ugh, more battery drain...

[sting7k]

Fell asleep last night before I could plug in my Lumia. It was around 85% charged and this morning I wake up and its at 25%...

Is the battery on this ever going to be reliable? Wtf is up?

 

[Duvi]

Fell asleep last night before I could plug in my Lumia. It was around 85% charged and this morning I wake up and its at 25%...

Is the battery on this ever going to be reliable? Wtf is up?

May need to check if it's an app that is causing it.

 

[sting7k]

May need to check if it's an app that is causing it.

I would but I never get any answers as to what apps are doing exactly in the background. I only have 3 enabled for background tasks. But when I go to advanced the list is huge, but again no one ever can give an answer what they are doing exactly; such as the WPC app. All I ever get is "they can perform X task for 30 seconds every 30 minutes or something". Well they are obviously doing a lot more if my battery is draining like this just sitting on a pillow.

Can you remove apps from the multitasking app switcher to make sure they are no longer running?

 

[jimski]

I just completed a round of tests on my phone with all Background tasks enabled/disabled. The difference was 4% over 8 hours, or 0.5% per hour. Repeated the test three times with nearly the same result. Apps: USA Today, Fox News, Weather Channel, Mehdoh, Urban Dictionary, Network Dashboard, CleverToDo and Battery Meter (homebrew that runs every 10 minutes).

So, it's probably not your background tasks. I did read in the Nokia manual that Camera should not be left running in the background as it can affect battery. I have a habit of backing out of all apps often during the day. Try that before you set it down for the night. Sounds like you drain might have been related to a signal issue though.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[dtboos]

Uncheck all notifications for the facebook app if you haven't. Thats usually the worst culprit.

 

[mayoo]

Ya I have same habbit of exiting out all the apps.. I just keep pressing back button

Sent via Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[Duvi]

I would but I never get any answers as to what apps are doing exactly in the background. I only have 3 enabled for background tasks. But when I go to advanced the list is huge, but again no one ever can give an answer what they are doing exactly; such as the WPC app. All I ever get is "they can perform X task for 30 seconds every 30 minutes or something". Well they are obviously doing a lot more if my battery is draining like this just sitting on a pillow.

Can you remove apps from the multitasking app switcher to make sure they are no longer running?

Hitting the back key... I didn't mean the background tasks, but rather the apps that are running when you press and hold the back key to show what's app is still open.

Have you done a hard reset and used the phone w/o the apps for a day to see if that makes a difference?

 

[Laura Knotek]

@jimski, what do you mean by camera running in the background? Where is that setting found?

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[sting7k]

Ok, so if I leave apps via the Windows button that doesn't close apps? Is there no way to clear apps from the app switcher like you can do on iOS?

I noticed the camera will kill the battery if you do not leave it; already had that happen taking pics/video at a wedding and then just put it away thinking I would take more soon and then forgot.

I still am confused by how apps are functioning here. I thought it was like iOS where unless it is front and center it can't actually run except for the specific background tasks.

Or is it that I am not closing them because I'm using the Windows button?

Maybe I need to shift my operation here. I'm generally using the Windows button to leave apps a la the home button on the iPhone. I use the back button to go back to previous screen within apps or if I link out of an app and want to go back.

 

[Duvi]

Ok, so if I leave apps via the Windows button that doesn't close apps? Is there no way to clear apps from the app switcher like you can do on iOS?

I noticed the camera will kill the battery if you do not leave it; already had that happen taking pics/video at a wedding and then just put it away thinking I would take more soon and then forgot.

I still am confused by how apps are functioning here. I thought it was like iOS where unless it is front and center it can't actually run except for the specific background tasks.

Or is it that I am not closing them because I'm using the Windows button?

Maybe I need to shift my operation here. I'm generally using the Windows button to leave apps a la the home button on the iPhone. I use the back button to go back to previous screen within apps or if I link out of an app and want to go back.

