Stopping unused apps from running and killing battery

[elduderino0]

Hi,

I have a htc desire hd - I'm very new to android soplease forigve my ignorance. The battery is ok but it runs out in a day. I'm finding that even when I manage services like wifi, screen brightness, location services, bluetooth etc and swtich them off when not needed the battery runs out quickly. When I look at the battery usage the Android Os is always the thing using a signicant amount of the battery. Then when I look at what apps are running (setting>applications manage apps> running) I see there are lots of apps running that I haven't started or used in ages.

What am I supposed to do about this. I can't seem to stop them at all.

 

[Szadzik]

With 4.3" screen do not expect the battery to last a week mate. That is how it is with Android.

 

[Deleted User]

With 4.3" screen do not expect the battery to last a week mate. That is how it is with Android.

Agreed, you can't really expect to get more than a day, that is just how it is right now until battery technology catches up.

 

[lunatic59]

What am I supposed to do about this. I can't seem to stop them at all.

You're not supposed to stop them because they aren't actually "running" (using CPU cycles. They are simply kept in memory in a state ready to run based on usage.

You might find this informative ... Android Task Killers Explained: What They Do and Why You Shouldn't Use Them

 

[sitlet]

The battery is ok but it runs out in a day.

Thats completely normal for smartphones. My evo barely goes half a day.

Then when I look at what apps are running (setting>applications manage apps> running) I see there are lots of apps running that I haven't started or used in ages.

Dont worry. Do a search on here for "task killers" and you will learn more. Those apps arent "running", even though they are listed under Running Apps. they are just cached, not using any battery. If you try to use a task killer to kill them, the OS will just open them back up, using more battery than if you would have left them alone.

 

[elduderino0]

With 4.3" screen do not expect the battery to last a week mate. That is how it is with Android.

Ok, it's not the screen (and it only lasts a day - not a week!) - looking at battery usage now:

15h 15m 58secs since unplugged:

45% - android OS
20% cell standby
phone idle 14%
display 9%
android system 3%

etc

So as you can see my system is the thing that's using most of the battery.

You're not supposed to stop them because they aren't actually "running" (using CPU cycles. They are simply kept in memory in a state ready to run based on usage.

Yeah I read that. I'm not interested in killing apps just wondered why the OS eats so much battery.

 

[lunatic59]

Ok, it's not the screen (and it only lasts a day - not a week!) - looking at battery usage now:

15h 15m 58secs since unplugged:

45% - android OS
20% cell standby
phone idle 14%
display 9%
android system 3%

etc

So as you can see my system is the thing that's using most of the battery.

Yeah I read that. I'm not interested in killing apps just wondered why the OS eats so much battery.

I seem to remember reading something about syncing going out of control and causing unusually high OS usage. If my failing memory serves, two or more services try to sync simultaneously and get caught is a constant sync loop with the OS. I think the general fix for this was to do a battery pull. Shut down your phone and remove the battery and wait a few minutes. Then put it back in and charge to full. I think it has something to do with scheduled sync and you should vary the intervals to prevent this from happening in the future.

 

[elduderino0]

I seem to remember reading something about syncing going out of control and causing unusually high OS usage. If my failing memory serves, two or more services try to sync simultaneously and get caught is a constant sync loop with the OS. I think the general fix for this was to do a battery pull. Shut down your phone and remove the battery and wait a few minutes. Then put it back in and charge to full. I think it has something to do with scheduled sync and you should vary the intervals to prevent this from happening in the future.

OK, thanks. I'll try it. However how do i vary the intervals of the schedualed sync? I don't have a clue what this means. Do you mean schedule different programs to sync at different times? Under settings> account and sync i on;y let 1 app - gmail - to sync...is this what you're talking about?

 

[lennyjew]

You can try rooting if you haven't already. The custom ROMs seem to be a bit more efficient than the official ones.

Usually my stat's are

Display - 60%
Android system - 8%
Browser - 7%
Android OS -3%

... and so on. Point is that the ROM is running so efficiently that the display eats up more than anything.

