A small experiment

[Polychrome]

A few builds back on fast ring, I noticed that my battery use preferences got reset. I went ahead and changed them, and noticed the Microsoft Health app...

There is an option to change it to always run in the background rather than let the OS manage it. I figured...Cortana seems to disconnect randomly, keyboard doesn't always work, weather tile won't update unless manually synced... maybe there's something to this?

So I changed it to always run in the background.

Cortana and the keyboard now work more consistently. Weather tile still has a mind of its own though, and still no livetile on the app itself.

Battery use is definitely higher, but not unworkable. (Showing as using 18% of battery use in the last 24 hours.)

So, there ya go. It may help, it may not, but now if I randomly ask Cortana for something, at least I get a response.

 

[realwarder]

Interesting insight. I would like the Band to finally 'just work'.

 

[Polychrome]

Just adding in that after my new build Cortana is still working properly. I haven't even opened the health app.

 

[poit57]

I rarely use Cortana or reply to text from the Band except for when I read a complaint in these forums about those features not working. It usually requires power cycling the Band to get those features to sync with the phone again. I made the same change to the battery usage settings yesterday after reading your post.

Another improvement I've noticed after allowing the Microsoft Health app to always run in the background is that the calories and step count sync with the phone much more often than it had been. I'm not sure how often it is supposed to sync data automatically in the background, but it has been going 6 hours or more between syncing until I manually forced the Health app to check the Band. Today, it has shown the last sync was within the past two hours every time I have checked the Health app.

 

[anthonyng]

I just changed the setting for both health and cortana to always allow. Thanks will monitor this as well.

 

[anthonyng]

So I changed it to always run in the background.

I've been testing it very randomly the past days and you're onto something!

Cortana button hasn't failed me yet, text replies by keyboard or voice has been working. So they've been managing the power of it all wrong?

Power wise, I rarely launch MS Health... and it's sitting at 4% usage only

Great find!

 

[shakkar]

Question: which "always run in the background" are you referring to? The one under Battery saving options (i.e. "run in the background even if battery saver is on") or the one under Privacy settings (i.e. "allow these apps to run in the background even when you're not using them")?

Or is there a 3rd option to force an app to run in the background?

 

[anthonyng]

Question: which "always run in the background" are you referring to?...

System - Battery - Battery Usage by App - Then you can see the % battery details of each app, touch an app to expand options for Always Allowed in background, Managed by Windows or Never allowed in background

 

[shakkar]

Hmm, weirdly enough I can only see 2 on/off toggles under the battery settings for an app: 1. Allow this app to run in the background, 2. Allow this app to run in the background, even when battery saver is on. Am I looking at the right settings? Or are we using different OS version? I've just updated the OS to the newest non-insider version (10586.494).

 

[Polychrome]

What device are you on? For what it's worth, I'm on fast ring.

 

[anthonyng]

Hmm, weirdly enough I can only see 2 on/off toggles under the battery settings for an app: 1. Allow this app to run in the background, 2. Allow this app to run in the background, even when battery saver is on. Am I looking at the right settings? Or are we using different OS version? I've just updated the OS to the newest non-insider version (10586.494).

Ya it's probably because I'm on fast ring... I remember it used to be two toggles and then surprised about the third option

 

[shakkar]

Yes OK, that probably explains. I'm non-insider.

 

[dar981]

Nothing more irritating than when Cortana stops working, and text messages show connecting, its a daily event, the phone is right next to me, it shows me messages, then I go to reply on the band, it shows connecting, I have to reset my bluetooth connection to get it to work again.