Tip: Save Battery Life

[stonedoubt]

I have seen alot of people complaining that their battery life is very short and I was having the same problem until I figured out how to fix the issue. When you aren't using your phone to use the internet you can shut off data services by going to Settings >> Wireless & networks and turning off "Mobile network" (right under VPN settings).

This does mean that your apps like facebook, email, etc won't work while it's off... but it's pretty easy to turn it back on and run the apps. I have found that the battery lasts a long time that way... typically it will only use 3-4% of the battery overnight if you shut off the data services.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I've thought about turning that off or turning off "Enable always-on mobile data" - as that does similar things, but only when your screen is off for 15? mins+. The only problem I've seen is that sometimes it takes some time to get re-attached to the 3g/4g networks and to me I want that always to be on and instantly available when I turn my phone on. I imagine that setting all your syncs to once a day would do something similar. So that's what I do, I just set Facebook just to sync once a day.

 

[stonedoubt]

Well it is a bit more than just app syncs... it takes power to search for towers and that is where the majority of the savings comes. If you are having to wait for reconnect then your 4G coverage isn't that good because it connects instantly for me.

 

[Fedz84]

i also turn off my mobile network when im not using it. htc even has a widget you can use to simply toggle on/off. with this method i get at least 13 hours. for me i dont need constant email and facebook updates throughout the day. during work breaks i just toggle the network on and check what i need to. works like a charm for me

 

[sidsixseven]

This is where I think the App "Tasker" really shines when you learn how to use it. You can setup Profiles that keep data off by default unless you have an App open that uses the internet. Same thing for GPS.

Or you can set it up so that when the Display turns off, data is turned off. When the display turns on -- data is turned on and it synchs.

Although, Tasker is so powerful and customizable, you need to think through the consequences of how you are making your phone act. If the data synchs every time the display turns on and that happens frequently -- you'll drain more battery. So you also need to set up a timestamp or cooldown of some sort to limit how often it synchs.

It's just a matter of saving the timestamp whenever you performed the Task:

Variable Set %MySynchStamp = %TIMES​

And then using an IF to check the timestamp before running the Task again:

%TIMES - %MySynchStamp > 1800​

In this example, 1800 is the number of seconds that needs to have taken place since the last time you saved the Time. 60 seconds * 30 minutes = 1800 seconds. %TIMES is a system variable I can't chance that provides the Time in seconds. The first step saves the time in a variable I am creating (you can name it anything, I named it MySynchStamp). The second step provides a simple math problem that compares the delay between the current time and the time I saved.

In this way, you could set it up so that the Display On event turns on Data and performs a Synch (but only if it hasn't synched within the last 30 minutes). Otherwise, when the Display is off, both data and synch are off.

I just wanted to provide this example, but there are literally thousands of ways you could configure Tasker for how you use your phone.

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Edit: By the way, I bought Tasker for battery life, but I would buy it again for the ability it provides me to lock specific applications. I can hand my kid my phone to play games and he can't go to the Market and install apps accidentally (on purpose) without a code.

 

[AMelis]

. typically it will only use 3-4% of the battery overnight if you shut off the data services.

It will typically use 0% of the battery if you plug it in overnight while you sleep......