Horrible battery drain with JB update....

[MattE303]

I reset today and everything is exactly back to how it was. I used to always use SmartStay on ICS with no problem, but I'll try turning it off too. The S-Voice setting makes a lot of sense though.

Only thing is Android System is generally the biggest battery killer for me. So I think it has something to do with either WiFi or GPS. Guess we'll find out...

GPS is a known battery killer, I keep mine off unless I actually need it (eg. using Navigation), then turn it back off. If I leave GPS on, "Maps" jumps up into the top 3 battery burners list even though I'm not actively using any Map-related apps.

I can't say I've explicitly isolated SmartStay as a heavy battery user, but given what it does (continually monitor the camera and run a pattern recognition algorithm to figure out if you're looking at the phone) it just seems like it would have to burn a fair amount of juice.

 

[k1ngr4t]

I know, I know. But the point is to replicate my ICS settings 100%. In fact, I've stopped using WidgetLocker for the time being to see if that makes a difference. On that note, when I don't use it, it seems to be worse.

Only GPS I had checked was Google and everything worked perfectly. Plus I'm 97% sure Android System is seperate from Maps. Also, this drain is worse when setting up widgets than when I used to actually use navigation, which left the screen on. Thus, I really doubt it IS GPS. But I also wouldn't be surprised if it's somehow factoring in. Last time I had this exact issue, turning WiFi off when asleep was the only thing that fixed it.

Too soon to decide though, we'll see. And I don't necessarily need all these new features, but I do need good battery life. So if this still doesn't fix it, I'm probably flashing back to ICS for awhile. I miss not having to worry about battery at all...



After a full day of use tomorrow trying to imitate just a normal day on ICS, I'll take a GSam screenshot to compare the two for me.

 

[MyEntityRemains]

I know, I know. But the point is to replicate my ICS settings 100%. In fact, I've stopped using WidgetLocker for the time being to see if that makes a difference. On that note, when I don't use it, it seems to be worse.

Only GPS I had checked was Google and everything worked perfectly. Plus I'm 97% sure Android System is seperate from Maps. Also, this drain is worse when setting up widgets than when I used to actually use navigation, which left the screen on. Thus, I really doubt it IS GPS. But I also wouldn't be surprised if it's somehow factoring in. Last time I had this exact issue, turning WiFi off when asleep was the only thing that fixed it.

Too soon to decide though, we'll see. And I don't necessarily need all these new features, but I do need good battery life. So if this still doesn't fix it, I'm probably flashing back to ICS for awhile. I miss not having to worry about battery at all...



After a full day of use tomorrow trying to imitate just a normal day on ICS, I'll take a GSam screenshot to compare the two for me.

I agree with everything you said! If I can't get this battery usage reasonable, I'll go back to ICS or a different phone. The features are not worth the battery drain to me!

 

[MattE303]

Only GPS I had checked was Google and everything worked perfectly. Plus I'm 97% sure Android System is seperate from Maps. Also, this drain is worse when setting up widgets than when I used to actually use navigation, which left the screen on. Thus, I really doubt it IS GPS. But I also wouldn't be surprised if it's somehow factoring in. Last time I had this exact issue, turning WiFi off when asleep was the only thing that fixed it.

I was only referring to the Standalone GPS (the one that also has a toggle in the status pulldown). I keep that one off unless I'm using it, but I leave the Google and VZW Location Services on for weather and such. I figure the only time I need the precision of the GPS is for nagivation.

 

[Shadez]

I am really trying to figure out why so many people are having battery life probs, when this is prob the longest lasting phone in terms of battery life I ever owned..

 

[MattE303]

I am really trying to figure out why so many people are having battery life probs, when this is prob the longest lasting phone in terms of battery life I ever owned..

I think the battery life you get (3 to 4 days) is highly unusual to say the least. I make it through a day, even when I use my phone a fair amount, then recharge every night while sleeping. If I have a very light use day, I may still have 50% or so when I plug it in at bedtime (or only 5-10% left if it was a heavy use day), but I have never been able to go multiple days.

I seem to get much better battery life when I'm at home where there is only my own wifi. At work, where there are multiple wifis, bluetooth devices everywhere, etc. I lose about 2-3% per hour even if I don't touch my phone. Next week I think I'll experiment with turning off wifi and bluetooth while at work to see what difference it makes.

