Advanced Tricks for Saving Battery (it Works)

EDIT: Last Update: 10th Sep 2011 with New INfo (trick no.7)

Advanced Tricks for Saving Battery
The following tweaks can greatly save battery if you done it right. But bear in mind that risk are relatively higher since its involve those deep system components.
If you know what you're doing, there is not much to worry about.
Note: I will not responsible for the any damage of your device

My Result:
Before: After moderate usage of 20 hours, Battery Left 30% - 35%
After : After moderate usage of 20 hours, Battery left 70% - 75%

Note: Battery Usage is very subjective matter. The numbers here is not trying to give you an exact calculation, it just trying to give you a feel of how the battery saving. But i have try my best to be consistent on the usage pattern, cpu loads and temperature to do this comparison. Of cause, you might discover different result on your device. With different ROM, kernel, radio, usage, screen brightness, all the other factors come into play, the result would varied.

Kindly please post a feedback on how it works on your device>

1. Use Undervolted Kernel / ROM
- Undervolted means that your device will use relatively less battery to give the same CPU frequency
- (e.g. normally CPU run at 1.61ghz @1350mv, after undervolted it may require only 1275mv at the same frequency)
- Tested on my device, it is the most effective tweak to increase battery life (I reduced -100mv at most of the CPU frequency (except 1), give me about 30-35% more battery)
- Because the undervolting value is varied depend on the ROM and kernel, so no point i post all the numbers here. (PM me if you need the list)
- Ask at your respective ROM thread for the availability of undervolted tweak
- If you wanted to try to change the undervolting value, i recommended to use OC/UV beater2 http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1207546

- Because the tool have ease-to-use interface (no need use terminal emulator), just few taps will do.
- Most importantly, we can test new UV value with "Temp Activate", if the device freeze, just restart and it will go back to the last good state (last best config for you, instead of kernel's default value), and no need to flash the vddreset.zip / other reset.zip

2. Use "GSM auto (PRL) to save more juice while still connecting through 3G
- in the phone setting>wireless and network>MobileNetwork>NetworkMode
we are only allow to choose GSM only/ WCDMA / Auto between two
- but if you use type "*#*#4636#*#*" to phone Information, you can choose more type of networkmode. It is claimed that choose "GSM auto (PRL)" allow you to save more battery (cell standby) while allow you to connect to 3G network.
- This might somehow depend on your carrier / provider
- Please provide feedback on this. THanks

3. Try out different CPU Governor
- nowadays a lot of ROM have advanced CPU governor like Smoothass, Smartass, Interactive, etc.
- Try different combination during wake up and screen off to look for the best setting that let u save more juice
- This are my settings:
Governor during awake = On Demand
Governor during Screenoff = PowerSave
- NOTE: if you put min sleep too low, there is a chance that you device might freeze and won't wake up!

- I personally recommended "DaemonController" from Sybregunne for controlling the CPU governors and frequencies. It is a ease-to-use, yet sophisticated enough for the purpose of OC/UC. It is my favourite OC/UC controller since it released.
- DaemonController is a smart tool that it will bypass virtous daemon, and use direct frequency if we choose governors that is incompatible with the virtuous o/c. Hence, only 1 deamon is run which is more efficiency.



- Refer to the original thread here for more details: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=16726715&postcount=2
- Quoted from original thread: "It is a Graphical tool that allows users to change andrev_oc/virtuous_oc frequencies and governors without having to reboot their device. Confirmed to work on Android Revolution HD 6.1.0 and a lot more ROMS.



4. Use AutoKiller Memory Optimizer
- This tool is different from other app killer
- It fine tunes android systems inner memory manager to keep your device fast over time.
- As a side effect it also lowers battery consumption.
- At certain free memory level (e.g. 250mb), the android os will automatically close those apps not in use (according to original android os logic)
- The lowMemoryKill level can be modified to suit your style of usage. It is to find a balance point between "not killing the apps you're need" and "sufficient free RAM to avoid sudden out of RAM / Laggy ".

- What i experience before is that these values are set to be too low. It keep most of the apps opened in background. So we can use the apps much faster and consump less cpu. Result: we have lower free RAM. The tradeoff: When I open heavy game, I experienced run out of RAM (it tell me not sufficient RAM to run).

- When the values set too high. It will kill the apps in background faster. So we will spend more cpu, and slower to reopen it. Tradeoff: you will have alot of free RAM back there. But for what?

- Therefore, it is to find the middle point that satisfy both ends. Generally, users with more apps better off with lower lowmemorykill value. Users with less apps (always switch between fews app only), are better off with higher lowmemorykill value.

- MY case: I only have 25+ apps installed. and Only use few apps (other rarely use). THis is my setting (in Pages): 3072, 8192, 16384, 50688, 58368, 76288. I have experimented with many values for 3 months. Just 1 month ago, i found these value suit me very much. It keep balance between the two tradeoff mentioned. Maybe you can try to figure out your own.



- Generally, we play with the last 3 numbers only. The first 3 numbers is related to:
(Foreground app)
(Visible app)
(Secondary server)
Which offer no significant benefits if we kill them.

