Question Why does my Pixel 6 Pro when idling uses more battery than my Nexus 5 when idling

[minun]

I've recently upgraded to the Google Pixel 6 Pro after 8 years with the Google Nexus 5, so, this would be my first time with a "modern" smartphone as of present
Everything is wonderful except one thing, the battery life


When idling (I do not touch the phone at all, rarely or no lock/unlock) I watched my Pixel 6 Pro drained 6% in the span of 2 hours, so roughly 3% per hour (That is a lot!), compared to my Nexus 5 which feels like it drained 5% if left alone for the whole day


What is going on? is it a "modern" phone thing? is it my phone? my settings? at this rate, it needs to be charged daily


Here is the Battery Usage breakdown;

https://imgur.com/a/mgJsN7n

Battery Usage breakdown while asleep;

https://imgur.com/a/Mj3VDE3

Why does "Mobile Network Standby", "Ambient Display", "Phone Idle" eat so much battery while idling, I am thinking of getting rid of "Your Phone Companion" even though I find it useful, conflicted if it is worth the battery, everything else looks good

EDIT: I am happy to say, after uninstalling "Your Phone Companion" the battery began to show improvement and following all the battery tips helped me maximize it, now I feel like I can go 3 days with the phone without charging it

 

[TonikJDK]

In one of the battery threads Mobile Network Standby is a big topic. It appears to be a bug that is impacting some people. I would expect a fix from goggle for that. I have nothing on ambient display.

 

[RetroTech07]

It's highly possible your phone isn't ever going into a deep sleep, which can cause unnecessary battery drain from apps that are stuck running in the background, or causing the phone to "wake". Did you transfer over all your apps and settings from your old phone? Some have said this has caused unusual high battery drain, and a factory reset where you don't restore from backup has helped.

Install AccuBattery or GSam battery monitor to get an understanding of your battery usage in greater detail.

AccuBattery - Apps on Google Play

AccuBattery monitors battery health performance via science

play.google.com

GSam Battery Monitor - Apps on Google Play

GSam Battery Monitor provides deep insights into what is using your battery.

play.google.com

 

[minun]

Thank you for the lead on the bug, and I will look into AccuBattery

I did not transfer from my old phone, I configured/installed from out of the box

 

[RetroTech07]

At most, you should only lose .5 - 7%hr when idle, not 3. Something is definitely going on in the background that needs to be addressed.

Here's how mine looks.

 

[Lughnasadh]

Thank you for the lead on the bug, and I will look into AccuBattery

I did not transfer from my old phone, I configured/installed from out of the box

In addition to what everyone else said, many users have reported that it took several days or more for the phone to "settle down" and adaptive battery to make an impact, at which point their battery got much better. Also, I would expect a lot of bug fixes in the December update that may help.

Also using 4G instead of 5G (because of the modem previously mentioned may help, as well as turning off adaptive network connectivity, WiFi & Bluetooth scanning and anything AOD related or things such as lift to wake (if you don't use then).

 

[minun]

At most, you should only lose .5 - 7%hr when idle, not 3. Something is definitely going on in the background that needs to be addressed.

Here's how mine looks.

Thank you so much for this, it helps to compare

 

[minun]

In addition to what everyone else said, many users have reported that it took several days or more for the phone to "settle down" and adaptive battery to make an impact, at which point their battery got much better. Also, I would expect a lot of bug fixes in the December update that may help.

Also using 4G instead of 5G (because of the modem previously mentioned may help, as well as turning off adaptive network connectivity, WiFi & Bluetooth scanning and anything AOD related or things such as lift to wake (if you don't use then).

