[mzman]

If you're not on OS 7.1, please don't reply without clarifying that. I experienced none of the below problems on 7.0.0.374.

I am creating this thread because I believe I have a unique perspective on the battery drain issue some are experiencing with OS 7.1. I hope this helps those with poor battery life, and even those who haven't experienced a problem yet, but may in the future. Even if your battery life is great, please drop a quick reply.

First, here's my story.

1. I had a 9930 on .374. Battery drained at 2% per hour or so on Wifi, and up to double that with various 3G signal strengths. This is with mild to moderate use. I was happy with the battery performance.

2. Phone bricks, and I get a refurb. I immediately install OS 7.1 and the same apps.

3. Wifi battery drain is similar to what I remember on .374. 3G drain is a different story....

So, I have a bit of a controlled environment: same apps, same battery, different OS. I do have a new phone, but can't imagine that's the problem, based on the below. I've only had the new OS for a few days, but my theory is that a pattern of circumstances may be causing people's battery drain, not the "settling in" of the OS.

Yesterday, I left a Wifi network after experiencing a normal battery drain rate. My phone drained a bit faster after that, but was still very reasonable. At some point my signal dropped to a very weak 3G/1XEV while I was in a building. My battery began draining quickly - 20 to 30% per hour! I soon moved into a better signal area, but the damage was done! My battery was still draining at 20 to 25% per hour, and my battery remained very hot.

My battery had drained from 55% to 25% in the span of just over an hour, with my usage of the device amounting to next to nothing (mostly just checking the battery every 10 minutes)! Again, for some of this time I had a poor signal, but after getting outdoors to a better area the drain rate continued to be ridiculously, unacceptably fast. Thinking back, the same thing happened to me a day or two before in the same pattern: poor battery drain rate after spending some time in the mall with a weak signal, followed by continued rapid drain after regaining a better signal.

I did two things at this point: turned off Wifi (even though it wasn't connected), and disabled automatic updating of BeWeather. Immediately, the battery drain rate improved drastically! I stayed at 25% battery level for 30+ minutes. Without intervention, I think I would have been below 10% in those 30 minutes.

Here's my theory: people with 7.1 seem to fall into two camps with good or bad battery life, and which camp you fall into might be related to one of these factors:

1. The BeWeather app, or perhaps any app that uses GPS, goes into rapid-drain mode when it can't acquire a GPS fix. The only way to get back to a normal drain rate is to intervene manually (moving into GPS range doesn't fix the problem).

2. Leaving Wifi on causes horrible battery drain if you move into a 1X or similarly poor signal area, even briefly. The only way to get the drain rate back to normal is to connect to Wifi or turn off the Wifi option.

3. After going into a poor signal area, the OS or perhaps some app does not handle a poor connection well. It hangs or otherwise gets stuck, and drains the battery, even if the connection improves.

Hopefully what happened to me wasn't coincidence. Can everyone with battery drain issues under OS 7.1 think back to their experiences and see if the above matches what you have seen?

How many people have BeWeather set to GPS updates? Have you seen good or bad battery performance if you don't get a GPS fix for some period of time (app fails to locate)? The BeWeather issue is my #1 theory of what's causing these problems, since a lot of people have it, and I figure people may be indoors without a GPS signal. This could be the under-the-radar (ha ha, a pun) problem causing poor battery life for some people on OS 7.1.

How many have gone into poor signal areas and then had horrible battery drain, even after the signal gets better? Is it perhaps after leaving home for work and being first connected to Wifi? Do you leave the Wifi option on in this scenario? Do you then get good battery life on 3G or not?

I will continue to experiment. Any input would be appreciated by all, I'm sure! Perhaps my experience will unlock the problem and reveal a workaround for everyone on OS 7.1.

[kazn3r]

1. I had a 9930 on .374. Battery drained at 2% per hour or so on Wifi, and up to double that with various 3G signal strengths. This is with mild to moderate use. I was happy with the battery performance.


3. Wifi battery drain is similar to what I remember on .374. 3G drain is a different story....



Yesterday, I left a Wifi network after experiencing a normal battery drain rate. My phone drained a bit faster after that, but was still very reasonable. At some point my signal dropped to a very weak 3G/1XEV while I was in a building. My battery began draining quickly - 20 to 30% per hour! I soon moved into a better signal area, but the damage was done! My battery was still draining at 20 to 25% per hour, and my battery remained very hot.

