Battery sucks after update

[gdoane]

I've read several posts that suggested turning off wi-fi to extend battery life and I don't get why. My experience with wi-fi is that the phone rocks with it on, it's at least five times faster and if it's transceiving to/from my router that's no distance at all, 40-50 feet.

I have an iPod Touch (I know, the enemy, LOL) and it's running wi-fi all the time with no real loss of battery life. I actually got into the habit of using it as my de facto TV Guide which is something the Droid is going to be pressed into service for (it does have a nicer screen) but I'd think wi-fi on would save battery life, not burn it.

The way I understand the data transfers, the phone has to ask for data.

Phone: "Give me data, please"

Then the provider has to say "okay".

Provider: "Okay"

Then there's a total protocol where the provider and the phone communicate where they handshake and say "did you get the data?" and "I got the data" back and forth, which I'd think would take a lot less power on wi-fi than it does over a 3G network. After all, radios talking 50 feet don't need as much juice as radios talking several miles.

The way I use my Droid, which is near a Wi-Fi hot spot probably more than half the time, I'm keeping Wi-Fi on. The phone is faster on Wi-Fi, and I don't see how it really does anything but SAVE battery life.

 

[Hooblaim]

Sam here I hav an itouch and it never drains battery that much on wifi and also the standby on my itouch is amazing, I don't loose 20% fo having it in airplane mode over night.

 

[raven1911]

Ok..looks like I will be the first to post apps.
Viz battery
Aldiko
Astro
Backgrounds
Barcode scanner
Bartender
Car loan basic
Cardio trainer
Digital clock widget
Dock runner
Dowload crutch
Fishn2go
Google goggles
Google sky map
Handcent
Home switcher
Home ++ beta
Internal memory widget
Jewels log collector
Mototorch led
My tracks
Panda beta
Pandora
PdaNet
% calculater
Places directory
Poke a mole
Remindme
Robodefense
Sd card memory widget
Shazam
Shop savvy
Shot tracker
Sportstap
Weather channel (had weatherbug but deleted couple days ago)
Tipper
Where
I don't have gps,wifi or BT on. Screen brightness is pretty low. I will try the *228 update tonite.

 

[kdhpga]

I haven't changed anything since the update and my battery is dying overnight when it never did before. Love the phone but hope the battery issue gets resolved.

 

[pichinco]

Make sure that the PRL version is 51716, which was released right after the 2.0.1 update. I would do a Power off/Battery pull also.

I'm roaming and stuck with PRL version 51638. I was able to get the update by downloading it to my SD card and installing it that way. I'm not sure how to get the updated PRL version. I was hoping that would help with my battery life. I'm another who saw a bit of a decrease with the update.

Any ideas how to get the newer PRL? I turned on wireless hoping to get it that way, but no luck so far.

 

[Hooblaim]

A long shot, but have people tried dialing *228, then option 1 and also option 2 (which updates the PRL) after doing the update?

My battery life was pretty horrendous prior, but after performing the reprogram with moderate usage I'm sitting at 80% at the end of the day (Gmail push on, 3 other emails fetching every 15 minutes, Beautiful Widgets with Geo, App update via Market, some browsing, a few phone calls, and 20 texts)

Thanks. I tried that just now. will let you know later.

Make sure that the PRL version is 51716, which was released right after the 2.0.1 update. I would do a Power off/Battery pull also.

Thank god I got that prl. Guess my battery isn't that bad as some people.

 

[fr4c]

Make sure that the PRL version is 51716, which was released right after the 2.0.1 update. I would do a Power off/Battery pull also.

I'm roaming and stuck with PRL version 51638. I was able to get the update by downloading it to my SD card and installing it that way. I'm not sure how to get the updated PRL version. I was hoping that would help with my battery life. I'm another who saw a bit of a decrease with the update.

Any ideas how to get the newer PRL? I turned on wireless hoping to get it that way, but no luck so far.

Dial *228 on your phone, then option 2. This updates your PRL.

 

[backlash]

Sam here I hav an itouch and it never drains battery that much on wifi and also the standby on my itouch is amazing, I don't loose 20% fo having it in airplane mode over night.

