Solution to Google Services and Android System battery drain [UPDATED Nov 23, 2013]

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Kaniawave

Member
Oct 25, 2013
5
1
Explanation

Accidentally thanked :s

So what is it that you did then with your phone? You still haven't revealed that.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I'll try to explain again what I did, maybe now it will be a bit more clear.
But I have to admit that I'm not sure exactly which step have actually worked.
  1. At the beginning I disabled all the Google Apps that are using localization. I disabled Google Now, in the settings of Google maps I disabled Access location... This was all written before on some forums as a first thing to do.
  2. This unfortunately didn't make a trick. I still had Google Services as a main power draining app active.
  3. Then I have installed Wakelock Detector because I read some other posts in the internet but I realized that I need to root my device in order to let this app working correctly. I didn't root my device at the end. I decided first to exploit all the solutions without rooting the device.
  4. I don't know if Wakelock Detector made its work by itself because at the same time I performed another action that might have worked.
  5. I went into settings ---> apps and I manually disabled the Google Services. This resulted in misfunction of many applications. Gmail was not working, Google Maps and so on.
  6. I enabled Google Services again and since that time everything is working just fine. I'm really not sure if switching off and on the Google services made a trick or Wakelock Detector or any other misterious event.
note: there was no main system update during the process described.
 

Galaxo60

Senior Member
May 25, 2012
2,315
872
I just wanted to make an update of my battery status and Google services problem. It seems that it doesn't exist any more on my cellphone. If someone wants another clarification about what exactly I did, just write me a message or post here a question.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Nice that more and more people is getting rid of this annoying issue.

And here's the question...in the form of a statement...

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
:laugh:

wt does this mean.. is it good???

Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
I think Message app is draining too much, at leats that you are sending msm all day, it souldn't be like this.

So I would say it is good. You don't have Google Services as a main app that is using your battery.

One part of this thread is aiming into Google Services power demand. I don't have it on my list of most power consuming apps, so it's good, isn't it? Now I use 2% of battery through the night instead of 20%.

Now comes the question: how long does the battery on Nexus4 hold? After removing the problem of Google Services I would say that the life of my battery with the normal use (sometimes check something in the internet, few phone calls, a bit of gaming) is about 24h now. So I still need to charge it everyday, but only through the night. I don't have to plug my Nexus into the socket whenever I have the opportunity to do that.

Greets!
I can achieve one full day as you say, my Google Services drain is around 10% now with all the options enabled, but it is true that people can deactivate some of these features to get more battery.

Accidentally thanked :s

So what is it that you did then with your phone? You still haven't revealed that.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

I'll try to explain again what I did, maybe now it will be a bit more clear.
But I have to admit that I'm not sure exactly which step have actually worked.
  1. At the beginning I disabled all the Google Apps that are using localization. I disabled Google Now, in the settings of Google maps I disabled Access location... This was all written before on some forums as a first thing to do.
  2. This unfortunately didn't make a trick. I still had Google Services as a main power draining app active.
  3. Then I have installed Wakelock Detector because I read some other posts in the internet but I realized that I need to root my device in order to let this app working correctly. I didn't root my device at the end. I decided first to exploit all the solutions without rooting the device.
  4. I don't know if Wakelock Detector made its work by itself because at the same time I performed another action that might have worked.
  5. I went into settings ---> apps and I manually disabled the Google Services. This resulted in misfunction of many applications. Gmail was not working, Google Maps and so on.
  6. I enabled Google Services again and since that time everything is working just fine. I'm really not sure if switching off and on the Google services made a trick or Wakelock Detector or any other misterious event.
note: there was no main system update during the process described.
Some people also reported that disabling and enable the options for Google Services make the drain to stop. Also I read somewhere else that Maps and Google Services would have a drain until you can get a full lock on GPS on Maps. I don't know if this true, just saying what I have read across forums.
 

