• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

[Battery] Fixes and Tips

AaronBBrown said:
Called HTC last night. We tried a number of things regarding my calendar issue causing the phone not to sleep, but ultimately ended up doing a factory reset :(. I added my accounts in one at a time and the issue seems to be resolved. Now, I'm doing the arduous task of adding my apps in one at a time. Here's hoping it continues to sleep as it should. I'm still convinced there is an underlying bug, but the tech that I talked to was not very interested in actually solving any underlying problem and was actually kind of a douche-bag.
Click to expand...


You should use appbrain and sync your list. Makes installs real quick.
 
powdbyrice said:
BATTERY ISSUE SOLVED! (for me at least) Micro SD CARD!

situation: battery life decreased significantly. previously, I was able to make it at least a day with moderate usage, (manual check email throughout the day, pandora radio for at least 4hrs, some internet mixed in). wi-fi used while at work. after card was installed, battery only lasted a couple of hours.

solution: tried everything. checked settings to make sure auto-sync stuff was turned off. tried wiping the phone to start over. thought it might have been odd side effect of OTA. (i put the card in right around that time.)

couldn't figure out why my wifes Inc still got good battery life and mine sucked. finally realized that i had a micro sd card in and she did not.

i removed the card earlier this evening and the battery meter has barely moved in 3 hrs.

AND THE PHONE GOES TO SLEEP FINALLY!!!

hope this is the solution for others as well.
Click to expand...

Like Haelous mentioned, I think your looking at an app or file on your card that is the culprit. I would re-format the card on your PC, insert the card again (and maybe even format it again using the format feature on the Inc) and see how it runs just empty for a while. If you still have the issue, look at the apps installed on your Inc and see if one of them is using your CD card in an aggressive manner. A factory reset may be an option if nothing else works, but I would still wipe the card clean and reformat it whether you start or end with a reset.

I know others would do a factory reset to start with, but that would be the last step for me, I would try the card idea first. Just my opinion, let us know if you figure it out.

RedHotLama said:
You should use appbrain and sync your list. Makes installs real quick.
Click to expand...

I use appbrain as well, is the sync of apps automatic, or is there a setting I should look for? I notice on the main list some apps listed I don't have any longer and some that I do have aren't listed. Thanks for any info.
 
jfunk said:
lol...my man. The HTC tech guy can't troubleshoot every app you've installed and every setting change you've made over the phone. It's not freaking magic.
Click to expand...

That's actually his *job*. Just like my job is to troubleshoot and architect scalable linux systems. But since this happened from day one, without any apps added, it is clear that it is more fundamental than that and did not require troubleshooting every single app.

The process you are going through right now (eliminating all possible sources of the problem, then actually paying attention to their impact as you add them back in one at a time) is what is commonly known as "troubleshooting".
Click to expand...

Thank you, Captain Obvious. I am aware of what troubleshooting is. Little to no attempt was made to do any real troubleshooting beyond what I had already done myself. Given that it is specific to the built-in calendar application, and given that I have reinstalled almost all my old apps at this point, there was clearly some fundamental issue at play. This is akin to a vendor-supplied app on a PC crashing when you start the machine up and them telling you to just reinstall the OS and it will be a'ight. It's a BS cop-out and while I'm happy the problem seems to be solved for me (for now), I'm annoyed with their lack of caring about what is obviously a bug.

Actually, overnight, the phone stopped going to sleep, but a reboot solved that this morning, which is better than what was happening before, which required me to kill the calendar, turn sync off and on for google and Exchange, then restart the calendar.
 
Just as a further addition: I'm up to around eleven hours of battery with fairly serious use now. That's ebuddy instead of Meebo and Twitter updating every thirty minutes instead of every three.
 
Haelous said:
Unless your phone had zero 3rd party apps installed, I think it's more likely that an app which required the SD card created this issue.