I did two things at this point: turned off Wifi (even though it wasn't connected)

2. Leaving Wifi on causes horrible battery drain if you move into a 1X or similarly poor signal area, even briefly. The only way to get the drain rate back to normal is to connect to Wifi or turn off the Wifi option.

because i think that needs to be said again. I am not upgrading until you report back with more (sorry i responded). I do everything that you do, wifi all day until i leave office, then bat starts to drain. I always turn the wifi off as soon as i leave my office. i hardly use apps, and weatherchannel only updates every hr, as does facebook.

[wolfee48]

Hopefully what happened to me wasn't coincidence. Can everyone with battery drain issues under OS 7.1 think back to their experiences and see if the above matches what you have seen?

I have had no battery drain issues unless I am in my heavy usage mode (heavy browsing and if my hotspot is on). And I wouldn't call that battery drain, it's just good old usage.

How many people have BeWeather set to GPS updates? Have you seen good or bad battery performance if you don't get a GPS fix for some period of time (app fails to locate)? The BeWeather issue is my #1 theory of what's causing these problems, since a lot of people have it, and I figure people may be indoors without a GPS signal. This could be the under-the-radar (ha ha, a pun) problem causing poor battery life for some people on OS 7.1.

I have Beweather set to location. It is set to only cell location and I have no update issues. Battery life has been fine just like this.

How many have gone into poor signal areas and then had horrible battery drain, even after the signal gets better? Is it perhaps after leaving home for work and being first connected to Wifi? Do you leave the Wifi option on in this scenario? Do you then get good battery life on 3G or not?

First, Wifi is always off unless I'm at home or a known access point. But I always turn it off manually when I leave. I find myself never really using Wifi because I have an unlimited data plan and I am happy with my network speed.

Second, I live in the good old Pacific Northwest. Nothing but but plenty of hills, dips, canyons, and mountains. Yes my signal drops and the battery percentage rises, but it settles down once I regain strength.

Who is your carrier? Are you a 9900 or 9930 user?

[els822]

I am on 7.1 and am experiencing a very reasonable discharge rate. By reasonable I mean enough to get me through a day or fairly heavy usage. In my day I do pass through periods of using a wireless network and then leaving that network, with wifi constantly enabled regardless. I also pass through patches of 2G, 3G or no signal at all. I also have Beweather installed...with regards to your comments on GPS...my beweather is set to use Cell Location, not GPS. So perhaps if yours is set to use GPS you could modify this setting. In reality using GPS is only slightly more beneficial if at all, as it won't work indoors some of the time and the Beweather info is limited to weather stations nearby not your exact location

[wolfee48]

mzman...

Have you tried changing your network settings to 1XEV? This may help any battery related issues with your signal. 9900 users don't ahve this option.




Fulfilling my Crackberry addiction from my 9930 via Tapatalk

[pcgizmo#IM]

The mobile network drains the battery much faster than wifi, this isn't a revelation. It's the very reason why I never turn off wifi. My fully charged but deactivated Storm2 lasted 5 days on a single charge.

My 9930s discharge rate on 7.1 is between 2% and 3%/hour, unless I'm doing heavy web surfing and then it's 5%-6%. Looking at my battery log, the 100% > 92% drop usually happens after an hour and a half or two hours.

Tue 6:20 AM 100% (Batt Full)
Tue 7:20 AM 100%
Tue 7:50 AM 100%
Tue 8:20 AM 100%
Tue 8:50 AM -8 92%

In fact, it's time to delete MeterBerry since battery life isn't really an issue, and the 100 > 92 drop isn't an issue either.

[mzman]

I have had no battery drain issues unless I am in my heavy usage mode (heavy browsing and if my hotspot is on). And I wouldn't call that battery drain, it's just good old usage.



I have Beweather set to location. It is set to only cell location and I have no update issues. Battery life has been fine just like this.



First, Wifi is always off unless I'm at home or a known access point. But I always turn it off manually when I leave. I find myself never really using Wifi because I have an unlimited data plan and I am happy with my network speed.

Second, I live in the good old Pacific Northwest. Nothing but but plenty of hills, dips, canyons, and mountains. Yes my signal drops and the battery percentage rises, but it settles down once I regain strength.

Who is your carrier? Are you a 9900 or 9930 user?