I had the phone since the 17th, I been configuring and setting it up for a week, I have only been using it normally for about half a week, which is why I am noticing the battery now

I believe I have LTE over 5G but could you run me through how to turn off 5G

Not sure about adaptive network connectivity or what it is

WiFi needs to be on

Bluetooth is always off

Would my location take a hit if I turn off scanning

Lift to wake is off

 

[Lughnasadh]

I had the phone since the 17th, I been configuring and setting it up for a week, I have only been using it normally for about half a week, which is why I am noticing the battery now

I believe I have LTE over 5G but could you run me through how to turn off 5G

Not sure about adaptive network connectivity or what it is

WiFi needs to be on

Bluetooth is always off

Would my location take a hit if I turn off scanning

Lift to wake is off

If you have LTE as preferred then you don't have to worry about turning off 5G. Preferred network type can be found in the Network & internet settings under your carrier settings.

Adaptive network connectivity is in the Network & internet settings at the very bottom.

I wasn't talking about turning WiFi & Bluetooth off, but rather turning off WiFi & Bluetooth scanning, which can be found in Settings>Location>Location Services. And no, your location would not take a hit.

Also remember that when comparing your idle drain to others that you don't necessarily have the same apps running in the background as they do, the same settings, same amount of notifications going off, etc. My personal opinion is that anything under 1%/hr is acceptable. I have seen a wide range of idle drain percentages among 6 Pro users. My current idle drain measured over 3 1/2 days is .78%/hr with deep sleep around 85%.

 

[minun]

If you have LTE as preferred then you don't have to worry about turning off 5G. Preferred network type can be found in the Network & internet settings under your carrier settings.

Adaptive network connectivity is in the Network & internet settings at the very bottom.

I wasn't talking about turning WiFi & Bluetooth off, but rather turning off WiFi & Bluetooth scanning, which can be found in Settings>Location>Location Services. And no, your location would not take a hit.

Also remember that when comparing your idle drain to others that you don't necessarily have the same apps running in the background as they do, the same settings, same amount of notifications going off, etc. My personal opinion is that anything under 1%/hr is acceptable. I have seen a wide range of idle drain percentages among 6 Pro users. My current idle drain measured over 3 1/2 days is .78%/hr with deep sleep around 85%.

I would also like to get to that level

the crazy thing is my phone barely has anything going on except for the system and your phone app

what would be used for my location if i turned off my wifi and bluetooth scanning at home, my data?

 

[Lughnasadh]

I would also like to get to that level

the crazy thing is my phone barely has anything going on except for the system and your phone app

what would be used for my location if i turned off my wifi and bluetooth scanning at home, my data?

When WiFi & Bluetooth scanning our on, your phone is constantly looking for Bluetooth devices near you that you may want to connect to or WiFi networks to connect to. It's really only useful if you're out and about and want to connect to such services. Turning it off doesn't disable your location. As long as your location setting is on, your phone will know where it is at.

Yeah, I would uninstall that Your Phone Companion app. It certainly is using a lot of battery in the background. But it's a trade off...if you really like it and find it useful than you may just have to take the battery hit (as with any app really).

Also, I notice the stock kernel has a couple of kernel wakelocks that are keeping the phone awake to a certain extent (at least for me). Using a custom kernel can help but that's a whole other conversation.

I really think after the December update and after more app developers have optimized their apps for Android 12 we will get a better idea of how the battery really is on this phone.

 

[minun]

When WiFi & Bluetooth scanning our on, your phone is constantly looking for Bluetooth devices near you that you may want to connect to or WiFi networks to connect to. It's really only useful if you're out and about and want to connect to such services. Turning it off doesn't disable your location. As long as your location setting is on, your phone will know where it is at.

Yeah, I would uninstall that Your Phone Companion app. It certainly is using a lot of battery in the background. But it's a trade off...if you really like it and find it useful than you may just have to take the battery hit (as with any app really).

Also, I notice the stock kernel has a couple of kernel wakelocks that are keeping the phone awake to a certain extent (at least for me). Using a custom kernel can help but that's a whole other conversation.

I really think after the December update and after more app developers have optimized their apps for Android 12 we will get a better idea of how the battery really is on this phone.