Pretty easy to test though, perform a factory reset then see how the battery behaves.
Click to expand...

zero apps installed other than the ones that came pre-loaded. phone was wiped clean to OEM.

i installed the NIB 2GB card that came with the phone and it seems to be ok so far. i'm not sure what was on the other 1GB card that was causing it to eat battery. it was just photos. oh well, all is good now.
 
Based on all the battery issues, I've started a new battery app project.. it monitors signal, drain, temp and awaketime so far... its free.. search "Battery Detective" or kenyu73... its FREE now.. was asking .99 <shrug> hahah

send me emails for ideas... going to add more stuff soon too.

(sorry for spamming different threads, just hoping it helps others!)
 
I charge mine in a universal wall charger that I just got a few days ago. I got 27 hrs and 40 mins up time and 6 hrs 30 mins awake time with 10% left and very light use.
 
kenyu73 said:
Based on all the battery issues, I've started a new battery app project.. it monitors signal, drain, temp and awaketime so far... its free.. search "Battery Detective" or kenyu73... its FREE now.. was asking .99 <shrug> hahah

send me emails for ideas... going to add more stuff soon too.

(sorry for spamming different threads, just hoping it helps others!)
Click to expand...

Doesn't show as free. Still shows as .99
 
Locoman said:
I charge mine in a universal wall charger that I just got a few days ago. I got 27 hrs and 40 mins up time and 6 hrs 30 mins awake time with 10% left and very light use.
Click to expand...

Sounds about right. I think 6-8 hours of actual awake time is what I'll get on an average day.
 
Hi guys, first post, just wanted to share what I've found on a couple of counts, and I will have to try that charging while off trick that might help me more.

1. update your roaming capabilities, use *228 option 2. Maybe everyone here knows to do that and it's a given but it made a huge difference in how much battery my phone was sucking while holstered. Prior to this my up awake time was running half my up time, after it is like 4:1.

2. li-ion batteries are not perfect and can develop or start with quirks where they don't take a full charge. I fly rc helicopters and we charge the batteries with fast chargers that tell you exactly what is going on, and I've had numerous packs develop (or start with) quirks where they will stop charging after 3.85 volts, or discharge very fast, or just have lackluster capacity. Charging and cycling almost always resolves these issues, and often it is 4-5 cycles to get it to happen.

I think the off-charging is what mine needs now, here's todays results:

Pushing three email accounts
- one is google apps with calendar and contacts, one gmail with contacts, one yahoo

data is on always
wifi is off
bt is off
weather is on
gps is off

up 14:24
awake 2:14
battery has two segments in battery level

cell standby 25%
voice 24%
phone idle 23%
android 17%
dialer 6%
disp 5%

so could be better, but at least made it through the day :)
 
I read in an HTC forum for the Incredible that performing a 'Factory Reset' solves the battery problem.

I did this and my battery life jumped! My 'Up Time' and 'Awake Time' used to be the same and now they are very different.

I would charge my phone fully at midnight and by 8:00 in themorning my battery would be almost 50% drained.
 
nwmotogeek said:
I read in an HTC forum for the Incredible that performing a 'Factory Reset' solves the battery problem.

I did this and my battery life jumped! My 'Up Time' and 'Awake Time' used to be the same and now they are very different.

I would charge my phone fully at midnight and by 8:00 in themorning my battery would be almost 50% drained.
Click to expand...

It's important that you understand WHAT this fixed. This wiped all your apps and settings. If you install all the same stuff, setup the same way as you had before, you're going to be right back where you started.

When your up time and awake time were the same, it was because an app installed on your phone was not letting your phone sleep properly. Either because it's a bad app in general, or because you had unknowingly configured it in such a way that it caused this.

Be careful about what you install and how you configure things like update frequency. I'd recommend just going slow while installing/configuring apps. Only a do a couple a day and run the phone for a day to see how it does. Check things like your awake time and make sure it's still OK. That way if the problem comes back, you'll know it had to be "X" or "Y" that caused it. If you install 30 apps and then it goes bonkers again, you'll have almost no chance of figuring out which app or setting caused the problem and you'll have to resort to a factory reset again.
 
