[GUIDE][CM] Get The Most Out of Your Battery

[RJQXCV]

This is my all inclusive guide on how to get the most out of your battery without sacrificing functionality. Specially tailored for the i747.

WARNING: I ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING YOU DO TO YOUR PHONE. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

!!!NANDROID BACKUP!!!​

This guide assumes that you're running Cyanogenmod 11 or a custom ROM based on it. It is organized from most practical and user friendly, to more technical and intensive.



The first manner of business is to upload to the latest bootloader/modem, which can be found here: http://invisiblek.org/d2firmware.html

This provides the most stability/support for the latest CM Nightlies.

Simply download the .zip and flash it in your recovery of choice.



Go into "Settings" > "Apps" and delete any apps you don't use anymore.



Go into all apps you DO use, and make sure "Location" and "Notification" settings are either OFF or on according to if you need them or not.

Disable "syncing" in weather apps, news apps, and any other apps that have background syncing enabled.



Disable "WiFi" when not in use.
Disable "Data" when not in use.
Disable "Location" when not in use. (THIS INCLUDES LOCATION REPORTING.)
Disable "Bluetooth" when not in use.
Disable "NFC" when not in use.
Disable "Automatic Backlight"
Manually set brightness to lowest setting.
Set Screen Timeout to 1 minute or less.
Disable "Sync" when not necessary.
Disable "Auto Rotation" when not necessary.
Disable all haptic/sound feedback under "Sound."
Go into "WiFi" settings, press your menu key, and press "Advanced." Be sure that "Scanning always available" is unchecked.

CHARGE YOUR PHONE WHENEVER POSSIBLE.



Download "Greenify" from the Play Store, open it up, and start hibernating every app you don't depend on. DO NOT HIBERNATE MESSAGING APPS.
I personally hibernated every non-system app I had excluding "Google Keyboard."



You have a special feature called "App Ops under your "Privacy" settings.

Press "Privacy Guard." You'll be presented with a list of apps. These apps can be "secured" with a click. Simply press and app you don't want accessing your location settings, and the little grey lock to the right of the app will become white. This will disable the app from using location services.




Third, open up your apps list under Settings > Apps > "All" tab. Cyanogenmod has many apps that the typical user doesn't want/need, and that take up precious RAM and CPU cycles.

You can disable system apps by clicking on them, and then "Disable."

Apps that can be safely disabled include:

Android Keyboard – REPLACE WITH GOOGLE KEYBOARD
Android Live Wallpapers
Basic Daydreams
Black Hole
Browser – REPLACE WITH CHROME BETA
Bubbles
CM Updater
CM Wallpapers
com.android.wallpaper.holospiral
Downloads
Email – Up to you.
Exchange Services – Safe to disable only if you disable Email
Face Unlock
Gallery – REPLACE WITH QUICKPIC
Google Backup Transport – ONLY IF YOU DON'T USE GOOGLE BACKUP
Google One Time Init
Google Partner Setup
Google Text-to-speech Engine – AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION
Magic Smoke Wallpapers
Market Feedback Agent – DISABLES... MARKET FEEDBACK...
Movie Studio
Music Visualization Wallpapers
Phase Beam
Photo Screensavers
Pico TTS - AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION
Setup Wizard
Tags - ???
Terminal Emulator
Themes provider – STUCK W/ DEFAULT THEME
Voice Dialer

I have disabled all of these apps and had no ill consequence. I haven't gone as far as uninstalling them, but you may if you wish.



Download KT's latest kernel from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1756776

Flash in recovery. Be sure to wipe Cache and Dalvik before and after!

WHAT YOU DECIDE TO DO WITH THIS KERNEL IS UP TO YOU. YMMV.

Open KTweaker app.

Set governor to "pegasusq" - This is a more conservative governor, and also allows hotplugging.

Undervolt CPU by 75 mV across the board. - YMMV.

Undervolt GPU by 50 mV across the board. - YMMV.

Set GPU Governor to "simple."

Set "Set options on boot" to set with a 20 second delay. (In case something goes awry.)

Reboot.



ETC. TIPS:

- Get any widgets you don't use off your Launcher. They eat battery too.

- Don't use custom launchers with riced out animations. This tears up your GPU, and your battery life will suffer as a result.

- Turn off "Mock Location" in Developer Options.