I have a 9930 on Verizon. Setting BeWeather to cell only fails to locate for some reason. That's with 5 bars on 3G.

I just switched from Global to 1XEV today. I doubt that would make a significant difference based on what I have seen from others, but will report back after some more experience.

Thanks for the ideas and input.

[mzman]

The mobile network drains the battery much faster than wifi, this isn't a revelation. It's the very reason why I never turn off wifi. My fully charged but deactivated Storm2 lasted 5 days on a single charge.

It may not be a revelation, but please read my post carefully. The situation I am addressing is a discharge rate is 20 to 30% per hour even with a strong signal, under a certain set of conditions. That's unacceptably fast by any standard, and may be due to a bug with a workaround. Finding that bug/workaround would be a true revelation.

Sticking only to Wifi is not an option. This is a mobile phone, not a laptop with a tiny screen.

[pcgizmo#IM]

Sticking only to Wifi is not an option. This is a mobile phone, not a laptop with a tiny screen.

I didn't say it was an option Read again.

2. Leaving Wifi on causes horrible battery drain if you move into a 1X or similarly poor signal area, even briefly. The only way to get the drain rate back to normal is to connect to Wifi or turn off the Wifi option.

Not true.

[npunk42]

I havent had the discharge problems I keep hearing about in these forums. Like many who already responded, I keep the WiFi, bluetooth, NFC, Hotspot, off until I need it. More often than not bluetooth is on most of the day, I drive a lot. I run Skype, GoogleTalk, all day but most apps are shut off. The apps that drain the battery fastest on my 9930/7.1 are Telenav and Pandora. Sorry to be redundant, but I was just chiming in in case something resonates.

[mzman]

I havent had the discharge problems I keep hearing about in these forums. Like many who already responded, I keep the WiFi, bluetooth, NFC, Hotspot, off until I need it. More often than not bluetooth is on most of the day, I drive a lot. I run Skype, GoogleTalk, all day but most apps are shut off. The apps that drain the battery fastest on my 9930/7.1 are Telenav and Pandora. Sorry to be redundant, but I was just chiming in in case something resonates.

Thanks. Do you have a weather app installed? Anything with regular updates through GPS?

[pcgizmo#IM]

Thanks. Do you have a weather app installed? Anything with regular updates through GPS?

Wifi and GPS are on constantly. I have Berryweather set update every 15 minutes. I also have Social Feeds, FB and Twitter checking for updates as often as possible.

[mzman]

Not true.

Those were intended at alternative possibilities. Are you saying you have done exactly that: moving into and out of a 1X area while Wifi is continuously enabled, under OS 7.1, with no continuous rapid battery drain? If so, that moves me more towards options #1 and #3.

[mzman]

Wifi and GPS are on constantly. I have Berryweather set update every 15 minutes. I also have Social Feeds, FB and Twitter checking for updates as often as possible.

Berryweather with GPS or cell only? If GPS, have you tried it while indoors and out of GPS range?

[pcgizmo#IM]

moving into and out of a 1X area while Wifi is continuously enabled, under OS 7.1, with no continuous rapid battery drain? If so, that moves me more towards options #1 and #3.

That's what I'm saying. Some parts of the building that I work in are 1X and there is no difference in battery drain.

Berryweather with GPS or cell only? If GPS, have you tried it while indoors and out of GPS range?

GPS (w/Cell Location Fallback) and it's running all day indoors and out of GPS range.

[wolfee48]

The mobile network drains the battery much faster than wifi, this isn't a revelation. It's the very reason why I never turn off wifi. My fully charged but deactivated Storm2 lasted 5 days on a single charge.



My 9930s discharge rate on 7.1 is between 2% and 3%/hour, unless I'm doing heavy web surfing and then it's 5%-6%. Looking at my battery log, the 100% > 92% drop usually happens after an hour and a half or two hours.



Tue 6:20 AM 100% (Batt Full)

Tue 7:20 AM 100%

Tue 7:50 AM 100%

Tue 8:20 AM 100%

Tue 8:50 AM -8 92%



In fact, it's time to delete MeterBerry since battery life isn't really an issue, and the 100 > 92 drop isn't an issue either.

I have similar results:




Fulfilling my Crackberry addiction from my 9930 via Tapatalk

[mzman]

That's what I'm saying. Some parts of the building that I work in are 1X and there is no difference in battery drain.