It would be interesting to know how you have your phone configured (what is on/off, what apps installed) and what your everyday environment is like. I know you use the battery saver option (so do I) but what else?

 

[Shadez]

All's I have is battery saver on.. I have NFC off, Blue Tooth off and wifi on .. still trying to figure out why you guys are getting shorter battery life. I have the standard battery.

 

[bsweetness]

I think the battery life you get (3 to 4 days) is highly unusual to say the least. I make it through a day, even when I use my phone a fair amount, then recharge every night while sleeping. If I have a very light use day, I may still have 50% or so when I plug it in at bedtime (or only 5-10% left if it was a heavy use day), but I have never been able to go multiple days.

I seem to get much better battery life when I'm at home where there is only my own wifi. At work, where there are multiple wifis, bluetooth devices everywhere, etc. I lose about 2-3% per hour even if I don't touch my phone. Next week I think I'll experiment with turning off wifi and bluetooth while at work to see what difference it makes.

It would be interesting to know how you have your phone configured (what is on/off, what apps installed) and what your everyday environment is like. I know you use the battery saver option (so do I) but what else?

I agree that 3-4 days of battery life with the standard battery is very unusual if the phone is actually being used. I can see it lasting that long if it's just sitting there and has good signal, but if it's actually being used, 3-4 days on a single charge is an extreme outlier.

In my experience with the S3, your reported usage of easily making it through a single day with moderate to heavy usage is definitely more the norm, even when running mine in a similar setup as Shadez. With moderate to heavy usage, I'd take the phone off the charger at 7:00 in the morning and still have around 30% left by 10:00 pm.

 

[Shadez]

You may have hit the nail on the head. Since I'm always around wifi a rarely use 4G...

 

[bsweetness]

You may have hit the nail on the head. Since I'm always around wifi a rarely use 4G...

Even then, I still think 3-4 days on a single charge is unusual if the phone is really being used. I'm on WiFi 90% of the day on many days.

 

[Shadez]

Even then, I still think 3-4 days on a single charge is unusual if the phone is really being used. I'm on WiFi 90% of the day on many days.

Hey I'm just telling you what I get. No reason to make it up...

 

[bsweetness]

Hey I'm just telling you what I get. No reason to make it up...

Never said you did.

All I'm saying is that it's very unusual. It's not the norm that most users should expect to see. A day to a day and a half is more on par with normal usage and battery drain for the S3.

 

[k1ngr4t]

I was only referring to the Standalone GPS (the one that also has a toggle in the status pulldown). I keep that one off unless I'm using it, but I leave the Google and VZW Location Services on for weather and such. I figure the only time I need the precision of the GPS is for nagivation.

Well just fyi VZ GPS is pretty much just for the crappy VZ apps, like VZNavigator, which sucks. I only use the Google GPS and it still updates all my weather widgets, both stock and third party, and worked without a hitch on Google Maps, even during Navigation.

 

[MattE303]

Well just fyi VZ GPS is pretty much just for the crappy VZ apps, like VZNavigator, which sucks. I only use the Google GPS and it still updates all my weather widgets, both stock and third party, and worked without a hitch on Google Maps, even during Navigation.

Good point, I don't use any of the Verizon stuff either, I should turn off their Location service.

 

[k1ngr4t]

Hey I'm just telling you what I get. No reason to make it up...

With all due respect I would like to see a screen shot of this. If anything you could be the deal breaker on the battery.

Ok, if you'd read any of maybe 60% of my GS3 posts, you'd see me doing nothing but praising the GS3 battery and how grateful I am for it. I'll say it one more time. This. Is. Not. Normal. That's why you can't figure it out. Because it's not supposed to happen. This is more extreme than if you were using an OG Droid with every setting on, full brightness while the browser is open and streaming Netflix. Something is wrong. And unless you experience it yourself, you won't understand. I'd suggest not trying to figure it out because if it's confusing the hell out of those of us who ARE experiencing it, so I can't imagine the effect on someone who isn't. Not trying to sound harsh here, I'm just saying stop suggesting battery saver because that's not the problem.

A beginning update, but it looks like my battery life has improved slightly after the FDR. Emphasis on slightly. Not jumping to any conclusions just yet though.