I just started using Timeriffic to set certain modes at certain times of the day. Before when I would charge at night and take it off, usually before 10pm, by morning time, I would have dropped to 90% already. Last night I used Timeriffic to put the phone in airplane mode from 10pm to 7am, when I woke up this morning, I still had 100% charge. When 8am hit, I dropped down to 90%, meh.

 

[Hooblaim]

Mine drained in airplane mode because I put it inbefore I slept but again it was the first day I got it.

 

[keiichi25]

I've read several posts that suggested turning off wi-fi to extend battery life and I don't get why. My experience with wi-fi is that the phone rocks with it on, it's at least five times faster and if it's transceiving to/from my router that's no distance at all, 40-50 feet.

I have an iPod Touch (I know, the enemy, LOL) and it's running wi-fi all the time with no real loss of battery life. I actually got into the habit of using it as my de facto TV Guide which is something the Droid is going to be pressed into service for (it does have a nicer screen) but I'd think wi-fi on would save battery life, not burn it.

The way I understand the data transfers, the phone has to ask for data.

Phone: "Give me data, please"

Then the provider has to say "okay".

Provider: "Okay"

Then there's a total protocol where the provider and the phone communicate where they handshake and say "did you get the data?" and "I got the data" back and forth, which I'd think would take a lot less power on wi-fi than it does over a 3G network. After all, radios talking 50 feet don't need as much juice as radios talking several miles.

The way I use my Droid, which is near a Wi-Fi hot spot probably more than half the time, I'm keeping Wi-Fi on. The phone is faster on Wi-Fi, and I don't see how it really does anything but SAVE battery life.

I believe the problem stems more on when WiFi is looking for a connection versus having one. Just leaving it on when it doesn't establish a connection, it will try and find one like having a weaker signal, it will push the radio a little harder to establish one.

As for WiFi being faster than 3G, it is more implementation process difference in signal. WiFi is meant for very short range, like about 30 to 40 feet, just enough to cover a few rooms. The 3G technology is suppose to cover much longer distances. Kind of like how AM radio was great, but once you go into a bridge or tunnel it gets gets really bad due to the Faraday Cage Effect created by the steel beams and bars used to reinforce underpass bridges and tunnels. FM radio doesn't suffer the problem as much because Faraday Cage Effects are more noticeable against Amplitude Modulation versus Frequency Modulation signals.

 

[aosman]

Dead overnight

I went to bed last night with a full charge, when i woke up eight hours later the phone was as dead as a door nail. Nothing running, it was just on standby, the battery life is horrible after the update for me, i don't get it.

That's exactly what is happening to me! I went to bed last night very late after midnight and I had over 80% or batter. I used task killer to kill all apps and turned of wifi and turned off background services. I woke up at late around 7AM wondering why my phone alarm clock did not wake me at 6AM!! I found the phone dead!!!!
This is not the first time I wake up with the phone dead even after having a good charge before going to bed.

I checked the battery usage this morning and here is what I found:

Display 35%
Phone idle 32%
Cell Standby 26%
Android OS 4%
Android System 4%
Email 2%

My idle seems to be high at 32% ??? I typically kill any backgroupd apps when I don't use the phone for a while.


My apps should not matte because I kill them before I go to bed. Here is what I have installed:

3G watchdog
advanced task killer free
Amazon
Analog Compass
AndFTP
Android LightSaber
Astro
Backgrounds
Barcode Scanner
BBC
Bubble
Spare Parts
com.paad.compass
Compass
Cyan Candy
Dial Zero
Digg Reader
Documents To Go
Dolphin Browser
Easy Dialer
Gallery
Gmote
Goggles
Google Sky Map
iMusic
Labyrinth Lite
Maps
MarioSimulator
midNite movie
Mobile Banking
Mother TED
Movies
MyIP
News Pro
Notice News
OpenTable
PdaNet
PicSay
Places Directory
Poke A Mole
Radar Now
Reuters
Robo Defense Free
Shazam
ShopSavvy
Slashdot Reader
Snake
Sound Manager
Steamy Window
Steel
Sunrise, Sunset
Super Mario Sounds and Rings
TasKiller
TechCrunch
TED
The Weather Channel
Trapster
Ultrachron Lite
Volume Control
Win7
Yellowbook

Its a long list but I don't leave anything running... Is it possible that their could be some apps that are still running that Advanced Task Manger or TasKiller does not see?

