Battery Life with froyo...

Has anyone posted about how to extend battery life with the new update (froyo)? I finally figured out how to keep my battery life good with 2.1, but now with 2.2 its back to bad battery life, and I'm reading its made so you cant kill apps? I tried the app killers for froyo, but then I read somewhere force stopping the program will make the battery drain more, and to just let it hibernate in the background... has anyone found a solution to this? Any info would be helpful. Thanks so much for your time.

Accepted answers

john129

Ok guys....here is the latest reply I have gotten from HTC. I previously tried everything EXCEPT the battery software reset at the end of the letter, gonna try that now! Dear John, Thank you for contacting HTC in regards to your Incredible. I am sorry to hear that the battery life is not acceptable for your usage. There are some things you may be able to do to prolong your battery life. You can try downloading Advanced Task Killer from the Android Market to reduce the system resources requirements. You may also want to create quick links to your Bluetooth, Wifi, and Mobile Network so you can toggle them when they are not in use. If you have multiple emails set up on the phone, and you have it set to download every so often you may want to change the download frequency of your accounts. To do this, go to each email Inbox and hit Menu -> More -> Settings -> Send/Receive -> Download Frequency and change it to manual. To create the quick links on your main screen, tap and hold on an empty space on one of your home screens, choose Widget -> Power Control and this will allow you to toggle your wireless controls and your backlight (which can also eat battery). If you are still experiencing battery life issues after all that, try this charging method: Let the battery die or get to red status. Hook it up for charging and let it fully charge. Disconnect your charger, turn the phone off, then reconnect your charger and let it charge to full. Turn your phone on then off then on, and hook up for charging again till fully charged. This will reset the software that reads the battery life and will ensure that the battery is getting fully charged. You should not have to do this every time.

All comments

TLBauer3617

Here are a couple of things that seemed to help for me:

1. Go to Settings / Accounts & sync. Turn off completely the sync for weather and stocks (and I believe there was one for news that I turned off.) I have Facebook and I also changed that sync to once every 4 hours.

2. If wiFi is turned on, turn it off. Only turn it on when you need it.

I am a lite to moderate user of my phone and I have the 3500 extended battery. Under 2.1, I got almost 6 days on a single charge. After installing 2.2, the battery was almost 60% depleted. After making the changes above, my situation seems to have stabilized somewhat, though it is not back to what it was under 2.1.

kschaub

I didn't get a noticeable increase in battery life on my DInc following the 2.2 update. As other users are posting all over this forum, ATK is at odds with 2.2 because it has to tangle with tasks that restart soon after they are killed, making your battery a victim of your task killer. I would check your downloaded apps to see if they are functioning efficiently with Froyo.

You memory should be fine without the task killer; however, if you want longer battery life without adjusting your usage habits, your best bet may be to get a higher capacity battery.

AZSALUKI

my battery life is no better, nor worse. i went back in and made sure all of my settings were as i had them before the update. i keep the screen brighness down quite a bit. i don't sync/update facebook (i use the mobile site, not the app). like the above post...i turned off the sync for news, weather, and stocks (i just manually have the weather update when i check the widget). i have my email only check every 15 minutes and i have my screen time out after 15 seconds. i get 24 hours of up time and close to 3 hours of awake time (actual use) before i have to charge which works fine for me. basically it's a full day as long as i'm not actually using it for things for more than 3 hours. (stock battery)

TLBauer3617

I am finding that if you leave the WiFi turned on at 2.2, then the battery drains much more quickly than under 2.1. I have an extended battery (seidio 3500), and under 2.1 I would get almost 6 full days use between charges.

After installing 2.2, and after an overnight charge with the phone off, my extended battery was 60% depleted in 24 hours.

If I turn the WiFi off when not using it, then I have noticed that my battery lasts much longer. Toward that end, I installed an app from the Marketplace called "Battery Booster." It has a setting that will allow it to turn off the WiFi and Bluetooth when the phone goes to sleep.