Originally Posted by nwmotogeek
I read in an HTC forum for the Incredible that performing a 'Factory Reset' solves the battery problem.

I did this and my battery life jumped! My 'Up Time' and 'Awake Time' used to be the same and now they are very different.

I did the "factory reset" also and it fixed my battery problem. I didn't activate the "Friend Stream" app. I just run the Facebook app now. Sofar I haven't loaded any more apps. I'll add one at a time to see how it well it treats my battery.

Testify
 
jfunk said:
It's important that you understand WHAT this fixed. This wiped all your apps and settings. If you install all the same stuff, setup the same way as you had before, you're going to be right back where you started.

When your up time and awake time were the same, it was because an app installed on your phone was not letting your phone sleep properly. Either because it's a bad app in general, or because you had unknowingly configured it in such a way that it caused this.

Be careful about what you install and how you configure things like update frequency. I'd recommend just going slow while installing/configuring apps. Only a do a couple a day and run the phone for a day to see how it does. Check things like your awake time and make sure it's still OK. That way if the problem comes back, you'll know it had to be "X" or "Y" that caused it. If you install 30 apps and then it goes bonkers again, you'll have almost no chance of figuring out which app or setting caused the problem and you'll have to resort to a factory reset again.
Click to expand...

I also did a factory reset due to texting issues. I reloaded the same apps and settings with the exception of FB. I loaded the regular FB app and not FB for HTC Sense. My battery life improved significantly. Prior to this, my uptime and awake time were almost identical and my phone would be dead in 6-7 hours of low use. Now I have a reasonable spread between uptime and awake time, currently 16 hours uptime and 4 hours awake time. I made 80 minutes of phone calls, surfed the web for about 20 minutes, and texted and emailed throughout the day. I have been off the charger for 14 hours and still have 50% battery. I don't know if the problem with my phone not sleeping was in the firmware that was reloaded, the FB for HTC Sense, or both. I have read many threads on different sites about both the factory reset and removing FB for HTC Sense improving battery life. Just my experience.
 
I've had my Incredible for about a week and a half, and here's what my battery looks like on average after a typical day of use while at work and after being left on the entire time (8 hour work day):

By the end of the day, my battery meter is just above the point where the battery meter turns orange. This is my typical usage throughout the day:

-usually listen to Pandora for about 4 hours straight (including the time it's paused)
-light Facebooking
-light texting
-some emailing
-light internet surfing

On a daily basis I do things like try and make sure my WiFi is turned off while I'm not at home, use the back arrow to make sure I've closed down applications and not just hit the home button, etc. I also use TasKiller but I've read you have to be very careful about your setting because if you're also shutting down HTC Sense it's supposed to eat some battery in the process of starting that back up after it's killed.

I read a lot of people complaining that they shouldn't have to kill programs, etc. to make the battery life last longer. I'll probably get flamed for this, but to me that's the same thing as complaining about needing to perform basic maintenance in order for a car or a computer to run well. Yep, obviously a different ballpark but it's the same concept.

I also take my battery cable to work with me to charge off my work computer in case my use is very heavy on a particular day. And I have a car charger. So I'm not ever in some sort of panic about the phone battery dying. Not a big deal as far as I'm concerned. Yes, the battery could be better, I 'spose. But it's just fine as far as I'm concerned, so I'm happy.

