Battery life - post update - strange but true

[robo21]

I'm going to T-mo on Friday to see if they'll give me a warranty replacement. Prior to the update, I had no complaints about the battery life. I'm on my 3rd battery, and still the same results. I've tried reseting the phone, starting from scratch, same results. This morning, I unplugged my phone, disabled wireless and gps, and just let the phone idle. It lasted 6.5 hours before it died.

Of course, that is completely unacceptable performance. I'm assuming that you got your replacement batteries from Tmobile customer care, if Tmobile has replaced your batteries already then you will have no problem getting a warranty replacement. They usually try to troubleshoot before making a warranty replacement and the first likely suspect would be a defective battery.

One question though, you say you disabled "wireless and gps and just let the phone idle." What was your wireless network setting, WCDMA or GSM? You may want to try that again from fully charged with a GSM only setting.

 

[robo21]

hi to all, can some one help me with my battery problem, i have a droid x, i noticed whn im using wifi, my baterry last around 8-10 hrs with moderate use, gps and bluetooth off, but when i switch to 3g like when i go out, my battery drains so fast like it will only last for 3 hrs from 100 % charge down to 5%, i also notice that above the speaker there is significant amount of heat to touch as compared when wifi ON, can any one help me with this, do i need to bring my droid x to verizon and have it replace? i tried every setting to conserve battery but it seems that all is the same. desperately needing help right now, thanks

Hi bluertooth and welcome to the forum!

It could be that you are in a weak or fringe 3G area. Most smart phones and all Android based smart phones are subject to rapid battery drain IF this is the case. In fact, other things being equal, this could be the single most serious drain on the battery. And of course, any phone (smart or not-so-smart) will heat up under heavy battery usage.

If this isn't your situation and you are in a solid 3G area then you probably have a hardware issue or bad battery.

Finally, you probably want to post over in the Droid X forum also. This may be a known issue with this device that we are unaware of here in the Vibrant forum area.

Good luck, and again welcome.

 

[Deleted User]

I'm going to T-mo on Friday to see if they'll give me a warranty replacement. Prior to the update, I had no complaints about the battery life. I'm on my 3rd battery, and still the same results. I've tried reseting the phone, starting from scratch, same results. This morning, I unplugged my phone, disabled wireless and gps, and just let the phone idle. It lasted 6.5 hours before it died.

I got a waranty exchange with no problem.. I too tried new battery from t-mobile, and they also gave me a new sim card.. no help.. You should probably just call customer care, I don't think they can do anything for you in the store except maybe make the call for you if they aren't busy..

I called on monday, easily got a warranty exchange and they told me it would be 7 days.. on Tuesday I got a text saying that it had been shipped and that it would be 7 days, and on Wednesday it was on my doorstep.

I don't know yet if this one has the same problem, spent the morning setting everything up, and charged it to 100% an hour ago and it still says fully charged.. so far so good.. My old one would lbe at 90-95 by now with no use. we will see..

It also appears to be a new phone, if it is a refurb then they sure did a good job.

 

[galaxyS]

before the j16 update, my battery was great, it would last more than 20 hours.. but after the update, my battery was draining like crazy.. like it would only last for 10 - 12 hour tops..


i tried to figure out what was causing it...i did a factory reset, and restored all my apps with titanium back up, that didnt resolve the issue.... then, i got rid of the OCLF, ( i was really suspecting it was the culprit), got rid of the root.. got rid of a few apps... still the same results, it was frustrating.. i tried disabling some apps through autostars app and titanium back up, it would last a long time if i only let it on idle ( i think it would last 3 days with some apps disabled)... but as soon as i started using it, it would start to drain fast.. ughh, it would always be on 70-% display on 'battery usage' even on boot start.. weird

so i decided to do a factory reset again, then reinstalled all the apps one by one without the use of one click restore with titanium back up.. i dont use the lag fix anymore, decided not to..

now the battery seems fine again, maybe not as good as before , but not as bad at least.. would last up to 15 - 18 hours with moderate use.. i can live with that..

it could be that some apps were corrupted during the update process of j16..it's just something is wrong.. or it maybe has some kind of bug with the software, .. ughh..

 

[galaxyS]

btw, i have not exchanged my vibrant yet.. it's still the same one i got on launch day in july..

unfortunately , all my games' data have been wiped as well... fack!! , now i have to play them all again.. LOL.. it's ok.. i love playing them anyway, and i've become better at them games!! haha

 

[Deleted User]

Glad to see you got yours working..

I had the same issue.. I could get it to do fine after charge and reboot, but as soon as I started using it the battery would drain so fast even idle.. I also got mine on launch day, but exchanged it, and this one seems to be working much better so far..

It is a little different.. The way it handles certain apps and some options are a little different.. Maybe samsung revised the motherboard and it is causing some of these differences..

 

[misterrunon]

i'll get good battery life for a day or two, and it goes back. just rotates. i don't get it, but whatever.. it's not too bad. i wouldn't buy this phone again though, stupid samsung.

 

[Frisco]

I ended up uninstalling a home screen widget I wasn't using anymore (Weather Channel). All of a sudden, my battery life is solid again.