Galaxo60

Senior Member
May 25, 2012
2,315
872
I attach my drain overnight with new version:

Screenshot_2013-10-29-07-45-18.jpg
 

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theprodigy85

Senior Member
Apr 26, 2011
51
2
Just noticed this thread. It's the Google Maps app that is causing the drain with Location Reporting set to ON. You need to disable the setting.

Launch Google Maps and go to Settings --> Google Location Settings --> Location Reporting > OFF

This does not affect Maps or any other apps' ability to detect your location. Location Access remains ON. Turning off Location Reporting just stops Maps from sending out pings at set intervals to constantly have an up to date location stored on your phone somewhere. With the setting turned off, your phone will only update your location when you or an app requires it to do so, on demand.
 
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Hmmy 4444

Senior Member
Jul 14, 2012
297
34
karachi
well i do text alot :p ... is any ones N4 power button having probs becuz by pressing it so many times i heard it gets broken n then we hav to press like really hard to make it work.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
 

Galaxo60

Senior Member
May 25, 2012
2,315
872
Just noticed this thread. It's the Google Maps app that is causing the drain with Location Reporting set to ON. You need to disable the setting.

Launch Google Maps and go to Settings --> Google Location Settings --> Location Reporting > OFF

This does not affect Maps or any other apps' ability to detect your location. Location Access remains ON. Turning off Location Reporting just stops Maps from sending out pings at set intervals to constantly have an up to date location stored on your phone somewhere. With the setting turned off, your phone will only update your location when you or an app requires it to do so, on demand.
Excellent explanation of the problem, still I think most users with the Google Services drain confirm this as a reasonable workaround.

well i do text alot :p ... is any ones N4 power button having probs becuz by pressing it so many times i heard it gets broken n then we hav to press like really hard to make it work.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
That explain a lot. I have noticed that the Power Button is feeling different over the time, but still I doubt it could be broken for normal usage.
 

Galaxo60

Senior Member
May 25, 2012
2,315
872
I reverted back to stock to wait for the update, it seems that sometimes the auto restore function is not working. If anyone has this kind of this issues, just write here to receive help.

:D
 

banjker

Senior Member
Nov 4, 2013
51
23
Just noticed this thread. It's the Google Maps app that is causing the drain with Location Reporting set to ON. You need to disable the setting.

Launch Google Maps and go to Settings --> Google Location Settings --> Location Reporting > OFF

This does not affect Maps or any other apps' ability to detect your location. Location Access remains ON. Turning off Location Reporting just stops Maps from sending out pings at set intervals to constantly have an up to date location stored on your phone somewhere. With the setting turned off, your phone will only update your location when you or an app requires it to do so, on demand.

This does indeed help.

For me turning off mobile data (I don't have a data plan) also improved battery since Google Keep was keeping the phone awake trying to sync. Obviously it couldn't sync since I don't have mobile data.
 

gaganmohal

Senior Member
Aug 21, 2013
433
255
TORONTO
Google Pixel 6
Google Pixel 7
I unchecked "use wireless networks". This stoped the battery drain issue but now my stock samsung weather doesnt update even though I set the weather update interval to 1 hour. Please help.
I am using samsung Note 3 on Stock 4.3

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk
 

jimmydn90

Member
Nov 2, 2012
24
7
How can I disable this setting "Wi-Fi & Mobile Network Location" in Android 4.2.2, HTC sense 5, because I cann't find it? zzz
 

agnomen

New member
Nov 5, 2013
1
0
How?

@stuart0001

It seems that new Google Services update helped a lot with the drain. Right now, the drain is only 5% with 22 hours of battery life.

:p

Hey, I have s4 and battery seems to drain for me. How does nexus 4(I know it doesn't have the bloatware and stuff like that) only drain 5% in 22 hours. I turned off all my sensors and stuff that potentially drain the most.
 

Galaxo60

Senior Member
May 25, 2012
2,315
872
This does indeed help.

For me turning off mobile data (I don't have a data plan) also improved battery since Google Keep was keeping the phone awake trying to sync. Obviously it couldn't sync since I don't have mobile data.
Well, if you don't have mobile data, it is always wise to deactivate all the auto sync options.