 

[backlash]

Are any of those chat clients? I've read that those drain..........well anything that syncs of pings constantly really.

Off topic, but I just downloaded "bubble" last night, pretty neat.

 

[raven1911]

aosman,

Here is what apps we have in common....

Astro
barcode scanner
backgrounds
goggles
sky map
PdaNet
Places
Poke a Mole
Robodefense
Shazam
Shop savvy
weather channel

I believe the only one that would want constant flow of battery juice is weather channel? I had weather bug installed before the update and got rid of it because I thought it was hogging my battery. Any other ideas? I really need to figure this out.

 

[hookbill]

aosman,

Here is what apps we have in common....

Astro
barcode scanner
backgrounds
goggles
sky map
PdaNet
Places
Poke a Mole
Robodefense
Shazam
Shop savvy
weather channel

I believe the only one that would want constant flow of battery juice is weather channel? I had weather bug installed before the update and got rid of it because I thought it was hogging my battery. Any other ideas? I really need to figure this out.

Weather channel? That's really just a web short cut.

Does anyone else want to see this thread just die?

 

[keiichi25]

I went to bed last night with a full charge, when i woke up eight hours later the phone was as dead as a door nail. Nothing running, it was just on standby, the battery life is horrible after the update for me, i don't get it.

That's exactly what is happening to me! I went to bed last night very late after midnight and I had over 80% or batter. I used task killer to kill all apps and turned of wifi and turned off background services. I woke up at late around 7AM wondering why my phone alarm clock did not wake me at 6AM!! I found the phone dead!!!!
This is not the first time I wake up with the phone dead even after having a good charge before going to bed.

I checked the battery usage this morning and here is what I found:

Display 35%
Phone idle 32%
Cell Standby 26%
Android OS 4%
Android System 4%
Email 2%

My idle seems to be high at 32% ??? I typically kill any backgroupd apps when I don't use the phone for a while.

I believe the phone idle is reasonably alright, although the display being higher than Standby and Cell idle. Using mine as a comparison, I have 10% display time, 26% standby and 40% idle with a 2d 1h 46m since unplug. Although check at the top, those stats might be way off as well if you just unplugged recently, so it doesn't have a longer standing information on the usage. If this is longer than a few hours, I really be more worried about what is making your phone's display usage seem so abnormally high.

My apps should not matte because I kill them before I go to bed. Here is what I have installed:

3G watchdog
advanced task killer free
Amazon
Analog Compass
AndFTP
Android LightSaber
Astro
Backgrounds
Barcode Scanner
BBC
Bubble
Spare Parts
com.paad.compass
Compass
Cyan Candy
Dial Zero
Digg Reader
Documents To Go
Dolphin Browser
Easy Dialer
Gallery
Gmote
Goggles
Google Sky Map
iMusic
Labyrinth Lite
Maps
MarioSimulator
midNite movie
Mobile Banking
Mother TED
Movies
MyIP
News Pro
Notice News
OpenTable
PdaNet
PicSay
Places Directory
Poke A Mole
Radar Now
Reuters
Robo Defense Free
Shazam
ShopSavvy
Slashdot Reader
Snake
Sound Manager
Steamy Window
Steel
Sunrise, Sunset
Super Mario Sounds and Rings
TasKiller
TechCrunch
TED
The Weather Channel
Trapster
Ultrachron Lite
Volume Control
Win7
Yellowbook

Its a long list but I don't leave anything running... Is it possible that their could be some apps that are still running that Advanced Task Manger or TasKiller does not see?

I know you say you don't have apps running, although this is more of a question on also how you have ATK and TasKiller set up? I know with ATK, I made most of the apps registered as kill and left some not killed.

I bolded some of your apps and wondering how you also have them configured. While you may have ATK and TasKiller killing them, I am wondering if some of them are like what Cereal Killer has mentioned where they will try to start up again due to being a Widget or it doing a background process once in a while for updating. I don't know all the apps I highlighted, although I highlighted the ones that would be something that might poll for information that might be inadvertently set to do so, even if you kill the app.