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Help Is high CPU usage normal on android?

alpha2k

Android Expert
Nov 19, 2009
929
114
I'm not sure exactly what's going on because I'm not a really in-depth android guru, so I will post what I do know and understand and maybe it can be resolved.

I noticed today in task manager that cpu usage was hovering at 45% to 55% on avg, and spiking to 85% clear up to 98% at times. Well this had me puzzled and wondering so I started digging, and thought perhaps an app was flaking out, or maybe I needed to ditch an app of sorts.
So it began I started uninstalling apps, checking task manager, no change, another app, and so on for about 10 apps I thought might be the issue, namely all the notification ones and background apps, such as widgets.
I checked once again with no change so I rebooted. Same thing.

So now I am at the point I am going to just reset to factory defaults with NO apps, ALL factory settings set as they are so nothing can be blamed for interfering.

Now here I am, all factory reset, with zero apps installed other than the phones default ones, and have touched no settings at all throughout the system. Same shortcuts and such on the desktop, havn't changed a single thing.

I have run task manager and I'm idleing at 45% - 55% cpu usage.

I let the phone set for about 10-20 mins, re-check it and it hovering at 20%-30%, then finally sticks around 18%-23% area.

When I checked with an app called OS Monitor, it showed that the active process that was so high usage was called "system" (not android os thats is a different process) this was before I factory reset the phone and the phone had a 45%-55% CPU usage at idle doing nothing.

So I guess my questions are...
-Is this normal with android the high spikes and staying so high CPU usage?
-Doesn't the high CPU usage drain the battery faster? if so how much faster?
-Could low battery have any effect on the CPU usage at all? My batter was between 14% and 20% when I noticed this happening this evening.
 
Ok this is getting a bit irritateing now!
I have a total of 4 apps installed, they are as follows:
-Digi clock widget
-Wigiestsoid - Two 4x1 toggle bars in notification (not on homescreen) with 5 toggles on each
-App Backup & Restore
and
-Alarm Clock Plus

When I went to bed last night I checked the task manager and it was idleing at between 9% and 12%, this I can handle and am fine with.
My 3g/data is off, as is my wifi, gps, live wallpapers, animations, pretty much any thing that can suck the battery I turn off and toggle what is needed when it is needed.

I wake up this morning and check the task manager and when I first see it it reads 37%, then jumps a few seconds later to 87% and idles between 87% and 98%. I have let the phone sit for up to 30 mins like this without a change and without seeing it go down.

I have rebooted, killed every app possible except for the system specific ones that need to run ie: the ui type files.
I have also shut down and restarted, thinking it was something stuck in a loop or something. When I shut down and restarted, I decided why not pull the battery, so I have done that also, just for safety measures.

So what gives?!?!?!?!?

I'm now wondering if I am plagued once again with a faulty product.


HELP! I'm desperate now, anyone have any suggestions, other than root which isn't at a perfect stage right now anyways.

Anyone, anyone? Zte reps??

I've exhausted everything I know to do.
 
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It's not a matter of heat. It doesn't heat up at all.

It's a matter of 2 things.....
1- saving or cutting down on the battery usage and battery draining fast
2- smoothness and or laggyness of the phone and phone use.

It also is a matter of if this phone has issues, I need to know about it so as to either not make the same mistake, or fix the issue at hand.
 
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So....only 1 reply, and that's it, not a single ZTE Rep decided to help.
Real assuring to see this. (that's sarcasm for those who were interested)

I guess I'll start by my final findings.
I chose 4-6 apps to install, and stuck with those 4-6 apps all day. I've done 4 phone resets total today, and 2 yesterday. I have installed these 4-6 apps in no particular order, one at a time, making sure to test each one to see if the cpu usage spiked at all. At between the 4-6 app, is where I get the cpu spike. I then reset the phone to factory default again, and since I was thinking that last app was the bad app, I install THAT app fist this time. Well to my shock and surprise, nothing went wrong. So all this install of the apps in no order, each time is a different order, and still the same result between the 4-6 app install, and bingo it happens the same way EVERY time.
So I uninstall EVERY app I installed already, reboot the phone, pull the battery, count 10 seconds (1001, 1002, etc..), put the battery back in the phone and boot the phone up. No app installed, and only factory default items/apps....I check task manager, and bingo, cpu spike 85%-95%.
I can replicate this EVERY time I do this, not using a pattern of apps to install, but it happens every time. I've been on my phone this reset about 6 hrs now, and every time I check task manager, I get the cpu spike.
Another note I will add is every time I reset to factory default, the cpu spike didn't happen until between that 4th to 6th app, so I know once I reset the phone again I will have magically fixed the cpu spike. If I keep the phone in this state, it's fine as long as I do not install any apps. I ran my phone this way early this morning for about 2 hours with no cpu spike.


I am going to exchange the phone out and see how the next one fairs, but I don't really hold much hope in it, because it seems ZTE has abandoned this phone too. After spending a wasted 30 mins of my life on the phone with ZTE tech support, the broken language barrier, and the not understanding anything, I don't expect much in the way of them replying or responding back to my threads either. I'm cool with that I guess, not like I have a choice in the matter, I guess if anything I wish I could get that 30 mins of my life back.

I am also leaving both zte reps a private message with my phone number, so PLEASE feel free to call voice, because I will truly be surprised if I even get a call.
 
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Well it is a sad day for me today.
I traded out my phone for another one, and did the same steps, and yep, got the same results, 85% to 95% cpu usage. :(

Zte said they were looking into it, so I will at least give them the benefit of the doubt, before I decide to ditch it.

I love the phone, it has a lot of potential, if not for this extremely high cpu usage, the phone would be a nice fit for me. I would imagine others are having the same issue as I do, but not sure, no one posts so it's hard to even tell. I'm thinking everyone has moved on to other phones.

Update:
Some way some how, the phone worked out all it's kinks lol. I have NOT a clue why or what happened, but it's working fine now. I have everything on I did before and cpu is avg idle of 8%-13%, norms while active can range from 25%-45%, and spikes up to 65%-78%, but the spikes drop down to norm or idle percentages quickly....it's expected when activity is going on.

So in my head I am throwing a BIG party right now :).
 
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If your phone is new, give it a couple of days for it to settle down. This is Android "remembering" your phone usage - it actually optimizes itself.

I had the same thing happen to my S3 and was going nuts because I was doing the same as you.

Give it a couple of days, and if it's still no good, then it's a hardware issue (faulty battery maybe).

Get JuiceDefender and monitor with Watchdog Task Manager Lite.
 
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If your using the task manager, don't, it will ALWAYS show cpu usage high.
I learned that in task manager, and also an app called OS monitor, in both the cpu usage was high. I'm not sure why exactly but when in those apps they were high. I think it's the way the system is reading the usage.

A better way to check is download OS Monitor from the play store, and use it via the notification tray, you should notice better cpu usage.

When I was in Task manager and OS Monitor, inside the apps, both read 85% to 95% most all the time. When useing OS Monitor in the notification it showed quite a bit lower cpu usage.
 
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