GPS and it's running all day indoors and out of GPS range.

Are you on Wifi while in the building at work? Also, are you sure your GPS is not getting occasional fixes indoors for BeWeather updates? Mine often does while indoors.

[mzman]

That's what I'm saying. Some parts of the building that I work in are 1X and there is no difference in battery drain.



GPS (w/Cell Location Fallback) and it's running all day indoors and out of GPS range.

Perhaps my problem results from a failed GPS update with no fallback that works, since my cell phone update with BeWeather seems to always fail. Who knows why that happens!

I haven't heard from anyone who is experiencing poor battery life. Perhaps they also have a failing cell location fixing with BeWeather...

[pcgizmo#IM]

Are you on Wifi while in the building at work? Also, are you sure your GPS is not getting occasional fixes indoors for BeWeather updates? Mine often does while indoors.

I never turn WiFi or GPS off, ever. The GPS probably does get thru even inside my building. I'm not always in a 1X area, but quite often I am.

Perhaps my problem results from a failed GPS update with no fallback that works, since my cell phone update with BeWeather seems to always fail. Who knows why that happens!

I haven't heard from anyone who is experiencing poor battery life. Perhaps they also have a failing cell location fixing with BeWeather...

That could be. I just see a lot of "wifi is draining my battery" posts, and I've never once experienced that with 3 WiFi capable devices.

[pcgizmo#IM]

I have similar results:

Click to view quoted image



Fulfilling my Crackberry addiction from my 9930 via Tapatalk

Some people claim it happens within 15 minutes, makes me wonder if they're ignoring the 3 entries at 100% before the first 92 shows up.

[mzman]

I never turn WiFi or GPS off, ever. The GPS probably does get thru even inside my building. I'm not always in a 1X area, but quite often I am.



That could be. I just see a lot of "wifi is draining my battery" posts, and I've never once experienced that with 3 WiFi capable devices.

Yeah, so your experience probably doesn't shed light on this problem, since you haven't replicated the conditions in my original post. Please clarify one thing: when you are at work, I know your Wifi is "on", but are you connected through Wifi?

[pcgizmo#IM]

Yeah, so your experience probably doesn't shed light on this problem, since you haven't replicated the conditions in my original post. Please clarify one thing: when you are at work, I know your Wifi is "on", but are you connected through Wifi?

No, the only wifi is on the plaza outside. So it's on but not connected. Wifi isn't the battery drainer people think.


Again, I can replicate this and disprove

Leaving Wifi on causes horrible battery drain if you move into a 1X or similarly poor signal area, even briefly. The only way to get the drain rate back to normal is to connect to Wifi or turn off the Wifi option.

[mbanole03]

Some people claim it happens within 15 minutes, makes me wonder if they're ignoring the 3 entries at 100% before the first 92 shows up.

I tend to agree with you. The 100% just means it is charged. The real key is when is the phone unplugged.

I will say, this morning it took about an hour after I unplugged the charger to get the 100 - 92 drop, but still, nothing in between. I have decided to live with it and keep doing resets, maybe a almost full battery drain and see what happens.

[mzman]

No, the only wifi is on the plaza outside. So it's on but not connected. Wifi isn't the battery drainer people think.

I agree. I never had a problem before. I was only speculating that something was screwy with OS 7.1, since my problem went away after I made two changes, one of which was turning off Wifi.

I think you may have ruled out explanation #2. I'm leaning towards option #1. I'll investigate more in that direction first.

I'd love to see some posts from people with drain issues, to see if perhaps they have BeWeather with a failing cell-only location update method!

[pcgizmo#IM]

I tend to agree with you. The 100% just means it is charged. The real key is when is the phone unplugged.

I will say, this morning it took about an hour after I unplugged the charger to get the 100 - 92 drop, but still, nothing in between. I have decided to live with it and keep doing resets, maybe a almost full battery drain and see what happens.

Those 3 100%s are when it's unplugged. When I get up at 7AM I read emails while I'm making coffee, checking for BBMs and texts, read thru the Social Feeds. I don't use my device while I'm getting ready for work or driving. I'm sure if I used my phone heavily during the first two hours I was awake, the 100 > 92 would happen sooner.

I'm going to live with it too, since a 100 to 92% drop over 2 hours isn't far off from my 2-3% hourly drop overall. Battery life (for me) is better with 7.1 than with 7.0.0.374.