Weather Channel, Weather Bug Elite, Facebook, etc, are apps which update/sync in the background by default. We can configure them to update manually, which can have a huge positive impact on resources, battery life in particular.

Devices even seem to speed up once those changes are made. No need to uninstall them; just go into the settings for each app and disallow background updating and syncing (if you can live with checking things on-demand instead of having the app or widget do it for you ).

 

[robo21]

Weather Channel, Weather Bug Elite, Facebook, etc, are apps which update/sync in the background by default. We can configure them to update manually, which can have a huge positive impact on resources, battery life in particular.

Devices even seem to speed up once those changes are made. No need to uninstall them; just go into the settings for each app and disallow background updating and syncing (if you can live with checking things on-demand instead of having the app or widget do it for you ).

While this is true for most apps that sync, the OP stated "I ended up uninstalling a home screen widget I wasn't using anymore..." In this case where he is no longer interested in the software I think it makes sense to uninstall the widget, but your point is well taken for those who wish to retain the app/widget. On the other hand, I haven't tested the Weather Channel software to see if it drains the battery inordinately whether or not it is set to sync.

 

[wildblue]

While this is true for most apps that sync, the OP stated "I ended up uninstalling a home screen widget I wasn't using anymore..." In this case where he is no longer interested in the software I think it makes sense to uninstall the widget, but your point is well taken for those who wish to retain the app/widget. On the other hand, I haven't tested the Weather Channel software to see if it drains the battery inordinately whether or not it is set to sync.

I have the Weather Channel app, but have not set up any of the widgets. I do not have a battery drain problem.

According to the Help for the app the widgets sync every 5 minutes. Don't know if that's configurable, but the Help info doesn't indicate that it is.

Based on the variations in reports of battery life it seems to me, like the GPS problems, that there are multiple causes. I've long suspected that certain apps on some phones were at least a part of the problem. The weather widgets could certainly be one of them.

 

[robo21]

I have the Weather Channel app, but have not set up any of the widgets. I do not have a battery drain problem.

According to the Help for the app the widgets sync every 5 minutes. Don't know if that's configurable, but the Help info doesn't indicate that it is.

Based on the variations in reports of battery life it seems to me, like the GPS problems, that there are multiple causes. I've long suspected that certain apps on some phones were at least a part of the problem. The weather widgets could certainly be one of them.

That makes perfect sense and with a poorly coded app the sync frequency may be the least of the problems.

 

[riskaa]

I did a factory reset and that didn't help at all, even though I was much more conservative on the applications reinstalled and the widgets i chose to activate.
I went to the T-mobile store on Friday, and was given a 'new model' SIM card...and my battery life is much better! Now at least I can go a whole day without a charge (as opposed to the 10 hours i had before with infrequent use)

Phew...

 

[wildblue]

I did a factory reset and that didn't help at all, even though I was much more conservative on the applications reinstalled and the widgets i chose to activate.
I went to the T-mobile store on Friday, and was given a 'new model' SIM card...and my battery life is much better! Now at least I can go a whole day without a charge (as opposed to the 10 hours i had before with infrequent use)

Phew...

My limited understanding is the SIM only contains ID info. Wonder what a "new model" SIM card is, and how that would impact the O/S, HW, and apps in terms of battery usage. Not arguing with your observation, but it's not obvious (to me) how those pieces are connected. I'd welcome other insights.

 

[Deleted User]

My limited understanding is the SIM only contains ID info. Wonder what a "new model" SIM card is, and how that would impact the O/S, HW, and apps in terms of battery usage. Not arguing with your observation, but it's not obvious (to me) how those pieces are connected. I'd welcome other insights.

They did the same thing to me, gave me a new battery and a "3g" sim card.. I didn't buy it, but the guy said that the sim card "makes or breaks the phone" ..it did seem to help a dropped call problem I was having, which may have been the reason he gave out to me, more likely, they are doing the only things they can really do in the store, and eliminating possibilities however unlikely they may be.

 

[YMark]

Here is a good read on battery issues/solutions for the Vibrant. I've used these suggestions and have remarkable improvement.

[Q] JI6 battery questions. I've tried everything and it still sucks. Help? - Page 4 - xda-developers

 

[riskaa]

Wildblue and Dr.StainedGlove -
that's what the guy at the store said to me too - a 3G sim card that would connect more effectively with the 3g network. I didn't really think it would work, but instead of dropping 10% every hour in idle, it's now only dropping 5%.
I'm not going to attribute all the improvement to the sim card, but i do think it may have been part of the reason.

 

[VegasTouch]

They did the same thing to me, gave me a new battery and a "3g" sim card.. I didn't buy it, but the guy said that the sim card "makes or breaks the phone" ..it did seem to help a dropped call problem I was having, which may have been the reason he gave out to me, more likely, they are doing the only things they can really do in the store, and eliminating possibilities however unlikely they may be.

Does the 3G card look different? The Sim card that came with my Vibrant looks the exact same as the one i already had and am still using.

 

[mdtolic]

My SIM card was supposedly "upgraded" when I moved to the Vibrant as well. But that was a 5 year + old card.