I unchecked "use wireless networks". This stoped the battery drain issue but now my stock samsung weather doesnt update even though I set the weather update interval to 1 hour. Please help.
I am using samsung Note 3 on Stock 4.3

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk
Samsung and Sony weather widgets are known for being drain monsters. If you still want auto sync, try to enable the wireless network options and just try to disable Locaton History and Reporting Location from the Google Location options. That should stop the battery, but all the auto sync apps should work correctly.

How can I disable this setting "Wi-Fi & Mobile Network Location" in Android 4.2.2, HTC sense 5, because I cann't find it? zzz
I don't exactly know how, but some pages back some user reported from Xperia device and the option was under his "Locations" settings, try to find it there and see if something says anything about Google.

Hey, I have s4 and battery seems to drain for me. How does nexus 4(I know it doesn't have the bloatware and stuff like that) only drain 5% in 22 hours. I turned off all my sensors and stuff that potentially drain the most.
As I stated before, Sony and Samsung widgets and bloatware drain so much battery. You should try to root your device and remove all the things you don't use. On the other hand, you can try to install the Google Play Edition on your device to get pure Android experience and battery should be better; besides this, a good ROM and custom Kernel also can help.
 

gbarayah

Senior Member
Dec 2, 2009
949
138
California
well i do text alot :p ... is any ones N4 power button having probs becuz by pressing it so many times i heard it gets broken n then we hav to press like really hard to make it work.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

You may want to check out touch control - it allows you to wake and put the device to sleep with swipe gestures. Once I started using it, I couldn't go back. Could save you some wear and tear on your power button as well.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.paranoid.touchcontrol&hl=en

Also, in response to the post earlier about the new Google Settings app - I had it pushed to my device two days ago and since then, my device is entering deep sleep much more frequently and Android OS drain is reported at under 10% again. Prior to the update, it was over 20%!

I have GPS settings set to allow the use of wireless networks and GPS satellites. Location history and reporting is off.
 

Hmmy 4444

Senior Member
Jul 14, 2012
297
34
karachi
thats awesome.. bt i dont knw hw to use it :D i am stock. wth bootloader unlocked n rooted.. will this thing work on stock?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
 

Galaxo60

Senior Member
May 25, 2012
2,315
872
You may want to check out touch control - it allows you to wake and put the device to sleep with swipe gestures. Once I started using it, I couldn't go back. Could save you some wear and tear on your power button as well.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.paranoid.touchcontrol&hl=en

Also, in response to the post earlier about the new Google Settings app - I had it pushed to my device two days ago and since then, my device is entering deep sleep much more frequently and Android OS drain is reported at under 10% again. Prior to the update, it was over 20%!

I have GPS settings set to allow the use of wireless networks and GPS satellites. Location history and reporting is off.

thats awesome.. bt i dont knw hw to use it :D i am stock. wth bootloader unlocked n rooted.. will this thing work on stock?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Yes, I'm running stock, rooted 4.3 and it works just fine.

New Google Play Services seem to be more battery friendly.

:victory:
 

Hmmy 4444

Senior Member
Jul 14, 2012
297
34
karachi
whch kernel to use??

Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
 

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Galaxo60

Senior Member
May 25, 2012
2,315
872
whch kernel to use??

Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

What kernel are you running? Are you on stock? If so, when installing the app and running it, it should ask you install a modified stock kernel that allows the app to work.

Actually kernel is more ROM dependant. You should see which version you have, and then see if the kernel is compatible. There are JSS and JWR ROM's, so first you should know this. You can see this through the "About" settings on your device.

;)
 

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  • 96
    Google Services Battery Drain
    To all of you having Google Services battery drain, I think I found a fix.

    With last Google Services update and the last Google Maps update, sometimes it drains almost half of total battery.

