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Root [Virgin Mobile/Sprint] Battery usage fix

R

robaho

Well-Known Member
You may have noticed that the battery usage on the F3 makes no sense. The cell and phone idle seem to take up all of the battery when clearly the screen is the biggest user on almost all devices.

This is because the power_profile.xml file in the framework is the base stock one.

Attached is a modified one based on the Nexus 4 with oc speeds and our battery capacity.

It is not perfect - an F3 is not a Nexus 4... - but it works far better than the stick one.

Just push this file to /system/framework and set the perms to 644.
 

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robaho said:
You may have noticed that the battery usage on the F3 makes no sense. The cell and phone idle seem to take up all of the battery when clearly the screen is the biggest user on almost all devices.

This is because the power_profile.xml file in the framework is the base stock one.

Attached is a modified one based on the Nexus 4 with oc speeds and our battery capacity.

It is not perfect - an F3 is not a Nexus 4... - but it works far better than the stick one.

Just push this file to /system/framework and set the perms to 644.
Click to expand...

To add a bit more detail, if you review the stock XML file (github) you will see that many major components are under reported - like the max freq is 400 mhz - so your background apps always show less CPU than they should. And the radio, Bluetooth, idle, etc. all have the same drain rate - which is why they move in lockstep - but that is clearly not correct.

Also backup your original so you can revert for any reason.
 
True, battery temp is an issue, but so are idle processes when the screen's off for an extended period. That's where robaho's fix helps. I allowed my phone to run without the charger for at least 15 hours, and after my usual moderate use, I had 62% of battery left. To be honest, it's not as great as I'd like, but it's a lot better than where it would typically be at that point without the phone being charged. Without the fix, it's at about 45-50%.

The biggest battery use on my phone at all times is (surprise) Google Play Services. That's followed by facebook. I could probably save some battery by going back to using Fast for facebook. As it is, I've already allowed most of my apps that do automated processes (like clearing cache) to do it every 12 hours. There are some apps I have that update at least every four hours (like the NYTimes app). I could stretch that further, I suppose. Gmail... hmm. It seems to sync at least every 30 minutes. Might have to get a different email app, or keep auto sync off for that one.

Still, this fix helps at least a little. I also have one of those portable, regulated battery units that can give my phone a charge when I can't use an outlet. I don't need it often, but it's saved me from trouble a few times. It is rechargeable, and is rated at 2,000 mA. The only thing I don't like about it is that it gets hot when it's used, but it's never caused any problems otherwise. If you forget it's still on, it does cool down when the phone's fully charged.
 
This fix does not help battery life... It fixes the reporting of what is actually using the battery so you can isolate those apps/systems.

Now, the oc v4 kernel has improvements to battery usage... But v5 may go back to the proprietary mpdecision with fixes so that the oc limits are still handled properly.
 
robaho said:
This fix does not help battery life... It fixes the reporting of what is actually using the battery so you can isolate those apps/systems.

Now, the oc v4 kernel has improvements to battery usage... But v5 may go back to the proprietary mpdecision with fixes so that the oc limits are still handled properly.
Click to expand...

Ah, ok. Still helps me, though. Even improved reporting helps a bit. Thanks!
 
Kasenomateru said:
Some people also use juice defender to save battery but I tried using that app and I saw no changes
Click to expand...

JD doesn't really work well with the newer phones running JB 4.1.2 and higher. It's been a while since that app's been updated. I used that before with my Optimus V. Ran well with Froyo and Gingerbread.

I also used something called Green Power Pro. Since having the Kyocera Event (ICS 4.0.4), I stopped using the battery saver apps. Most phones with at least ICS usually do well with battery anyway, if the multitasker is cleared of most of the intensive apps when not in use. I also got tired of GPP freezing my Event, when I woke it up from standby.

I think a better app to use would be Greenify. That's an app that hibernates some background processes when the phone is idle. It also has an add on for xposed modules. I'll admit that I haven't tried it yet with my F3. It works only if the phone is rooted. (Now that I've thought of it, I should give Greenify a run later on.)

D'oh... didn't notice until now that bkttk2 mentioned it *laughs* anyway... :D
 
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