As for syncing, yeah you have to set the update intervals within each program. I just disable and enable auto sync through the power widget as needed.

 

[elduderino0]

You can try rooting if you haven't already. The custom ROMs seem to be a bit more efficient than the official ones.

Usually my stat's are

Display - 60%
Android system - 8%
Browser - 7%
Android OS -3%

... and so on. Point is that the ROM is running so efficiently that the display eats up more than anything.

As for syncing, yeah you have to set the update intervals within each program. I just disable and enable auto sync through the power widget as needed.

That looks amore normal to me. Sorry but how did you root your phone...have seen a number of conflicting guidesd/tutorials on how to do this.

 

[lennyjew]

Each phone is different, I'd have to check into if/what it takes for the desire hd is.

I'll get back to you on that.

 

[elduderino0]

ok lennyjew, thanks

 

[lennyjew]

http://androidforums.com/desire-hd-...iversal-root-visionary-method-theunlockr.html

Read up on that, seems your phone has a quick root method. Feel free to voice any questions or concerns after reading up. I'll try to help if I'm around and I'm sure they'll be plenty of others willing to help as well

Edit: Hold off on that, I'm getting mixed reviews of that method.

 

[lunatic59]

OK, thanks. I'll try it. However how do i vary the intervals of the schedualed sync? I don't have a clue what this means. Do you mean schedule different programs to sync at different times? Under settings> account and sync i on;y let 1 app - gmail - to sync...is this what you're talking about?

That's where the majority of Google's syncing happens, but there are other apps and widgets that sync data. Weather apps, POP3 and Exchange mail, SMS, News feeds, etc. all which would be set under the individual apps. The more frequent the sync, the more timely the notification, but too much causes battery drain. I'd check with an app Like TrafficStats or Watchdog to see which are the biggest data/cpu users and go from there.

 

[lennyjew]

[GUIDE] How to root Desire HD (DHD) install h-boot (S-Off) and Clockwork recovery - xda-developers

It's the same method I posted before, just explains it a little more. I would probably skip the S-Off step for now.

After you get SU permissions permanently installed and get Clockwork Mod installed you can boot into recovery and make a nand backup (pretty much a windows restore point image)

Then you can try flashing a custom ROM, overclocking, set cpu profiles (with set spu)

 

[BookLover]

You can try rooting if you haven't already. The custom ROMs seem to be a bit more efficient than the official ones.

Usually my stat's are

Display - 60%
Android system - 8%
Browser - 7%
Android OS -3%

... and so on. Point is that the ROM is running so efficiently that the display eats up more than anything.

As for syncing, yeah you have to set the update intervals within each program. I just disable and enable auto sync through the power widget as needed.

My stats are similar and I am on an unrooted, custom ROM, Captivate:
Display 53%
Cell Standby 15%
Phone idle 10%
Android System 5%
Bluetooth 3%
Android OS 4%
Tasker 2%
Shop Savvy 2% (I never used this app after I unplugged the phone, so not sure why it was active to begin with. I ended up using Juice Defender to restrict it from Internet access to very 2 hours with some other apps instead of freely connecting).


OP,
If you don't know how to root, you don't need to. Try unrooted methods first to find out what's causing your OS to work so much. For example, install Watchdog Task Manager and use it to help you identify the runaway app that is using too much CPU.

You can always root later once you understand and become comfortable with the ramifications of rooting. Personally, I'd rather buy an extra battery (already did that) and deal with the occasional lag than risk bricking my phone and losing my warranty because I did something wrong. Rooting is easy, problem is troubleshooting is not if you run into issues. Too many variables. Just my 2 cents.

 

[lennyjew]

I've honestly had more unresolved issues with stock ROMs. And when you have a phone that reaches end of support life you're stuck with them.

It's my experience that when something is buggy in a custom ROM, the dev is working on fixing it and usually does so faster than an official OTA or OTW update would be released for bug fixes. In the mean time you have plenty of other ROMs to choose from.

But I agree with BookLover in the fact that you shouldn't root unless you know what you're getting into and feel comfortable in doing so. Until you get to that point, I'd exhaust the options he's pointed out.