Okay, sounds great

just for my knowledge, if I turn off scanning, would it not detect any new bluetooth device or wi-fi unless I turn it on? it will still connect to devices/signals it knows?

 

[Lughnasadh]

Okay, sounds great

just for my knowledge, if I turn off scanning, would it not detect any new bluetooth device or wi-fi unless I turn it on? it will still connect to devices/signals it knows?

If scanning is off it won't constantly try to see if their is a Bluetooth device or WiFi connection nearby, but yes it will still connect to the devices/networks it knows. And if you want to connect to a new device or network you can just go into that setting (Bluetooth or Network) and it will scan automatically once you open up that setting or choose to add a new device, etc.

 

[RetroTech07]

I believe I have LTE over 5G but could you run me through how to turn off 5G

Not sure about adaptive network connectivity or what it is

Go into settings > network and internet > sims > preferred network type.

If that option is missing, you can manually change it under phone settings by opening up the phone app, then punching in the following: *#*#4636#*#*. From the new screen that presents itself, select phone information. Then, you'll have an option to select your network type. Select LTE.

Adaptive connectivity can "help" extend battery life, according to Google by managing network connections,

Adaptive connectivity should keep you on 4G for low usage tasks... Reddit, chat, etc. When your phone demands more bandwidth, it switches to 5G (Netflix, streaming, etc.), but users have said if you're in an area with spotty 5G or none at all, switching to LTE only (given the instructions above) will help reduce battery drain.

Go into settings > network and internet > adaptive connectivity > off.

 

[RetroTech07]

If scanning is off it won't constantly try to see if their is a Bluetooth device or WiFi connection nearby...

Funny enough, I have wifi scanning off but still get notifications about nearby connections lol

 

[Lughnasadh]

Funny enough, I have wifi scanning off but still get notifications about nearby connections lol

Oh, there's also a setting in Network preferences for "Notify for public networks". Maybe that needs to be disabled as well (I have it disabled)??? Otherwise, huh, weird, lol.

 

[RetroTech07]

Oh, there's also a setting in Network preferences for "Notify for public networks". Maybe that needs to be disabled as well (I have it disabled)??? Otherwise, huh, weird, lol.

That's it! Just turned it off, I must've forgotten about that one lol. Thanks

 

[minun]

Go into settings > network and internet > sims > preferred network type.

If that option is missing, you can manually change it under phone settings by opening up the phone app, then punching in the following: *#*#4636#*#*. From the new screen that presents itself, select phone information. Then, you'll have an option to select your network type. Select LTE.

Adaptive connectivity can "help" extend battery life, according to Google by managing network connections,

Adaptive connectivity should keep you on 4G for low usage tasks... Reddit, chat, etc. When your phone demands more bandwidth, it switches to 5G (Netflix, streaming, etc.), but users have said if you're in an area with spotty 5G or none at all, switching to LTE only (given the instructions above) will help reduce battery drain.

Go into settings > network and internet > adaptive connectivity > off.

If I turn off Adaptive Connectivity, it would just stay on LTE and won't switch between 5g (setLTE is my preferred network),3g,2g?

how about "Allow 2G", do I need this on and would turning it off save battery? it read
'Use 2G mobile connections. For emergency calls, 2G is always turned on.'

 

[MrBelter]

In addition to what everyone else said, many users have reported that it took several days or more for the phone to "settle down" and adaptive battery to make an impact, at which point their battery got much better. Also, I would expect a lot of bug fixes in the December update that may help.

Also using 4G instead of 5G (because of the modem previously mentioned may help, as well as turning off adaptive network connectivity, WiFi & Bluetooth scanning and anything AOD related or things such as lift to wake (if you don't use then).

Isn't the point of adaptive connectivity to keep the phone on 4G unless 5G is absolutely necessary?

 

[Morgrain]

Isn't the point of adaptive connectivity to keep the phone on 4G unless 5G is absolutely necessary?

No, that's not how adaptive connectivity works. Your phone will always prefer the highest tier network available (as long it get's a signal).