1. Stan Perigo's Avatar
    Newbie - apologies if question already asked, or if in wrong forum.

    I have a Z30 running latest 10.3.3.1463. I have installed all four components to access the google play store (google account 4.3/4.4, google blackberry id 2.8, google play services (goggle settings) v 10, and play store v6. my issue is that the battery usage from the blackberry Android Player increases by a factor of 10, equalling the System usage. As I'm a relatively light user, my battery life is decreased by a factor of 2.

    I have experimented with various configurations, so I have narrowed issue down to the installation of google play services, which I need for the app I want to install. Note: I have logged out of the Amazon Appstore, so I don't think that is a factor.

    Any similar experience and/or solution? Thanks.
    02-25-17 02:02 PM
  2. jaydee5799's Avatar
    Yes, i can see how the google play services and such would run your battery faster than normal. Unfortunately, if, as a Z30 user, you want to access Android apps, this is what you must do. Carry a power bank.
    02-25-17 02:22 PM
  3. Stan Perigo's Avatar
    Thanks. I realize there is a price to pay for everything. Just wanted to make sure this is normal behaviour, as opposed to some other issue.
    02-26-17 09:56 AM
  4. Drg84's Avatar
    I had a battery problem and solved it this way. Go to settings, security and privacy, application permissions and you'll see your apps listed there. Just uncheck which ones you don't want running in the background. It's the setting called "run when minimized "

    Posted via CB10
    02-28-17 04:46 PM
  5. conite's Avatar
    Cobalt's stack doesn't affect the battery in any substantial way. Something else is going on.

    Reboot your device by holding down the power button until it restarts. Then don't touch it for at least 10 minutes.
    02-28-17 04:54 PM
  6. wingnut666's Avatar
    kill off the google apps when youre not using them. use hp taskmanager for the android ones and device monitor for the bb ones. they sometimes respawn but if you kill them a few times, they'll usually stay dead...while youre at it, kill off the bb apps you arent using as well, like link & blend & assistant. I regularly get 2-3 days of battery life.

    Posted via CBX
    03-01-17 08:04 PM
  7. conite's Avatar
    kill off the google apps when youre not using them. use hp taskmanager for the android ones and device monitor for the bb ones. they sometimes respawn but if you kill them a few times, they'll usually stay dead...while youre at it, kill off the bb apps you arent using as well, like link & blend & assistant. I regularly get 2-3 days of battery life.

    Posted via CBX
    Android apps do not run in the background. No need to "stop" them.

    As Cobalt describes it, running a task manager turns the light on in the fridge. Close the task manager, and the light goes off again.
    03-01-17 08:36 PM
  8. wingnut666's Avatar
    Android apps do not run in the background. No need to "stop" them.

    As Cobalt describes it, running a task manager turns the light on in the fridge. Close the task manager, and the light goes off again.
    dear respected crackberry member conite,
    we've been over this before. they absolutely do. it is easily proven.


    Posted via CBX
    03-01-17 08:39 PM
  9. conite's Avatar
    dear respected crackberry member conite,
    we've been over this before. they absolutely do. it is easily proven.


    Posted via CBX
    I guess the BlackBerry developer blog and Cobalt do not understand the Android Runtime.
    03-01-17 08:43 PM
  10. wingnut666's Avatar
    I guess the BlackBerry developer blog and Cobalt do not understand the Android Runtime.
    I dont understand the discrepancy. is device monitor lying then?

    Posted via CBX
    03-01-17 08:45 PM
  11. conite's Avatar
    I dont understand the discrepancy. is device monitor lying then?

    Posted via CBX
    The activation of the device monitor itself "wakes" the app's service. It immediately suspends the moment device monitor is closed.
    03-01-17 08:48 PM
  12. wingnut666's Avatar
    The activation of the device monitor itself "wakes" the app's service. It immediately suspends the moment device monitor is closed.
    but device monitor is a bb10 app!!? also, it charts cpu, and network activity in the background while not even running!

    Posted via CBX
    03-01-17 08:51 PM
  13. wingnut666's Avatar
    also, some particularly annoying android apps even randomly spawn themselves...while nothing is open in the foreground....i'm looking at you TD(Canada) app!!

    Posted via CBX
    03-01-17 08:54 PM
  14. conite's Avatar
    but device monitor is a bb10 app!!? also, it charts cpu, and network activity in the background while not even running!

    Posted via CBX
    Regardless of what you think you see, nothing runs in the background on BB10 - native or Android - unless coded specifically for headless (of which there are very, very few).
    03-01-17 08:54 PM
  15. wingnut666's Avatar
    alternative facts, I suppose...

    Posted via CBX
    03-01-17 08:55 PM
  16. conite's Avatar
    alternative facts, I suppose...

    Posted via CBX


    This is under the Android Runtime blog.

    https://developer.blackberry.com/and..._software.html
    03-01-17 09:00 PM
  17. ohaiguise's Avatar
    Android apps do not run in the background. No need to "stop" them.

    As Cobalt describes it, running a task manager turns the light on in the fridge. Close the task manager, and the light goes off again.


    Yes, Cobalt's solution is very well described:

    Google Play Services

    The Google Play services APK contains several individual Google services and runs as a background service in the Android OS runtime


    http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...g-page-965257/
    03-01-17 09:40 PM
  18. conite's Avatar
    Yes, Cobalt's solution is very well described:

    Google Play Services

    The Google Play services APK contains several individual Google services and runs as a background service in the Android OS runtime


    http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...g-page-965257/
    Correct. It is a background service. But it only runs when triggered.