5. Use Autostart
- Instead of closing them, it would be better if we don't let the app start from the begining
- You can choose to disable those app that u feel unnessary, so that they will not run during your phone startup



5. Check your Battery Consumption
- Download "Current Widget" or "battery monitoring widget" from market
- these apps will monitor your battery usage and recoded in a log file
- This is the normal consumption rate (varied across ROM, kernel and CPUI frequency and other factors)
- To be comparable, it is suggest that you try to compare the consumption rate with your friends with same ROM, kernel, radio)
- With the monitoring log, you will able to notice adnormal peak / adnormal high drainage easily

6. Use "Battery History for GingerBreak" to check what running in background (Especially thanks for Saluco for this useful way to check battery drainage )
- this is a free tool can be download from xds forum http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=13328125
- Go to "Partial Wake Usage" to see what apps running when your device is sleeping
- Please "thanks" the developers of the apps for creating and letting us use his useful tool
- Give the screenshot of "Battery History for Gingerbreak" to the community of your ROM, this will give them more clues for them to help you
- For consistency, please monitor your usage for at least 3 hours (@ frequency 1 - 5 minutes) in order to have sufficient data and reliable readings.

7. Disable "Receiver" of application using AutoRun Manager (Really for Advanced User ONLY)
- Receivers are the "condition" where if it is fulfilled, the app will be executed
- For stance, Google Map has 8 receivers. Either 1 of these 8 conditions is met, google map will be open and run automatically.
- Now we actually try to disable this autoRUN by disable the "receiver" = means that even if the condition is met, the app won't run
- TO do this we need donated version of AutoRun Manager (available in market) to do this, go setting enable advanced mode
- Go second tap of the menu (advanced menu) to disable the receiver of particular app
- It is HIGHLY recommended to disable 1 receiver at 1 time, so that you can know the impact and trace back to the receiver
- you might get confused if you disable too many receivers at 1 time
- WARNING: ONLY disable those receiver that you know. DIsable system's receiver will make your system instable. So better only disable the user app.
- WHY IT IS USEFUL? Example: i used "Battery History for Gingerbreak (tip 6) to found out that "Facebook for android" is locking my device from being deep sleep (as it shown as high minute usage in the "partial wake menu"). Then i wanted to disable the feature of the that keep my device awake. THen i disable the "awake service" receive of it. Then it will help to save more battery by preventing those app that run automatically when certain conditions are met (example: Wifi-on, location changed..etc_

<More humble sharing is coming>


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(The content is talking about HTC Desire HD, but the tricks can generally apply to any other smartphones, Hope it help you~)

Well it’s been 7½ days since I reviewed the Desire HD in which I said I didn’t want to comment on battery life until I’ve used it for 10 days. Tomorrow morning at 10am will be the 10th day, but I’m ready 14 hours early!

I’ve seen a lot of talk on the internet about terrible battery life, I’ve even experienced it myself (10% per hour on standby) but not wanting to give it a bad name without being sure, I’ve waited. I can now declare – the Desire HD does not have a battery life issue!

Read on after the break for how you can make yours last 24 hours on one charge!

Let me explain first of all, why I don’t think there is an issue. My Desire HD, last night and today, has shown better battery life than my Samsung Galaxy S and Nexus One ever did. It will probably continue to improve for the next week too.

Yesterday, after 10 hours of medium to light use (screen on was 40 minutes), I was still at 59% battery.

Today, I’ve been off for 12 hours and I’m still at 48%. The screen has been on for 50 minutes, 30 minutes of streaming music via bluetooth, 1 hour of podcasts playing through my earphones and a few text messages. Generally, on standby (and not being used) on 3G while at work, it was only using 2% an hour! I’m not [/B]sure any Android phone has ever managed that low consumption for me.

I don’t know how HTC have managed it from a 1230mAh battery, but if anyone manages to produce an ‘extended’ battery that fits, this thing could last a very long time. As for what the Desire Z might be able to do, wow!

So, what have I done to get this? As well as the usual tips I’ve given, here’s a few more for your Desire HD -

Remove apps you don’t use. You’ll need to root your device with VISIONary and then remove system apps like Flickr, Twitter, Stocks, Peep, Gmail and Friend Stream using Titanium Backup.

Syncing kills! Go to Settings -> Accounts & sync and see what apps are set to sync. For me, a big improvement came from turning off syncing my Facebook ‘Live Feed’ (this seems to turn back on at reboot). Also, only have one of the two Facebook apps syncing at all. For me, I stopped HTC Sense, News and Weather from syncing. If you really want these, maybe just drop their frequency an extra hour or two.
Lower e-mail checks. I have 4 e-mail accounts that K9 Mail checks for me. Like the other syncs, I dropped them from 15 minutes, to 1 or 2 hours, 4 for the less important one. Definitely don’t use the push e-mail setting on K9.
Try different connections. Go to Settings -> Wireless & networks -> Mobile networks and change Network Mode. For me, for some reason on Orange in London ‘WCDMA only’ works the best for me.

Calibrate. After 7 to 10 days use, calibrate your battery and you should be good to go, simple as that!
**ADDITION** Once in a while (if not always) try charging via USB rather than mains. It has been reported this is better for the battery and will actually provide better life from one charge. I can’t necessarily say this claim is true, but I have often seemingly got better life from a USB charge. Try it!
Bear in mind, there are people reporting much better life than I get. Some say they can last over 40 hours on one charge.

Also, make use of the ‘Power Saver’ in Settings. I’ve put mine at 30%. When this kicks in I tend to find battery consumption might even drop to 1% per hour, which means it may be possible you could last for 3 days on one charge! I can’t wait to see what happens when we get proper root and can use custom ROM’s!

(source:http://hemorrdroids.net/htc-desire-hd-battery-life/)




Looking for general guideline for your Lithium Ion Battery?
Have a look at this http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=15631703#post15631703