Battery depleting seriously quickly from ~15% - 5% and then leveling off

[EastPhilly]

For some reason whenever my battery gets to ~15% it does a jump right down to 5%. Not sure if maybe the battery % widget I use is wrong or not, but most of the time I get no warning at 15% or 10%. After that it seems to drain pretty quickly. The battery tends to drain very quickly in general, after the JB update. My 15 minute bike ride to work used to only show the battery drop 1% (not using apps, screen off, etc...) and now it drops 5-6%. I'm not even using it! And to make it worse I can't even put it in sleep mode to save battery when not in use, but I'm ok with leaving it on now that I have my Pebble Smartwatch to use with it. Still kind of mad the battery dies very quickly.

Secondly. I cannot root. The Razr-Blade root utility goes all the way through. Says the process is done, but the phone is not rooted. it doesn't hang up on any steps, but it says some files failed to change or add. I had root on ICS and updated to JB through the official update without unrooting (didn't know to unroot). Now I cannot root to do some root things I used to that always helped save battery.

Any ideas?

 

[mattjenn]

I know it sucks but maybe a factory reset if you haven't already I always do one after a update in OS. Also check gps settings with Google now that could be using GPS settings while going to work could explain excess battery drain

 

[FoxKat]

For some reason whenever my battery gets to ~15% it does a jump right down to 5%. Not sure if maybe the battery % widget I use is wrong or not, but most of the time I get no warning at 15% or 10%. After that it seems to drain pretty quickly. The battery tends to drain very quickly in general, after the JB update. My 15 minute bike ride to work used to only show the battery drop 1% (not using apps, screen off, etc...) and now it drops 5-6%. I'm not even using it! And to make it worse I can't even put it in sleep mode to save battery when not in use, but I'm ok with leaving it on now that I have my Pebble Smartwatch to use with it. Still kind of mad the battery dies very quickly.

Secondly. I cannot root. The Razr-Blade root utility goes all the way through. Says the process is done, but the phone is not rooted. it doesn't hang up on any steps, but it says some files failed to change or add. I had root on ICS and updated to JB through the official update without unrooting (didn't know to unroot). Now I cannot root to do some root things I used to that always helped save battery.

Any ideas?

First thing I would ask is when was the last time you charged the phone to 100% with the power off - not simply screen off...but full power down, then plug in the charger to allow it to charge only?

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There is an exercise you can do that will often restore proper meter functionality and as a result give the impression of much longer lasting power. Truth is, it's not likely anywhere near 5% when it's saying so. Try the following "Meter Training".

1. Pick a time when you won't need the phone for any reason for at least several hours, then power it off completely. For the Droid 4, it's press and hold the power button until the "Phone options" screen appears. Then press "Power off". It may prompt you once again with an "Are you sure" window, to which you'd answer "Yes" (or something to that effect).
2. Now, plug the phone into the power adapter and USB Charging and Data cable that came with the phone. It's IMPORTANT to use the STOCK charger and cable, NOT a third-party one for this process.
3. Allow the phone to charge fully, to 100% while powered off. You must reach 100% or the process will not work properly. This process can take up to 3 hours for a fully discharged battery (0%).
   
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4. Once you're confident that at least 3 hours have passed, or if after briefly tapping one of the volume controls the phone displays the large battery and shows "100%", you can disconnect the power adapter.
5. Next, power up the phone and use it normally throughout the day, either all at once or off and on, but you must use it until you reach the "Low battery" warning (typically at 15%).
6. Once you see the "Low battery" warning screen, at the next opportunity repeat steps 1 through 4.
7. Finally, power up again and use as normal. You are fine reverting to your normal charge and use routine.

You should perform the procedure above about every 2-3 months to assure your battery and metering system are in agreement as to the true capacity and level of charge your battery is capable of.

Report back in a couple days after doing the above, and I will be willing to bet the strange battery meter and power level issues will have gone away.

 

[EastPhilly]

I'll try this when I can. THanks.