    Here is Cobalt's full explanation:

    Oh I love this question about Android apps eating up battery in the background. What I'm telling you now is backed up by the Blackberry Developer Site and is valid for ANY Android app on your device:

    From the Blackberry developer docs about the Blackberry Android runtime (Jelly Bean):
    * Apps can run services only while the user runs them, either in full screen or in thumbnail mode.
    * https://developer.blackberry.com/and..._software.html

    What does that mean? The Blackberry Android runtime does NOT allow Android apps to run any services in the background. Period. As soon as the screen goes off (battery saving mode, sleep mode), ANY Android app will stop working in the background. A good example to explain this may be light in your fridge. Everytime you open the door of your fridge, the light is on, right? So we must assume, that the light in the fridge is permanently on? No, it's not. It's triggered when you open the door and it goes off when you close the door.

    The only way to get an Android app to run permanently in the background is to implement Blackberry Headless mode. This must be requested from blackberry, and usually those apps are then ONLY avaliable on Blackberry World as a ported Android app (an example is Skype). All other Android apps that you download from anywhere else do NOT incorporate Headless mode and CANNOT run in the background.

    Now I already hear all the "specialists" that are saying "Hey, but I'm running task manager xyz and there are a lot of services running on my device and I cleaned them and now everything is great"

    Well, that simply isn't true. Running a task manager app is just like opening the door on the fridge. The light is now on. But if you close the taskmanager and the device goes to sleep, all services are stopped again.

    The second thing that you should know about background services is, that against the common believe, they do not RUN in the background. They register a trigger in the Android runtime. The registering service itself is not running. Now if the Android runtime receives an Intent, it will look if a services was registered for the intent and THEN will start the service. The service will do its work (i.e. sync data) and then close again. On a Blackberry device, this will only happen if:

    a) The device is NOT in sleepmode
    b) The app is open OR running in an active Frame

    If those conditions are not met, nothing happens. No services is started.*
    fromdus2k likes this.
    03-01-17 09:44 PM
  19. ohaiguise's Avatar
    I see. That is a sophisticated nuance. But assuming Google Services has been triggered and is running while the OP is using his Android apps, then I don't see why it couldn't account for the extra battery usage.
    03-01-17 10:01 PM
  20. conite's Avatar
    I see. That is a sophisticated nuance. But assuming Google Services has been triggered and is running while the OP is using his Android apps, then I don't see why it couldn't account for the extra battery usage.
    Those services are only active when called upon. Cobalt has said that the battery use is negligible.
    03-01-17 10:06 PM
  21. G_Unit MVP's Avatar
    Apart from the hard facts that @conite just said, I can tell you that I have the same configuration that you have, same phone, same OS version, and same Cobalt's files and my battery life is still the same as it was before. So, you have another problem going there.
    03-01-17 10:08 PM
  22. Stan Perigo's Avatar
    Thanks to all who have taken an interest. I agree there is something else going on. If you are like me, you want and appreciate a well tuned machine. I'll keep plugging away as I hate mysteries (or I'm simply OC). In any case, two additional bits of info. This is the order I have installed the components:

    Install and login with 4.3.3.
    Install and register with 2.8.
    Install Play Services v10.
    Update 4.4.4 over 4.3.3 (but don't open).
    Install Play Store v6.

    Also I have noticed that while Android Player can use up 50% more of the battery than System, it uses a relatively very small fraction of the CPU.
    03-03-17 07:42 AM
  23. Stan Perigo's Avatar
    As a follow-up, now that I've digested the nuances in Cobalt's explanation, I would conclude that either:

    1. An android app in Google Services is making a high frequency of requests to the BB Android Player causing the Android Player to use a lot of battery
    OR
    2. The Android Player/runtime is corrupt in some way so as to not interface well with Cobalt's Google Play Services
    OR
    3. Google services interacts with some other android app such as to cause a high frequency of requests to Android Player.

    Since others have reported no issues similar to mine, I would lean towards 2 or 3. In any case, this is moot, as I can no longer reinstall the software, as BB link always tries to reinstall the last 10.3.2 software.

    Thanks.

    Thanks.
    03-10-17 06:32 PM
  24. ddhowland's Avatar
    Need link to cobalt's stack of downloads for googleplay servicesvfor password, OS3.3.1435. Thanks.

    Posted via CB10
    03-13-17 04:00 PM
  25. ddhowland's Avatar
    Passport, sorry

    Posted via CB10
    03-13-17 04:00 PM
33 12

Similar Threads

  1. Android Central on KeyOne "Your Dad's Favorite Android Phone"
    By DroidBerryGuy in forum BlackBerry KEYone
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 02-25-17, 03:48 PM
  2. Just waiting for words of Kevin
    By robertillo in forum BlackBerry KEYone
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 02-25-17, 02:51 PM
  3. Android Police: Spec Doesn't Justify Price
    By DroidBerryGuy in forum BlackBerry KEYone
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 02-25-17, 02:19 PM
  4. Android Authority Hands On; Not "Particularly Powerful"
    By DroidBerryGuy in forum BlackBerry KEYone
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 02-25-17, 01:25 PM
LINK TO POST COPIED TO CLIPBOARD