- DO NOT USE TASK KILLERS!!!

- Disable "Automatic home clock" in the stock "Clock" app.

- Use ART!

- Turn off roaming!

I'm sure I'm forgetting something. I'll update this if I remember anything. Let me know if this has helped you at all. Feel free to add any tips as you see fit.

Give me a thanks if I've helped you out!

 

[RJQXCV]

Pretty good if I say so myself.

Never disabled LTE.

 

[RJQXCV]

Reserved.

 

[xFallacy]

how to get the most out of your battery without sacrificing functionality

But the tips are all about disabling services?

I kid, this is a pretty neat start for people experiencing battery issues. I generally recommend also getting a new battery - the Ankers 2200mAh one is legit.

 

[RJQXCV]

But the tips are all about disabling services?

I kid, this is a pretty neat start for people experiencing battery issues. I generally recommend also getting a new battery - the Ankers 2200mAh one is legit.

Yeeeah. I wrote the title before I got started haha. They're all optional, of course. Not many people will miss having a random app in their RAM (Greenify solution.) Or disabling location reporting (I hate location reporting.) Or even undervolting, or getting rid of random CRapps.

I did have that Anker battery, but it bloated on me. It was nice while it lasted, though. (About 3 months.)

Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

[xFallacy]

Yeeeah. I wrote the title before I got started haha. They're all optional, of course. Not many people will miss having a random app in their RAM (Greenify solution.) Or disabling location reporting (I hate location reporting.) Or even undervolting, or getting rid of random CRapps.

I did have that Anker battery, but it bloated on me. It was nice while it lasted, though. (About 3 months.)

Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

Mine has lasted 6 months so far, strange. I replaced the stock battery after it stopped holding a charge within the first 8 months of ownership.

Also, on the topic of Greenify, when I used to have it, I found it was draining almost as much battery as the things it was hibernating, since it spent every waking moment shutting the other things off. Have you found that to be the case at all?

 

[RJQXCV]

Mine has lasted 6 months so far, strange. I replaced the stock battery after it stopped holding a charge within the first 8 months of ownership.

Also, on the topic of Greenify, when I used to have it, I found it was draining almost as much battery as the things it was hibernating, since it spent every waking moment shutting the other things off. Have you found that to be the case at all?

My case may have been user error. It isn't rated to take as quick a charge as the stock battery. I was using a 1A 5V power box. I believe it called for a .7A 5V current.

I have; in the case of my keyboard, and Facebook, as well as Google Play services back when I tried out making it a user app. I got rid of the Facebook app and use the mobile site. It works just as well.

Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

[xFallacy]

My case may have been user error. It isn't rated to take as quick a charge as the stock battery. I was using a 1A 5V power box. I believe it called for a .7A 5V current.

I have; in the case of my keyboard, and Facebook, as well as Google Play services back when I tried out making it a user app. I got rid of the Facebook app and use the mobile site. It works just as well.

Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

I don't have FBApp notifications on, ever. I used it mostly for the interface and the seamless photo upload via Wi-Fi.

But since I started using Quantum, the battery has been significantly better. If the Facebook app becomes stupid enough with the battery, however, might just follow your lead there.

 

[RJQXCV]

I don't have FBApp notifications on, ever. I used it mostly for the interface and the seamless photo upload via Wi-Fi.

But since I started using Quantum, the battery has been significantly better. If the Facebook app becomes stupid enough with the battery, however, might just follow your lead there.

The problem isn't the notifications, it's the services that the app has that run, even if you have notifications, sync, and background services turned off. I hated it.

I used to use Quantum, back when CM 11 didn't have official nightlies. Great ROM and Dev; not bleeding edge enough for me, though.

Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

[xFallacy]

The problem isn't the notifications, it's the services that the app has that run, even if you have notifications, sync, and background services turned off. I hated it.

I used to use Quantum, back when CM 11 didn't have official nightlies. Great ROM and Dev; not bleeding edge enough for me, though.

Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

That's fair, I just started using it last week, because PA3.99 was crapping out in all kinds of fun ways, and I didn't feel like using SlimKat again. I'm trying out ART now, to see how that affects my battery.

 

[RJQXCV]

That's fair, I just started using it last week, because PA3.99 was crapping out in all kinds of fun ways, and I didn't feel like using SlimKat again. I'm trying out ART now, to see how that affects my battery.