And dat's my 2 cents. :)
 
RogerThat99 said:
I also did a factory reset due to texting issues. I reloaded the same apps and settings with the exception of FB. I loaded the regular FB app and not FB for HTC Sense. My battery life improved significantly. Prior to this, my uptime and awake time were almost identical and my phone would be dead in 6-7 hours of low use. Now I have a reasonable spread between uptime and awake time, currently 16 hours uptime and 4 hours awake time. I made 80 minutes of phone calls, surfed the web for about 20 minutes, and texted and emailed throughout the day. I have been off the charger for 14 hours and still have 50% battery. I don't know if the problem with my phone not sleeping was in the firmware that was reloaded, the FB for HTC Sense, or both. I have read many threads on different sites about both the factory reset and removing FB for HTC Sense improving battery life. Just my experience.
Click to expand...

I think I may at least just give this a shot. Question though: How to you disable FriendStream and FB for Sense when you set it up? I don't remember this, but maybe it was because the VZW RM accepted all of those when they set mine up. I don't use FriendStream or FB for Sense (i use FB App), so this would definitely at least help keep those services off to not run in the background at a minimum
 
How do you "remove" FB for HTC Sense?

When I go to Settings>Accounts & Sync>etc... I removed my FB for HTC account. Is that what is meant? When I then try to add an account & use the regular FB, it won't even open when I tap it.

Also, my phone gets super hot several times a day. It's pretty annoying & I don't know what the deal is. I bought an extended battery, the Seido 1750mAh and the battery life improved somewhat - but not as much as I had expected. I am constantly doing the "ON/OFF" charge trick as well. Maybe I have a bad phone, but I don't want to jump to these conclusions if there are steps I can't take to prevent the issues. However, the 29th is in 2 days & if I need to get a new phone then now is the time to do so.

Some people have posted that they are getting 10+ hours on their phones. The best I've ever gotten is 8. Plus the fact that my phone gets hot all the time when I'm using it, I just don't think that should be happening. Any advice? I'm just learning a lot of stuff, so if you reply please don't use technological Greek. I need to understand, from the ground up, what is going on & how to solve it. Or if I just need a new phone. I don't really trust simply talking to VZW because they'll tell me to use ATK or something I've already tried. Battery still sucks, even after a month of having it.
 
Yeshuah said:
Also, my phone gets super hot several times a day. It's pretty annoying & I don't know what the deal is. I bought an extended battery, the Seido 1750mAh and the battery life improved somewhat - but not as much as I had expected. I am constantly doing the "ON/OFF" charge trick as well. Maybe I have a bad phone, but I don't want to jump to these conclusions if there are steps I can't take to prevent the issues. However, the 29th is in 2 days & if I need to get a new phone then now is the time to do so.

Some people have posted that they are getting 10+ hours on their phones. The best I've ever gotten is 8. Plus the fact that my phone gets hot all the time when I'm using it, I just don't think that should be happening. Any advice? I'm just learning a lot of stuff, so if you reply please don't use technological Greek. I need to understand, from the ground up, what is going on & how to solve it. Or if I just need a new phone. I don't really trust simply talking to VZW because they'll tell me to use ATK or something I've already tried. Battery still sucks, even after a month of having it.
Click to expand...

As far as we know, all phones do the on/off charge trick. There's been plenty of "it doesn't or shouldn't help" responses, but zero "my phone doesn't do it." I wouldn't consider this a reason to return.

The best way to diagnose what is possibly a 100% uptime issue is to install spare parts from the market. Look at battery history after the phone has been asleep (screen off) for a while. Is Running 100%? Check Partial wake usage to see if any programs have a full blue bar or anywhere near it.
 
Haelous said:
As far as we know, all phones do the on/off charge trick. There's been plenty of "it doesn't or shouldn't help" responses, but zero "my phone doesn't do it." I wouldn't consider this a reason to return.

The best way to diagnose what is possibly a 100% uptime issue is to install spare parts from the market. Look at battery history after the phone has been asleep (screen off) for a while. Is Running 100%? Check Partial wake usage to see if any programs have a full blue bar or anywhere near it.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean that the charging trick "doesn't work" ... it definitely does. It also helps. But that's how bad the phone drains the battery...its still terrible even after doing this trick.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom