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Desire battery consumption

I actually sent HTC an e-mail regarding the battery, as I have found that it drains rather quick. The best I got out of it so far is 12 hours up-time and 3 hours awake-time, and that is with mobile data on, auto brightness, some texts, some browsing, no live wallpaper. Which is unacceptable isn't it? Please see below e-mail which might help someone else too, I will let the battery die completely a couple of times and then charge it fully to see if that might help, else i'll be getting a 2500mAh battery (even though it'll stick out)....

Dear Tom, Thank you for contacting HTC, in response to your enquiry regarding the battery life on your Desire - I would like to help you with this. Battery on a Android device, in average, will last about a full day with normal use (some videos, mail, calls). This is down to the type of battery (Li-lon) that is used. However please follow the tips/tricks to improve the battery performance below, you will see a considerable difference in both the peformance and efficiency of the device. Occasionally the device's knowledge of the battery life is not in sync with the actual battery life. Sync device's knowledge of battery level with actual battery level 1. Fully charge the battery to 100% charge (LED light turns green). 2. Disconnect the device from the charger and do not connect again until the battery is fully drained to 0% charge (red LED light will NOT turn on anymore). 3. Repeat the steps above for the first few days of initial use, then one to three times each month (depending on light to heavy usage) to maintain a healthy battery performance. * Decrease the screen brightness and screen time-out interval. 1. From the main screen, select the Menu button. 2. Tap Settings. 3. Tap Sound & display settings. 4. Tap Brightness. 5. Move the notch on the bar to the desired level. 6. Tap OK. 7. Tap Screen timeout. 8. Tap an option between 15 seconds to 30 minutes. * Turn off Wi-Fi and 3G when data is not in use. 1. From the main screen, select the Menu button. 2. Tap Settings. 3. Tap Wireless & networks. 4. Tap Wi-Fi to remove the green check. 5. Tap Mobile networks. 6. Tap Use only 2G networks to remove the green check. * Turn off Bluetooth when not in use. 1. From the main screen, select the Menu button. 2. Tap Settings. 3. Tap Wireless & networks. 4. Tap Bluetooth to remove the green check. * Turn off GPS when not in use. 1. From the main screen, select the Menu button. 2. Tap Settings. 3. Tap Location & security. 4. Tap Use GPS satellites to remove the green check. * Disable push email. 1. From the main screen, select the Menu button. 2. Tap Settings. 3. Tap Accounts & sync. 4. Tap Background data to remove the green check. * Disable unnecessary processes. Note: Disabling processes may require a 3rd party application like Advanced Task Killer, Automatic Task Killer, or Task Killer. * Avoid leaving the device in hot environments and charging in hot environments as it can drastically decrease battery life. Note: Recommended temperature range for a lithium-ion battery is 32 degrees to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees to 35 degrees Celsius). I trust this resolves your enquiry, however please contact us again if you require further assistance. Kind regards, Rebecca.
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cheers
 
lol at the HTC reply :D
Other than the sound battery conditioning advice, basically switch off everything that makes it a smartphone.:eek:
 
Well thanks to this thread and some other positive battery life related statements, I can safely say that when needed I can use my phone confident in the knowledge that it will easily last a day.

Today I started off with a fully charged battery at 7.00pm,
Set the configuration as
25% backlight (for most circumstances)
GSM only (except on data syncs)
wifi, BT, GPS off (except on data syncs)
App killer occasional presses
Hourly network sync via either wifi or 3G (data)
Using the marvelous Extended Controls bar (best 79p ever)
about 10 calls, 6 texts 1 hour bluetooth with car, some email reading, market download 2 apps, general messing about (impossible not to mess with this phone), 10 minutes web surfing. few BBC news reader pages.

At 7pm (12 hours later) I still have 77% battery.

Bloody hell thats fantastic.

We need a sticky with all the positive battery settiings instead of all the whingers.
 
Captain Vallo said:
We need a sticky with all the positive battery settiings instead of all the whingers.
Click to expand...

I've been considering writing a really very comprehensive thread about improving battery life by compiling pretty much everything that's been said on the subject and hoping it gets stuck/stickied. Depends how bored I get tomorrow. :p
 
Phenomenological said:
I've been considering writing a really very comprehensive thread about improving battery life by compiling pretty much everything that's been said on the subject and hoping it gets stuck/stickied. Depends how bored I get tomorrow. :p
Click to expand...

Well as this is perceived (rightly or wrongly) as its Achilles Heel, then I for one would second it.

Thanks btw for your positive arguments and suggestions, here I am at 11pm after 16 hours of quite normal use with still 52% battery.

I believe that Extended Controls bar has proved the 'glueing application' for all the optimum battery settings .... I have one widget across 4 places with 3g,data network,wireless,BT,GPS,Sync,mute,brightness,battery. Best 79p ever spent.

Just a few changes to settings, and a little bit of manual control and now the phone is complete ... I can sell the blackberry 9700!

Thanks again
 
vanperski said:
Stopping the 'Calendar' process didnt seem to make much difference - am arranging for the HTC courier to collect the handset in the coming days :-(

im not losing faith in it though, id still say its one of the best phones ive used if not the best, (considering i once had a SonyEricsson P900 - who remembers those beauties?!)

anyway - ill see if i can extract details of the problem out of HTC and will certainly post the results here for anyone else experiencing this issue
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Ok so, handset is back from HTC - To save people from reading over the previous posts i have made in this thread I have summarised my battery problem below:

The Problem:
Phone on 'standby' with no use at a factory state, no apps installed, no data sync, no wifi, no...anything! running flat from a full charge in approx 18 hours. Used to get 2 days+ at first.

The Solution:
After trying many many 'tips and tricks' which seemed to make very little difference, I resigned to the fact that the phone had to go back to HTC to deal with this problem.

The Result:
Phone arrived back from HTC a couple of days ago, with all the necessary documentation attached telling me that no fault could be found. Turned on the phone, ran it flat (which is easily done with this particular piece of ****), gave it a full charge, keep in mind i have not inserted a sim yet this point so its not even using its 'radio' and it ran flat in just under 16 hours with the phone being viewed a total of 3 times just to see its battery life:

Conclusion:
it is clear to me now that HTC have a time-bracket of 'acceptable battery life' that my phone appears to fall in to. I dread to think what life i would get out of it if i actually used this phone. But essentially they have just ignored me and sent my paper-weight back to me.

So what now?
It could be a 'bad' battery, from what i understand this is very unlikely, but i am considering eliminating that possibility by buying a new one.
I will have to keep in mind that if i spend another penny on this handset and it continues to displease me I may end up making a my own version of 'will it blend?'

Can You help?
You may be able to help me by letting me know what 'Running Services' you have on your Desire handsets so i can compare this to mine (i have identified this as a possible problem area). To do this, go to Menu>Settings>Applications>Running services. I always have 2 things running in there that CANNOT be stopped,

1. Calendar (process: com.htc.bg) - ConnectivityService
2. Touch Input (process:com.htc.android.htcime)

does anyone else always have these running as i do? any replies would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
Hi - sorry to read you're having so many problems. I have:-

Calendar x 2 (ObexService & ConnectivityService)
Google (Gtalk service). What's this??? I've never used it as far as I know.
Touch Input
3G Watchdog
Lookout
Astrid Tasks
Dictionary.com
Battery Left
Smooth Calendar
SwitchPro Widget
BattStatt
Digital Clock Widget
Weather Forecast
Battery Droid

A couple of these I have installed but don't use so I might as well uninstall I guess (ie BattStatt & Battery Droid).

My phone has been on all day from an overnight charge, came off charge at about 8am and is now at 17% after very little use until about 6.30pm since when I've been constantly messing with it. So about 16 hours - not great but I can live with it.

By the way - anyone who uses Extended Control Bar, what does this give you above and beyond SwitchPro which is free?
 
What is the program (Connectivity Service) that goes with "Maps".

Is there anyway to turn it back on after shutting it off?
 
Morning, has anyone tried disabling their automatic time and date settings ('Settings -> Date & Time -> Uncheck Automatic').

I might be imagining it, but swear am getting better battery life since disabling it. I would normally get 17-20 hours 100% to dead....... but yesterday started 100% at 12pm (lunch time), usual usage calls/texts/wifi & games, flight mode for about 8 hours overnight, and checked again this morning at 9:30am and 32%.
Then decided to install 3G watchdog, and have had the CPU monitor on Syspanel running constantly (so that I can compare watchdog to netcounter).
I just looked, and the phone warned me it's got 14% left

So that's 24 hours ish without even trying!

Could someone try this to see it improves their battery - or if i'm just imagining it.

Thanks
 
The next blog update will be around rooting and the installing the app SetCPU....... 3 days in and its a made another big difference to my battery life.

If you're brave, its worth it. :D
 
What effect does Google Talk have on battery life? My Desires a week old and am finding that battery life is quite poor. My phone goes off overnight charge at 0730 and by 1700 I'm struggling to stay above 30%! I send a few texts during the day and maybe do about 45mins of browsing and one friendstream sync at lunchtime. I installed juicedefender which if anything has made things worse! My Nokia used to manage 0730-2300 quite easily with similar usage but with the Desire the phone is on charge by 7pm!
 
Very odd - today, as a little experiment, I switched off wifi and mobile data all day while I was at work to see if it made much difference to battery life.

The phone actually used at least 10% more juice than when I leave it connected to wifi at work.

Very similar use both days ie just a couple of texts sent and received.
 
WozzaTT said:
Very odd - today, as a little experiment, I switched off wifi and mobile data all day while I was at work to see if it made much difference to battery life.

The phone actually used at least 10% more juice than when I leave it connected to wifi at work.

Very similar use both days ie just a couple of texts sent and received.
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You mean turned off all data, or just always on?

What network are you on, as if I turn off always on data on Tmobile it eats MORE battery.
 
nx1977 said:
You mean turned off all data, or just always on?

What network are you on, as if I turn off always on data on Tmobile it eats MORE battery.
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I used the ProSwitch widget to disable wifi and mobile data eg 3g etc etc. I'm on O2.

Will keep wifi connected whilst at work tomorrow and see if it gives me better battery life again.

I've set most of my stuff that updates to update manually or only ever 3 or 4 hours or whatever. How do I set this for gmail though? I know I'm missing something obvious but I can't see an option anywhere to set to manual or every couple of hours etc? In other words to switch pushmail off :o
 
update:
Ran my phone on airplane mode the other day and the battery didnt drain one bit, as soon as i switched back to normal mode it ran out in 16 hours flat with no use. So i think i can assume my battery is actually ok, and it is clear that the fault may lie with the 'radio' or the phone trying to connect to something. Im still no where near finding out what this problem is and im getting used to using my N97 again. This could be an absolutely disasterous HTC debut for me as it makes no sense to me to use the Desire at the moment with this crippling issue.

I wonder if it would be worth my while contacting HTC again and telling them that there clearly is a fault. Maybe this time i should go through carphonewarehouse where i got the handset from.

Disappointment yet again
 
vanperski said:
update:
Ran my phone on airplane mode the other day and the battery didnt drain one bit, as soon as i switched back to normal mode it ran out in 16 hours flat with no use. So i think i can assume my battery is actually ok, and it is clear that the fault may lie with the 'radio' or the phone trying to connect to something. Im still no where near finding out what this problem is and im getting used to using my N97 again. This could be an absolutely disasterous HTC debut for me as it makes no sense to me to use the Desire at the moment with this crippling issue.

I wonder if it would be worth my while contacting HTC again and telling them that there clearly is a fault. Maybe this time i should go through carphonewarehouse where i got the handset from.

Disappointment yet again
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What apps widgets do you have installed?

What does spareparts say is running under other and partial wake?
 
I have to say I am quite impressed with my battery life, I installed the app killer and killed all the apps I don't need, I killed wifi and phone data when not in use, disabled 3g, I get almost 2 days use, more than my iPhone to be honest.
 
Like vanperski I am new to HTC and new to Android also moving from the Nokia N97. With my N97 I used to take my N97 off charge at 07:30am, listen to Spotify or radio for an hour to the way to work along with Internet browsing for maybe 15 minutes, do the same at lunch, listen to music on the way home from work and instensively text on an evening. With my Nokia the phone used to manage to make the whole day, yes by 11pm it'd need a charge but it'd make it. With my week old Desire I'm diving for the charger as soon as I get in from work at half 6. At the moment with my Desire I just browse on a morning for perhaps 15-20mins, I dont listen to music or anything, between 9-5 the phone sits on my desk locked and idle doing little, I'll perhaps send about 10-15 texts in my lunchtime and maybe 5 minutes of browsing before it gets locked for the afternoon. After work I browse/text as per the morning and then with my phone on charge due to low battery I text quite consistently throughout the evening with the odd internet check and maybe a friendstream sync or two. I'm not sure whats going on with my device during the day, my stats in spareparts show:
Running: 24%
Screen on: 21%
the highest partial wake is 'Android' at 8mins 28secs. Launch count is higher though:
Launch Count
HTC Sense 127
Battery Left 81
Messages 43
Settings 32
Internet 14
Facebook 5
Friend Stream 5
Market 3
People 3
Photos 3
Google Mail 2
Ganalyticz 2
Tariff Watcher 1
Usage shows:
Android system 31%
Cell standby 31%
Phone idle 23%
Display 9%
Camera 4%
Internet 2%
Phone went off charge at 100% this morning at 8am, by 10:30am my battery was down to 73%, I'm now down to 35% despite it not doing an awful lot since 10am! I know that by the time I get home I'll have less than 20% charge and I'll be on the charger.
I've tried and removed Advanced Task Killer and Juicedefender as they dont do anything. In terms of running widgets I've got Spotify running but unused, Friendstream, Power control, Bookmarks, Tarriff watcher, 3D watchdog and Battery Left running.
I thought switching from Nokia the thing I would miss most would be the full QWERTY keyboard, in reality I miss the battery life, despite the Nokia only having 1500mAh compared to the Desire's 1400! I'm not sure if I need to learn to be patient but I've had the phone a week and its spent more time on charge than off it!
 
nx1977 said:
What apps widgets do you have installed?

What does spareparts say is running under other and partial wake?
Click to expand...


hiya - the only apps i have installed are spareparts and task killer.

Under partial wake usage it has android system has a small blue bar (approx 10%), google has a tiny blue line and everything else is nothing

out of ideas with this now
 
JsT said:
Like vanperski I am new to HTC and new to Android also moving from the Nokia N97. With my N97 I used to take my N97 off charge at 07:30am, listen to Spotify or radio for an hour to the way to work along with Internet browsing for maybe 15 minutes, do the same at lunch, listen to music on the way home from work and instensively text on an evening. With my Nokia the phone used to manage to make the whole day, yes by 11pm it'd need a charge but it'd make it. With my week old Desire I'm diving for the charger as soon as I get in from work at half 6. At the moment with my Desire I just browse on a morning for perhaps 15-20mins, I dont listen to music or anything, between 9-5 the phone sits on my desk locked and idle doing little, I'll perhaps send about 10-15 texts in my lunchtime and maybe 5 minutes of browsing before it gets locked for the afternoon. After work I browse/text as per the morning and then with my phone on charge due to low battery I text quite consistently throughout the evening with the odd internet check and maybe a friendstream sync or two. I'm not sure whats going on with my device during the day, my stats in spareparts show:
Running: 24%
Screen on: 21%
the highest partial wake is 'Android' at 8mins 28secs. Launch count is higher though:
Launch Count
HTC Sense 127
Battery Left 81
Messages 43
Settings 32
Internet 14
Facebook 5
Friend Stream 5
Market 3
People 3
Photos 3
Google Mail 2
Ganalyticz 2
Tariff Watcher 1
Usage shows:
Android system 31%
Cell standby 31%
Phone idle 23%
Display 9%
Camera 4%
Internet 2%
Phone went off charge at 100% this morning at 8am, by 10:30am my battery was down to 73%, I'm now down to 35% despite it not doing an awful lot since 10am! I know that by the time I get home I'll have less than 20% charge and I'll be on the charger.
I've tried and removed Advanced Task Killer and Juicedefender as they dont do anything. In terms of running widgets I've got Spotify running but unused, Friendstream, Power control, Bookmarks, Tarriff watcher, 3D watchdog and Battery Left running.
I thought switching from Nokia the thing I would miss most would be the full QWERTY keyboard, in reality I miss the battery life, despite the Nokia only having 1500mAh compared to the Desire's 1400! I'm not sure if I need to learn to be patient but I've had the phone a week and its spent more time on charge than off it!
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ah mate i feel for you. The annoying thing with my Desire though is that i had great battery life at the start and then it just developed this problem. Like i said before I get about 16 hours standby with no use. Dunno what routes to explore now that according to HTC the phone has 'no fault'
 
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