KitKat battery issue after update

[shaggy7]

Since the upgrade to KitKat version 4.4.2 on my Note 3, I have been having serious battery issues. After charging to 100%, the battery will be drained to under 20% in less than 8 hours, with nearly no use.  It used to last a day or so, before needing charging.  The Battery Info shows that Android System is using the most of the battery (about 25%).

Last night, instead of charging it, I let it discharge, but put the phone in Airplane mode (no cell or wifi).  In the morning, after about 8 hours, I discovered that the phone had the same battery capacity (88%) as when I left it the night before.  So it appears that there is no loss of battery voltage with Airplane mode on.

I'm wondering if maybe the new update is using more power to keep the cell connected in marginal reception areas. Or maybe it is not the update issue at all, but the phone now connecting to the new XLTE bands and using more power?

I am hesitant to do a factory reset, for fear of having to re-install all my apps and data.

Anybody else have other thoughts?

[vzw_customer_support]

Hello shaggy7!

Thanks for already trying some troubleshooting steps with your Note 3. I also have this device and I've actually noticed that the battery lasts longer since the update. i would suggest first putting the device in safe mode to see if an application is causing this. If you notice the battery is fine when in safe mode, then a third party app is causing the issue and should be uninstalled.
If safe mode isn't the answer, I would like you to go ahead and perform the master reset. You are able to select to automatically restore apps when completing this, so you should have no problem with this. Below are the steps for you:

Safe Mode:
  • Turn off your phone.
  • Press and hold the Power button to boot up the phone.
  • Now, keep tapping the left Menu key continuously until you see the Lock screen.
  • That’s it. Now, you should see the Safe Mode label in the lower-left corner of the screen.

Master Reset:

To perform a master reset, follow these steps:

  • Back up all data on the internal memory.
  • From any Home screen, tap the Menu key.
  • Tap Settings.
  • Tap the General tab.
  • Tap Back up and reset.
  • If desired, tap Automatic restore to clear the check box.
  • If desired, tap Back up my data to clear the check box.
  • Tap Factory data reset.
  • Tap Reset device.
  • If you have screen lock turned on, enter your PIN or password. Tap Continue.
  • Tap Delete all.
-Christina

[shaggy7 · Accepted solution]

Christina,

As I mentioned, I've been reluctant to do a Master Reset, unless it was unavoidable.  Recently I was in San Jose, CA, where I usually have great reception, and noticed that my battery life was sub-par.  (It needed to be charged twice a day.).  So after returning home, I saw a message on one of the Android Central forum (actually for the AT&T version of the Note 3) that mentioned to try wiping the cache partition.  That appears to have worked.  Since then, my battery life has been phenomenal.  I don't know why this worked, or the downside of doing it.  But it worked.   I would before the wipe, use up 10% of my battery in 30 minutes, with little use.  (This implies a 5 hour battery life.)  As I write this, my battery is at 66%, and has been on for 14.5 hours (with one brief charge of 15 or so minutes in my car last night).

Here are the instructions for wiping the cache partition.

Wiping the Cache partition from Recovery Mode

This won't erase any important data.  Perform the following procedure:

1) Turn off the device.

2) Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time:

    a) Volume Up key

    b) Home key

    c) Power key

3) When 'GALAXY Note 3' appears on the screen, let go of the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.

4) When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.

5) Press the Volume Down key to highlight 'wipe cache partition.'

6) Press the Power key to select and wipe the cache.

7) With 'reboot system now' highlighted, press the Power key to restart the device.

I'd like to also add that I think my reception has gotten better, but that might just be wishful thinking.

Regards,

Michael

[jenjennbremer]

Michael,  I may need to try this.  Did it affect any of your pics/music/apps?

[shaggy7]

jejjejjbremer,

No, it did not.  I have a 64Gb Card installed with some ~10Gb of music, ~3Gb of Movies, ~1Gb of video, ~2Gb of pictures and about 1.5Gb of Map data for Navigator.  All worked fine after the cache wipe.

Prior to the cache wipe, I needed to charge the phone twice a day, I was getting maybe 8hrs of life out of the battery.  After the cache wipe, I now am seeing between 24-30 hours of battery life, with the same usage.  I'm not sure why it worked, but it did.  I still have lousy reception at my house, but we are in a poor signal area.  (Especially if I'm in my office, in the basement.)

I have noticed an additional app on my phone after the 4.4.2  upgrade, the Verizon VZ Protect.  (Maybe it was there prior?)  I was wondering if this was causing problems, as maybe it interfered with another installed app I had, Lookout.  They both seem to scan my new installed apps, and check for malware.  But maybe it is OK.

Regards,

Michael

[jenjennbremer]

Thanks for replying Michael, I spent a good hour on the phone with Verizon today and they only thing they could think of was doing a factory reset, which I do not want to do because I have some sentimental pics on my phone.  I  haven't tried your method "wiping the cache" yet just wanted to confirm that it  does not delete anything specific.  How long go did you try that method?