    I myself have spent the last week trying to see what is happening with this topic, trying to find in every thread or forum across the internet: XDA, HTCMania, AndroidCentral and even Google official forums for this annoying topic. Posted in every forum I could and tried to find an easy way, but for some people, this bug doesn´t exist.

    When I write "No Google Services battery drain", I mean that this is not appearing in the battery graph.

    I made a clean install of my ROM with no sync from Google, so I could see what´s the source of such battery drain. I started to disabled the "Location Access" at Settings.

    I started to install only Google Search and use device a couple of hours with it. Google Search/Google Now ask for the Google Services, so I installed and used it. The Google Settings app(the one with the green icon) had disabled the "Location History" and "Reporting Location". No Google Services battery drain.

    I enabled the last two to see if this could be the culprit of the battery drain and used device for a couple of hours more. No Google Services battery drain.

    Then I installed Google Maps and just enabled GPS in "Location Access" and used the device again. No Google Services battery drain.

    After that, I enabled "Wi-Fi & Mobile Network Location" on "Location Access" and then... Voilà!. Google Services started to appear in the battery graph.

    I discovered that the drain come specifically from this option in Location settings: Settings > Location Access > Wi-Fi & Mobile Network Location.

    I left GPS Satellites checked and even with that, no more Google Services drain. All the drain come from the other option, and is more noticeable when you are connected to WiFi.

    No need to disable other Location services nor other settings about locations, just leave that option unchecked and Google Services won´t even appear in the battery graph.

    I have been running my device with all Locations settings enabled except the "Wi-Fi & Mobile Network Location" and Google Services is not even show on battery graph.

    Hope it helps.

    :highfive:

    = = = = = = =

    Android System Battery Drain
    About Android System battery drains, I have found 2 posts that could help of people who made tests and possibly resolved the issue:
    http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=44537106&postcount=7
    http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=44541018&postcount=5

    = = = = = = =

    UPDATES
    Aug 01, 2013 - I tried to install new Google Play Store and new Google Services framework and still is the same.

    Aug 07, 2013 - Updated Google Services Framework to 3.2.25(Although Play Store says 3.0.25 is the last one) to test if enabling WiFi location has impact on battery. Reporting Location and Location History are disabled for this test.

    Aug 08, 2013 - The battery drain has decreased a lot with latest update, it is now just 5% of total battery life until now(22hrs since charged). I ´m going to leave battery discharges and then make a new battery cycle with Reporting Location and Location History enabled to see if the problem is totally gone about location battery drains.

    Aug 09, 2013 - It´s been 5 hours since I unplugged phone from charger, I have Google Services at 10% of my battery and my Screen with 30 mins. At first, Google Services drain showed 20% on the battery graph for the first hour I think, and then it seems to decrease and stay normal again. I will post tomorrow the final results. Remember that for this test I´m having enabled all the possibly Location settings on phone(both Google Now settings and Location Access settings).

    Aug 10, 2013 - The first battery cycle was ok, with all the Location settings enabled both in Settings and in Google Now, gave me a total of 8% battery drain in a full day, most of the time in 3G and not in WiFi like the other tests I did. It seems that new update of Google Play Services helped a lot with this drains, because the drain of Google Services is still below of the System itself. I will report later when the battery life improve, because first cycles are always bad in terms of battery life.

    Aug 12, 2013 - It seems that the battery drain problem is fixed with last update. I made 2-3 battery cycles and the drain at the end is the same, around 7%-10%, something that looks normal and below when comparing to the "Phone Idle" or "Android System" battery drain. Of course you can disable the Location options, specially the WiFi Location option to make the Google Services battery drain be lower, but people is reporting Google Now and other apps not working properly. Maybe is the way that Android 4.3 works now. Still the battery is still improved from Android 4.2.2, so I´m quite happy right now with the tests and the results.

    Aug 13, 2013 - Here are the results for the tests. I maybe should call these results the final ones, until something else happens. The screenshots are pretty self explanatory. The first one is about the battery drain over night, and the other two about the battery life at the end of the day.