It shouldn't be a massive gain, but definitely more fluid and a bit more quick, which let's you get stuff done faster, and the faster you get stuff done, the less time you use the screen, and that takes load off the battery.

Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

[xFallacy]

Apex Launcher doesn't support ART. :crying:

 

[RJQXCV]

What about Nova?

Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

[pcshano]

it's a bad idea to suggest charging your phone whenever possible... it'll kill the battery imo
just wait till it's low and charge till it's full

 

[RJQXCV]

it's a bad idea to suggest charging your phone whenever possible... it'll kill the battery imo
just wait till it's low and charge till it's full

Full cycles like that kill the battery just as fast, if not faster. This is a battery life thread.

Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

[RJQXCV]

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

[Jaspah]

This is my all inclusive guide on how to get the most out of your battery without sacrificing functionality. Specially tailored for the i747.

Disable "WiFi" when not in use.
Disable "Data" when not in use.
Disable "Location" when not in use. (THIS INCLUDES LOCATION REPORTING.)
Disable "Bluetooth" when not in use.
Disable "NFC" when not in use.
Disable "Automatic Backlight"
Manually set brightness to lowest setting.
Set Screen Timeout to 1 minute or less.
Disable "Sync" when not necessary.
Disable "Auto Rotation" when not necessary.
Disable all haptic/sound feedback under "Sound."
Go into "WiFi" settings, press your menu key, and press "Advanced." Be sure that "Scanning always available" is unchecked.

So... in other words... sacrifice functionality for battery life. I never understand the point of these threads.

 

[RJQXCV]

So... in other words... sacrifice functionality for battery life. I never understand the point of these threads.

Tell me when you're going to use GPS, Bluetooth, and NFC at the same time.

Are you getting directions to McDonalds while you talk to your business client on your Bluetooth headset and paying for your burger with your phone? I didn't think so.

And Sync? Do it manually. What functionality is being lost that can't be toggled in quick settings in half a second? Are you removing any apks, or shutting down any services that wouldn't benefit you again in a couple of clicks?

You're not sacrificing functionality, you're using common sense. Try it sometime.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

 

[Jaspah]

Tell me when you're going to use GPS, Bluetooth, and NFC at the same time.

Are you getting directions to McDonalds while you talk to your business client on your Bluetooth headset and paying for your burger with your phone? I didn't think so.

And Sync? Do it manually. What functionality is being lost that can't be toggled in quick settings in half a second? Are you removing any apks, or shutting down any services that wouldn't benefit you again in a couple of clicks?

You're not sacrificing functionality, you're using common sense. Try it sometime.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

I use GPS frequently because I use Google Now for commuting, sports, among other interesting tidbits that come up. I also have a Pebble smartwatch that uses Bluetooth. I have no idea why you bother toggling NFC since its only on when the tag triggers it.

And sync is a critical part of my phone as I work in IT and expect hangouts messages or emails at all times of the day. Both my work, friends, and school use technologies that rely on sync, and some of them are time sensitive.

If you don't want to use the features of a smartphone, use common sense and don't buy one. Sorry I don't find your "turn literally every smartphone feature off" guide useful.

Tell me, what exactly do you use your smartphone for?

 

[RJQXCV]

I use GPS frequently because I use Google Now for commuting, sports, among other interesting tidbits that come up. I also have a Pebble smartwatch that uses Bluetooth. I have no idea why you bother toggling NFC since its only on when the tag triggers it.

And sync is a critical part of my phone as I work in IT and expect hangouts messages or emails at all times of the day. Both my work, friends, and school use technologies that rely on sync, and some of them are time sensitive.

If you don't want to use the features of a smartphone, use common sense and don't buy one. Sorry I don't find your "turn literally every smartphone feature off" guide useful.

Tell me, what exactly do you use your smartphone for?

At the moment, I'm using it to reply to you, and that doesn't require many things to be toggled on at all. I use it to find directions when I need it (I'll turn location on when I need it), to text, call, and do some web surfing and email.

You seemed to have failed to read the rest of the OP, as well. Undervolting? Destroying wakelocks? Custom kernels? ART?

Not everyone is as tied to their phone as you are. This is meant for people like me, who seemed to struggle to make a full day's charge and couldn't seem to for some reason.

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