I stopped by my local T-Mo last night and got a new battery. The guy that helped me used a Vibrant himself. He seemed knowledgeable, but was unaware of any issues with battery drain. At least "official" issues. (He can go a full day, into the next, without needing a recharge.) Anyhow, he couldn't find anything causing excessive drain on my device. He did question Launcher Pro but admitted he wasn't really familiar with it at all. He gave me a new batt. without me even asking for one. He just wasn't sure how new it really was. I think it said 86% after popping it in.

Now the good news. I've already messed around with the phone, checked a few emails and rebooted to reset the up time clock. Before writing this (on the Vibrant) I was still showing 100%! I would have been at 95 or less by now if this was yesterday. I'll monitor closely today & will report back around lunch time.

 

[wildblue]

Wildblue and Dr.StainedGlove -
that's what the guy at the store said to me too - a 3G sim card that would connect more effectively with the 3g network. I didn't really think it would work, but instead of dropping 10% every hour in idle, it's now only dropping 5%.
I'm not going to attribute all the improvement to the sim card, but i do think it may have been part of the reason.

Ok, out of curiosity I've done some Googling on this. It does appear that different SIMs can impact connectivity and switching efficiency. An example I found is a carrier (not TMO) who offered a SIM swapout program (an upgrade from 32k to 64k SIMs) that supposedly improved time to connect, connection stability and switching. I have no idea if TMO has more than one type of SIM for the Vibrant, but if we take your experience at face value it sounds like it.

Now, we also do know that setting our phones to use only 2G connections, versus auto-switching, can have a significant effect on battery life in situations where 3G connectivity is marginal. So, perhaps an improved SIM could provide a more consistent connection, and thereby increase battery life.

I'm just piecing together tidbits, but it does seem at least technically feasible.

 

[robo21]

Ok, out of curiosity I've done some Googling on this. It does appear that different SIMs can impact connectivity and switching efficiency. An example I found is a carrier (not TMO) who offered a SIM swapout program (an upgrade from 32k to 64k SIMs) that supposedly improved time to connect, connection stability and switching. I have no idea if TMO has more than one type of SIM for the Vibrant, but if we take your experience at face value it sounds like it.

Now, we also do know that setting our phones to use only 2G connections, versus auto-switching, can have a significant effect on battery life in situations where 3G connectivity is marginal. So, perhaps an improved SIM could provide a more consistent connection, and thereby increase battery life.

I'm just piecing together tidbits, but it does seem at least technically feasible.

Interesting, this would make perfect sense.

 

[RichieHD]

It's been a light usage couple of days, I admit that. However, 2 DAYS! Wow. I had flashed the 2.2 JK2 Rom and ever since then even my heavy usage days of non stop web, games and streaming give me over 18 hours of use.

Anyone else notice a huge battery bump after JK2 came out? J16 ruined my battery life and this version made my decision to stick with Samsung even easier.

 

[mdtolic]

12:27 Batt level 47%. Guess the new battery didn't do the trick. Although, the battery icon itself looks more like 70%. Strange.

 

[Deleted User]

Ok, out of curiosity I've done some Googling on this. It does appear that different SIMs can impact connectivity and switching efficiency. An example I found is a carrier (not TMO) who offered a SIM swapout program (an upgrade from 32k to 64k SIMs) that supposedly improved time to connect, connection stability and switching. I have no idea if TMO has more than one type of SIM for the Vibrant, but if we take your experience at face value it sounds like it.

Now, we also do know that setting our phones to use only 2G connections, versus auto-switching, can have a significant effect on battery life in situations where 3G connectivity is marginal. So, perhaps an improved SIM could provide a more consistent connection, and thereby increase battery life.

I'm just piecing together tidbits, but it does seem at least technically feasible.

When I exchanged my sim card, it did help with dropped calls and signal strength, but it did not improve my battery life. It may help some who are experiencing battery issues. It may have helped some in my case because after reading forums, it seems like I never had good battery life, and the ji6 update just made it much worse.

The problems people are having post update may have shed light on some peoples unrelated battery problems which were solved by new batteries, sim, or settings. But the post update issue is very real and the only thing that solved it for me was a warranty exchange.

I am now able to get through a work day even with heavy use. Saturday with light use I still had 75% or so left after a solid 24 hours.


And.. No, my new sim card looks the same.

 

[VegasTouch]

It's been a light usage couple of days, I admit that. However, 2 DAYS! Wow. I had flashed the 2.2 JK2 Rom and ever since then even my heavy usage days of non stop web, games and streaming give me over 18 hours of use.

Anyone else notice a huge battery bump after JK2 came out? J16 ruined my battery life and this version made my decision to stick with Samsung even easier.

What is Jk2? I sure dont have that.

 

[mdtolic]

9:17pm: Battery Icon looks to be about 50%, but actual Battery Level says 29%. I would have gotten the low battery warning before this time yesterday as well. Definitely behaving different with this new battery.

My day got crazy and I used the phone little after 1-2pm. But I have never gone into the evening without needing to recharge. Still not convinced it's just the battery, as I have been turning off Launcher Pro as well. I will default to TW tomorrow and see what that does.