Back button until it goes to another app or home screen. If you are deep in to the app, it sucks... that is why I wish there was a way to get rid of them like cards in WebOS.

 

[jimski]

@lak611. Per the Nokia 900 Manual. "The camera viewfinder can be a power drain, so after you've finished taking pictures press Back". Basically, you don't want to keep the camera active behind the lock screen.

Remember, an app behind the lock screen keeps the focus even after you turn your phone off. So at the very least, press the Start button to move away from the active app. I usually just use Back to get back to Start.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[Laura Knotek]

Thanks. I've never kept the camera open. I wasn't even aware it was an option.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[sting7k]

@lak611. Per the Nokia 900 Manual. "The camera viewfinder can be a power drain, so after you've finished taking pictures press Back". Basically, you don't want to keep the camera active behind the lock screen.

Remember, an app behind the lock screen keeps the focus even after you turn your phone off. So at the very least, press the Start button to move away from the active app. I usually just use Back to get back to Start.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

How would an app end up running behind the lock screen?

 

[jimski]

Before Background Tasks were introduced with Mango, the only way to keep an app active was to keep it behind the lock screen. So, for example, if you had a third party alarm clock app you could set your alarm and then tap the power button to put you phone to sleep. As long as the app remained behind the lock screen (had the focus) it would run, going off at the prescribed time, sounding the alarm you selected, etc. If you moved away from the app before putting your phone to sleep it would be tombstoned. Most of this has been eliminated with Background Tasks, but an app (or the Start menu) behind the lock screen still has the focus and will run (like a navigation app for example). Guess I may need to try/prove this in my series on battery drain truths over at Mobility Digest.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[sting7k]

Before Background Tasks were introduced with Mango, the only way to keep an app active was to keep it behind the lock screen. So, for example, if you had a third party alarm clock app you could set your alarm and then tap the power button to put you phone to sleep. As long as the app remained behind the lock screen (had the focus) it would run, going off at the prescribed time, sounding the alarm you selected, etc. If you moved away from the app before putting your phone to sleep it would be tombstoned. Most of this has been eliminated with Background Tasks, but an app (or the Start menu) behind the lock screen still has the focus and will run (like a navigation app for example). Guess I may need to try/prove this in my series on battery drain truths over at Mobility Digest.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

Ah, I read that a little wrong I see now. I understand that, thanks for the info.

I guess I should also be referring to "home screen" as the "start menu". Makes sense with the traditional conventions of Windows.

 

[andyl66]

These issues plague all devices not just Nokia. To preserve battery before you sleep put your phone into aircraft mode. This kills everything, make sure your camera is totally off, if necessary open it and hit back back to ensure its off. Now check your usage in the morning. Chances are your phone won't have touched the batt. Always make sure things like Bluetooth are switched off, and disable WiFi when you go out, just enable it when you want to use WiFi.


Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

 

[Nataku4ca]

These issues plague all devices not just Nokia. To preserve battery before you sleep put your phone into aircraft mode. This kills everything, make sure your

uh.... i agree with most things except aircraft mode, at least keep cell phone active so you can receive calls, it doesn't drain the battery that much

at least on my L800 it only drains about 3~4% when I sleep, so if I don't use my phone at all the battery can actually last 5~6 days (don't think that will ever happen as I keep playing with it )

 

[sting7k]

These issues plague all devices not just Nokia. To preserve battery before you sleep put your phone into aircraft mode. This kills everything, make sure your camera is totally off, if necessary open it and hit back back to ensure its off. Now check your usage in the morning. Chances are your phone won't have touched the batt. Always make sure things like Bluetooth are switched off, and disable WiFi when you go out, just enable it when you want to use WiFi.


Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

That is an absurd proposition. My iPhone over night only uses 4-6% of battery with dozens of apps using push notifications, 2 exchange email accounts, wifi on 24/7, etc.

I bought my phone to use it not to have to turn everything off. I can accept that the Lumia's battery isn't as good and WP7 not as power efficient. But random drains of this magnitude are annoying.