already off.

I'm not waiting with bated breath for people to comment on my stuff, I just want the app available when I'm bored.

Do me (and perhaps yourself) a favor. Remember what settings you have turned off and what you have left on.

If you search my posts related to facebook over the last few months, you will see I have noted, on more than one occasion, that I have turned off ALL notifications in facebook v2.3. Then weeks or months later found them all turned back on again despite my using the app only once a week or (as I was using the mobile browser version instead) and not once even opening settings in the app.

 

[MLSS]

Do me (and perhaps yourself) a favor. Remember what settings you have turned off and what you have left on.

If you search my posts related to facebook over the last few months, you will see I have noted, on more than one occasion, that I have turned off ALL notifications in facebook v2.3. Then weeks or months later found them all turned back on again despite my using the app only once a week or (as I was using the mobile browser version instead) and not once even opening settings in the app.

That is strange. I never have notification or refresh settings reset. Even after updates,

 

[nickdalzell]

if the phone randomly restarts most settings get reverted back to defaults because it's an improper shut down. most folks who keep stock lock screen wouldn't notice if their phone rebooted. my date/time is reset to Dec 2006 at 6PM too if it restarts.

 

[funkylogik]

I agree 100%! I had version 2.3 (the store is now v3.3) installed until yesterday. I've been wanting to delete it for a while.

I admit the facebook app is very well made and easy to use. But it is a battery drain, resource hog and over extends permissions (as does facebook in general).

Slowly I weened myself over the last 2-3 months back to using the mobile browser interface and I won't miss the app at all. I kept it this long because it was v2.3 and was less invasive than the newer versions.

I figured that if I went back to the facebook app I would rather have v2.3 than whatever the current was. I now believe it is more likely I will leave facebook with the masses before I find a reason to use the facebook app again.

I just wish my friends would start using G+ lol. Theyre so set in their ways :banghead::banghead:
i love how G+ works but i only use it for geek purposes just now.
(Smity Smith if any geeks wana add me) :beer:

 

[eugenerudenko]

Don't even know why I've installed FB on my device - don't use it and deleted the app before writing this post