However, I should think that this is some kind of "bug", since I did not have this problem at 2.1 ... or there is a setting somewhere else in the system that I am missing.

john129

My battery life FAIR at best when I had 2.1, but since the update it has gone to total s#!t. I have tried everything from a total factory reset of the phone (which I dont reccomend as you will lose all phone and downloaded apps) to disabling 99% of the widgets that are running .I removed ATK and anti-virus. I also try to manage my wi-fi usage and gps usage as much as possible. While I love the power and functionality of the phone, the bottom line is I need a phone to make calls on and to send text. If I go out for more than 8 hrs I have to worry about finding a place to charge my phone, which is insane. On top of that, it also takes my phone approx 5 hrs to fully chage since the update, before that I could charge it in approx 1 hr. The only solution might be to get the extended battery. Love the phone, HATE the battery life!

ps....my buddy has an iPhone and says he easily goes 36 hrs between charges, thats a full day and a half and he is a heavy internet and app user! If Apple can make a phone thats lasts so long, why cant Anroid platform?

Chillenout

You all need to download an app in the market called juice defender.

After Froyo my battery lasted less than 8 hours...I made 1 phone call in those 8 hours that lasted maybe 5 minutes.

After I downloaded Juice defender and set it up, my extended 7150 battery lasts approx 12-13 hours with moderate internet use.

TLBauer3617

Chillenout wrote:
You all need to download an app in the market called juice defender.

After Froyo my battery lasted less than 8 hours...I made 1 phone call in those 8 hours that lasted maybe 5 minutes.

After I downloaded Juice defender and set it up, my extended 7150 battery lasts approx 12-13 hours with moderate internet use.

I think an even better app is "Battery Booster", and it is free. It has settings that will turn off the WiFi when the phone goes to sleep. This has greatly increased my battery life.

I am using the 1750mah battery. I unplugged from the charger on Sunday morning. Here on Tuesday morning, I still have 62% charge remaining. I am a lite to moderate user of the phone: make a few calls each day, text messaging, and checking facebook. Not a heavy internet user on my phone.

john129

budone

Except for the task killer suggestion, they are all good ideas. Brightness of the screen and how long it is set to remain on is a couple other thoughts.

TLBauer3617

john129 wrote:
Ok guys....here is the latest reply I have gotten from HTC. I previously tried everything EXCEPT the battery software reset at the end of the letter, gonna try that now! Dear John, Thank you for contacting HTC in regards to your Incredible. I am sorry to hear that the battery life is not acceptable for your usage. There are some things you may be able to do to prolong your battery life. You can try downloading Advanced Task Killer from the Android Market to reduce the system resources requirements. You may also want to create quick links to your Bluetooth, Wifi, and Mobile Network so you can toggle them when they are not in use. If you have multiple emails set up on the phone, and you have it set to download every so often you may want to change the download frequency of your accounts. To do this, go to each email Inbox and hit Menu -> More -> Settings -> Send/Receive -> Download Frequency and change it to manual. To create the quick links on your main screen, tap and hold on an empty space on one of your home screens, choose Widget -> Power Control and this will allow you to toggle your wireless controls and your backlight (which can also eat battery). If you are still experiencing battery life issues after all that, try this charging method: Let the battery die or get to red status. Hook it up for charging and let it fully charge. Disconnect your charger, turn the phone off, then reconnect your charger and let it charge to full. Turn your phone on then off then on, and hook up for charging again till fully charged. This will reset the software that reads the battery life and will ensure that the battery is getting fully charged. You should not have to do this every time.

Ok ... I was not having a battery issue at 2.1 with an extended battery. It did not become an issue until 2.2. Something has changed in the software that is now causing excessive battery drain. What changed? Why should any of these steps be necessary?

I believe that it has to do with WiFi. At 2.1, I left my WiFi on all the time and had no battery problems. Under 2.2, if I leave it on all the time, the battery is 60% depleted at the end of 24 hours ... and this is a battery that used to get me almost 6 days on a single charge.