    Aug 21, 2013 - I made a full wipe and clean installation of PA 3.97 to test if drain could be also ROM sided fro any reason, but the news is that with a clean installation and latest updates for every Google product, the drain is the same fro Google Services(around 5%-8%). For all the previous test I was using pure AOSP build.

    Sep 09, 2013 - Some users reported that latest updates are making the problem reappear, so I link the post with the latest free drain version of Google Now: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=45332135&postcount=161.

    Sep 13, 2013 - I have installed PSX ROM with PSX GAPPS(based on BaNkS) and the Google Services drain is the same, around 5%-8% after a normal usage day. I don't report any problem.

    Sep 20, 2013 - I have flashed Purity ROM and Purified Kernel and the Google Services drain is a little bit higher, around 10%, but still have good battery and performance.

    Sep 24, 2013 - The opportunity now is for PSX v7 with default kernel(SiMa). Google Services drain is behaving normally, around 10%. It seems that the last update from September increased a little the Google Services wakelock. Still is performing well and it is a decent drain.

    Sep 30, 2013 - Added some useful information and solution from user 511pf: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=46054200&postcount=227

    Oct 24, 2013 - I flashed PSX 8.2 with default kernel, a very battery friendly and balanced kernel. Google Services drain is good, around 8%.

    Oct 30, 2013 - I make a clean install of PSX 8.5 with new kernel and Google Services still are around 8%. No major problems with them.

    Nov 12, 2013 - I came back to stock to wait for the Android 4.4 update, and the Google Services remain the same: around 7%. No major issues presented and battery drain over night is around 5% for 9 hours.

    FINAL UPDATE: Nov 23, 2013 - I flashed stock image for Android 4.4 and Play Services drain reappeared. The problem is, after some researching, that KitKat has "modes" for location settings. There are 3 modes: high precision, battery friendly and device only. The first two drain battery as hell, but the third one makes the Play Services drain completely gone. With this in mind, widgets and Google Now are still fully functional, just Near Places is not available as well as some apps that need location, because it will work with just the GPS. My battery has greatly increased after I made this change.

    I won't be continuing with this thread because I already sold my Nexus 4 and I got a Nexus 5, so I'm moving on. I will ask a moderator if it possible to make this thread a sticky thread so it will continue to be available to all the Nexus 4 users.

    = = = = = = =

    NEW GOOGLE PLAY SERVICES - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.gms

    = = = = = = =

    Credits
    @elpino.rv
    @Calebz
    @agriff
    @511pf
    6
    All,

    Just wanted to chime in with some additional results. I have an HTC First with Facebook Home turned off, making it a mostly stock Android 4.1.2 device. I have the same Wakelock issue that's been described here, where my phone was awake approximately 30% of the time while on Wifi and not touching it. I would lose 3% to 4% per hour while using the phone semi-regularly. I used BBS and Wakelock detector and the biggest hit was from the NLPDataCollector or NLP Collector (I forget the actual name).

    I am not signed in to Google+. I disabled the option to Notify When an Open network is Available and Automatically connect to AT&T Wifi, but this made no difference.

    Disabling Wifi and Location Access absolutely fixed the issue. However, this broke some Google Now functionality, so I was looking for another way. My next test was re-enable Wifi and Location Access and disable Location Reporting only, which let the phone deep sleep approximately 95% of the time on Wifi (from 70% prior to that). Google Now works fine. I'm still testing the battery life change, but so far it looks like I'm in the 1% to 2% per hour range, which would probably double my battery life.

    Summary: Wifi and Location = On. Location Reporting = Off. Location History = On. Battery life (so far) in the 1% to 2% per hour range.

    I will update this post with further results as I have them.

    Edited: My phone has no 4.3 update or ROMs and probably never will, so I've got to work with the platform I've got.

    -----

    Just following up here. I'm losing less than 1% per hour after turning off Location Reporting, as noted above. The phone is deep sleeping 90% of the time, but this is during the workday, where it's picking up mail/calendars up from multiple accounts.