Well ... I am using the app "Battery Booster." I have it set to turn off WiFi whenever the phone goes to sleep. I have had my phone on since Sunday morning. Here on Tuesday afternoon, I still have 56% charge remaining. And, this is having switched from a 3500mah battery to a 1750mah. (I don't like the big back door required by the extended batteries)

Try the "Battery Booster" app ... It's working for me!

Alec360

I have the HTC extended battery. I leave my gps and am texting and using my email and facebook apps alot all day long. When I go to bed at night my battery is no less than 60%. Don't know if it would have been different with 2.1 because I got the battery and the update the same day. But I have not had a single problem with the update battery wise.

john129

Ok, here is the deal. I dont know what actually worked, I am sure each did a little, but I have managed to extend my battery life to 24 hrs and still have 60%. I did a reset of the battery management software and downloaded battery booster, which shuts down the gps and wi-fi when the phone is locked. However I also switch my email sync to manual and turned off my mobile network (3G). When I want to use an app the requires internet or i want to check my email etc, i turn on wi-fi and/or 3g. when I am done I turn it off. Wish i could leave them running all the time, but I need more than 8 hrs battery life. Seems the way I am doing it now I can probably get 48 hrs out of the battery, but definately 36.

rayho0716

MarissaSupersta wrote:
Has anyone posted about how to extend battery life with the new update (froyo)? I finally figured out how to keep my battery life good with 2.1, but now with 2.2 its back to bad battery life, and I'm reading its made so you cant kill apps? I tried the app killers for froyo, but then I read somewhere force stopping the program will make the battery drain more, and to just let it hibernate in the background... has anyone found a solution to this? Any info would be helpful. Thanks so much for your time.

Can you guys tell what kinds of applications installed from market on your case? Personally I would like to have a wide test to see which kinds of application may affect the battery life~

eastoan

Does anyone not see how ludicrous it is that you have to jump through hoops just to get three-quarters to maybe a slightly full day out of this battery? Folks, this is a $200 phone!!! I read the email where the HTC person wrote back with a paragraph full of 'suggestions' to try to milk some extra juice out of the battery. But the big issue is WHY?? Why should anyone have to turn off widgets, and delete this, and shut down wifi, etc just to try to not have to hang around an electrical outlet all day long?

I was at a college football game on Saturday, and when the game started, the phone was fully charged. By the end of the game, not even four hours later, it was just about dead (less than 10% life left). All I did was check some scores and did some texting. Didn't make a call, didn't take any pics or vids or anything. That is completely unacceptable in a phone that costs this much money, esp when we all know the iphone battery lasts a TON longer. I took the phone back to VErizon the next day and the snotty rep was telling me to remove widgets etc and do this and do that. I had enough and told him 'just go and get me the most basic phone you have because with all of this stuff you're telling me to turn off and delete, that's all I am going to have left'.

I came from a Bberry Storm, which was pretty much the world's worst phone. The Incredible is light years ahead of it, but it's a glorified paper weight since I can't be away from a plug for very long. No one should have to download apps and stand sideways with the back of the phone facing the sun to extend the battery life. The battery is terrible.....period. Verizon and HTC need to be taken to task for allowing such a horrific battery to power what could be a very powerful device.

TLBauer3617

eastoan wrote:
Does anyone not see how ludicrous it is that you have to jump through hoops just to get three-quarters to maybe a slightly full day out of this battery? Folks, this is a $200 phone!!! I read the email where the HTC person wrote back with a paragraph full of 'suggestions' to try to milk some extra juice out of the battery. But the big issue is WHY?? Why should anyone have to turn off widgets, and delete this, and shut down wifi, etc just to try to not have to hang around an electrical outlet all day long?