    10 1/2 hours of fairly light use today and I've lost about 1.7% per hour total. Deep sleep time = 87% and awake time = 13%. This is a major improvement over the previous results.
    3
    So where can we find thoese 2 things: Location Reporting = Off. Location History = On on the nexus?

    There two places where locations can be configured

    ANDROID SETTINGS > ACCESS TO MY POSITION: this controls location from 3rd party apps, leave always on
    If this is on you have two options:
    1) GPS
    2)wifi and location

    1) is controlled also by the GPS switch on the power control widget
    2) can be left on as suggested

    MAPS > SETTINGS > Google geolocalisatio: this controls location from google apps, leave always on
    If this is on you have two options:
    1) location reporting: leave this off as it seems the one causing battery drain, this reports your location to google at give time intervals
    2) location history: up to you if you wnat to leave this on
    3
    Man, you can't be normal quoting the topic-initial message long as hell, just to give your 1 sentence credit.. :D can't believe my eyes..
    Just saw this thread today and had exactly the same reaction when I saw that post. I was just about to reply that it's not necessary to quote the ENTIRE OP post....then I saw your message. Cracked me right up.

    ---------- Post added at 07:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:50 PM ----------

    For anyone who's still having massive battery drain problems due to your phone not sleeping when the screen is off, here is what I did to almost eliminate the problem:

    1. Disable the Wi-Fi & Mobile Network Location (as per OP)
    2. Download the app called "Disable Service" from Google Play and in the system apps under Google Play Services AND Google Services Framework, tick the checkbox for SystemUpdateService (REQUIRES ROOT)
    3. In Settings>Wi-Fi use the menu button (hard key or 3 dots) to access the Advanced options. Then UNCHECK the option which reads Scanning Always Available
    4. Freeze (REQUIRES ROOT) or Disable the apps called Google and Google Search with the obvious consequence that you won't be able to use Google Search (which I never use...I simply fire up my browser if I ever need to search)

    the ideas are not my own. I simply used a combination of solutions that I found after days of scouring the internet and XDA. I three apps to see how the battery was performing in terms of app utilization and wakelocks:

    1. Better Battery Stats (it's a paid app but well worth the price) as it shows the source of wakeslocks and other great info
    2. CPU Spy (tells how long the phone is in various states of CPU mode including sleep)
    3. GSAM Battery Monitor (which offers much deeper insight into app use of the battery than the Settings>Battery tool)

    Hope this helps someone.
    2
    I now have everything enabled in 'Location access' (both GPS and Wi-Fi & mobile network location) but completely disabled 'Access location' in Google Settings (it 's under 'Location'). I have always had 'Location reporting' turned off, so that 's not enough.

    With the above configuration, all apps can access my location except Google apps but the drain of Google Services is gone. Of course there 's no way to use Maps with this configuration but that isn't really an issue for me as I barely use it. At least my weather widgets are now displaying the correct location again.

    are u saying that having google location on but location reporting and location history off is not enough and that we have to have the whole google location off?

    I can only speak for myself, but yes that is my experience.
    Will do more testing in the next couple of days.

    Interesting finding, under Google settings it clearly states that the location is used by "Google Apps", so is pretty logical that the location just affect those apps. For every app, I think we would have to disable the location settings on general phone settings.

    So where can we find thoese 2 things: Location Reporting = Off. Location History = On on the nexus?

    This:

    There two places where locations can be configured

    ANDROID SETTINGS > ACCESS TO MY POSITION: this controls location from 3rd party apps, leave always on
    If this is on you have two options:
    1) GPS
    2)wifi and location

    1) is controlled also by the GPS switch on the power control widget
    2) can be left on as suggested

    MAPS > SETTINGS > Google geolocalisatio: this controls location from google apps, leave always on
    If this is on you have two options:
    1) location reporting: leave this off as it seems the one causing battery drain, this reports your location to google at give time intervals
    2) location history: up to you if you wnat to leave this on