I was at a college football game on Saturday, and when the game started, the phone was fully charged. By the end of the game, not even four hours later, it was just about dead (less than 10% life left). All I did was check some scores and did some texting. Didn't make a call, didn't take any pics or vids or anything. That is completely unacceptable in a phone that costs this much money, esp when we all know the iphone battery lasts a TON longer. I took the phone back to VErizon the next day and the snotty rep was telling me to remove widgets etc and do this and do that. I had enough and told him 'just go and get me the most basic phone you have because with all of this stuff you're telling me to turn off and delete, that's all I am going to have left'.

I came from a Bberry Storm, which was pretty much the world's worst phone. The Incredible is light years ahead of it, but it's a glorified paper weight since I can't be away from a plug for very long. No one should have to download apps and stand sideways with the back of the phone facing the sun to extend the battery life. The battery is terrible.....period. Verizon and HTC need to be taken to task for allowing such a horrific battery to power what could be a very powerful device.

AMEN!!!! Well said!

budone

eastoan wrote:

I was at a college football game on Saturday, and when the game started, the phone was fully charged. By the end of the game, not even four hours later, it was just about dead (less than 10% life left). All I did was check some scores and did some texting. Didn't make a call, didn't take any pics or vids or anything.

YOU may have just checked scores and some texting, but the phone obviously was doing much more. At the 4 hour mark for me, if I am below 80% I am surprised.

You need to see what all is running. How often is the phone checking for email, are you synced to Facebook, are you running a task killer.... that is the bggest battery killer. And do not worry about the programs you see running in the background, they do not use resources.

I have not cut corners on my phone, I sync 7 email accounts every 15 minutes. I sync weather with 2 services, I keep GPS on all the time, so in case I lose my phone I can track it. I text (alot) and surf the web and make calls, I can easily make it through the day. Last night at midbight when I came home I was at 10%.

Charge your phone. when charged, unplug the charger shut off the phone and plug the charger in to bump charge. It takes about twenty minutes. When charged, turn the phone on and go through your day. When the battery is low, go into MENU>SETTINGS>PHONE>BATTERY and see what you up time is compared to your awake time. If they are close, you have something that is constantly running.

eastoan

I don't have FB synced, and the up time vs whatever else time is not even close. I got rid of the task killer as soon as 2.2 came out and I read that it didn't do anything.

I"ve read about the bump charge....tried it.....didn't work. I even got a new stock battery yesterday....same horrible performance. I have an extended life battery and I will see how that goes instead.

You seem to be one of the lucky few that doesn't have battery issues, which is great. I still maintain that even if there some other stuff running in the background, the standard battery should give me way more time than it does.

jarn606

Further information just got off the phone with verizon and htc verizon no help at hall Htc very little help told me the same on charging the battery also told me to get rid of task killer.

budone

I definitely agree with the last statement .

jarn606

One more thing when you call verizon and Htc they act like this it the first time they are hearing this problem.

7765

YOU may have just checked scores and some texting, but the phone obviously was doing much more. At the 4 hour mark for me, if I am below 80% I am surprised.

You need to see what all is running. How often is the phone checking for email, are you synced to Facebook, are you running a task killer.... that is the bggest battery killer. And do not worry about the programs you see running in the background, they do not use resources.

I have not cut corners on my phone, I sync 7 email accounts every 15 minutes. I sync weather with 2 services, I keep GPS on all the time, so in case I lose my phone I can track it. I text (alot) and surf the web and make calls, I can easily make it through the day. Last night at midbight when I came home I was at 10%.

Charge your phone. when charged, unplug the charger shut off the phone and plug the charger in to bump charge. It takes about twenty minutes. When charged, turn the phone on and go through your day. When the battery is low, go into MENU>SETTINGS>PHONE>BATTERY and see what you up time is compared to your awake time. If they are close, you have something that is constantly running.

So the number of apps I have downloaded on my phone (and are probably running in the background) won't affect battery performance?

I typically leave my WiFi off unless I am at a known hotspot and want to use the internet. Is it worth it for me to download Battery Booster?