BigMcGuire
Active Member
Go to Personalize --> Widget --> Get More HTC Widgets (top) --> Battery --> Download. That has a % on it.
Tips to Help Improve Battery Life on ThunderBolt
- Thread starter guitarchris123
- Start date
Go to Personalize --> Widget --> Get More HTC Widgets (top) --> Battery --> Download. That has a % on it.
want a droid
Active Member
I love that widget!
- Thread Starter
- #378
OP
guitarchris123
Member
twinklystar129 - I recommend getting Battery Left from the market, it does far more than the stock HTC widget (or most others in the market), there is both a free version and paid version, and it is customizable. It is a great app/widget that not only tells you an exact percentage, but also how much time is left on your battery and what time it will die based on your usage (once you have it calibrated), and it can even tell you how long it will take to charge to full when you plug in, among other things. You can easily see what apps/processes are using your battery too, and your usage history. With the PRO version, you can set a profile for 2 different batteries (I just paid the $1.99 to start calibrating my Seidio 1600mAh slim extended battery in addition to my stock 1400 one).
Last edited:
- Thread Starter
- #379
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guitarchris123
Member
I've added some things to the first post, but I'll put them here for quick reference:
Changes/updates:
[FONT="]1a. [/FONT][FONT="]Screen –go to settings/display, turn down Brightness (20-30%), set Timeout to 30 secs[/FONT], [FONT="]manually turn off by quickly pushing top button when not using anymore (instead of waiting)[/FONT]. I have personally found that I like setting timeout at 1 min better, and manually turning off the screen with the top button every time I am done using it before I put it down or away in my pocket, that way it doesn't waste itself timing out or shut off on me when I don't want it to yet.
[FONT="]2. [/FONT][FONT="]Background/wallpaper - use a static image instead of a live wallpaper (but these are cool, so use one if you really want to, they only drain for the short amount of time you are looking at the launcher screens)[/FONT]. Many say the live wallpaper drain is minimal, but I noticed a significant amount while using a live one so I went to static. Have any of you tried both and noticed much of a difference yet?
[FONT="]19. [/FONT][FONT="]Location settings (updated) – go to settings/location settings. It is ok to have all of these checked, because it is the apps that use the GPS and consume power, not having these settings selected. GPS is only active when apps using it are in use.
[/FONT][FONT="]20. [/FONT][FONT="]Task killer – do not use them, uninstall if you currently have one, can harm phone and consume battery, just use back arrow key to exit apps instead of home key, simply monitor rogue apps instead and uninstall/replace[/FONT]. These are especially bad on pre-installed apps and services (many things rely on each other), so never "auto-kill" or "kill all." If you must use one, only use it on apps that you have installed that are misbehaving, otherwise let Android do it on its own.
[FONT="]31.[/FONT][FONT="] Chargers – have them handy at home, at work, and in car, and plug in when available[/FONT]. Try to get a 1A charger (same as included wall charger), many cheap aftermarket car chargers are only 500mAh and will not be enough to handle the GPS. VZW's car charger is 750mAh.
New:
[FONT="]35. Blockbuster app - open app, download update from market, then go to menu/settings and tap "disable movie updates." The app is set to automatically periodically scan for updates by default, and requires the new update to turn this off.
36. Friendstream - delete the widget from your home screen, open app and go to menu/settings and select update when opened. This way it isn't constantly refreshing, but rather only does so when you want to look at it by opening the app.
37. Signal strength - whether 3G, 4G, or WiFi, if whatever you are trying to connect to has a low signal strength the TB's battery will be draining trying to connect. Keep an eye on your connections, and try to be aware of when you are in poor signal areas and toggle off or switch connections if you can. Also keep in mind where your "fringe" areas are (ie. bounces between 3G/LTE/1X)
38. Apps - not all 3rd party apps are optimized for the TB, be sure to read reviews/ratings in the market to see what problems other users have had with them. Monitor your apps to see if any of them are hogging system resources (eg. CPU, RAM) and draining your battery, and delete or replace them accordingly. And remember to set the sync/update/notification frequency at longer intervals in settings within the apps that connect to the internet frequently.
39. Power saver - go to settings/power, and check enable power saver, the go to power saver settings and tweak (basically does a lot of the things we've talked about here for you automatically when you get low on battery, in case some things are left on or on higher settings than needed)[/FONT]
Changes/updates:
[FONT="]1a. [/FONT][FONT="]Screen –go to settings/display, turn down Brightness (20-30%), set Timeout to 30 secs[/FONT], [FONT="]manually turn off by quickly pushing top button when not using anymore (instead of waiting)[/FONT]. I have personally found that I like setting timeout at 1 min better, and manually turning off the screen with the top button every time I am done using it before I put it down or away in my pocket, that way it doesn't waste itself timing out or shut off on me when I don't want it to yet.
[FONT="]2. [/FONT][FONT="]Background/wallpaper - use a static image instead of a live wallpaper (but these are cool, so use one if you really want to, they only drain for the short amount of time you are looking at the launcher screens)[/FONT]. Many say the live wallpaper drain is minimal, but I noticed a significant amount while using a live one so I went to static. Have any of you tried both and noticed much of a difference yet?
[FONT="]19. [/FONT][FONT="]Location settings (updated) – go to settings/location settings. It is ok to have all of these checked, because it is the apps that use the GPS and consume power, not having these settings selected. GPS is only active when apps using it are in use.
[/FONT][FONT="]20. [/FONT][FONT="]Task killer – do not use them, uninstall if you currently have one, can harm phone and consume battery, just use back arrow key to exit apps instead of home key, simply monitor rogue apps instead and uninstall/replace[/FONT]. These are especially bad on pre-installed apps and services (many things rely on each other), so never "auto-kill" or "kill all." If you must use one, only use it on apps that you have installed that are misbehaving, otherwise let Android do it on its own.
[FONT="]31.[/FONT][FONT="] Chargers – have them handy at home, at work, and in car, and plug in when available[/FONT]. Try to get a 1A charger (same as included wall charger), many cheap aftermarket car chargers are only 500mAh and will not be enough to handle the GPS. VZW's car charger is 750mAh.
New:
[FONT="]35. Blockbuster app - open app, download update from market, then go to menu/settings and tap "disable movie updates." The app is set to automatically periodically scan for updates by default, and requires the new update to turn this off.
36. Friendstream - delete the widget from your home screen, open app and go to menu/settings and select update when opened. This way it isn't constantly refreshing, but rather only does so when you want to look at it by opening the app.
37. Signal strength - whether 3G, 4G, or WiFi, if whatever you are trying to connect to has a low signal strength the TB's battery will be draining trying to connect. Keep an eye on your connections, and try to be aware of when you are in poor signal areas and toggle off or switch connections if you can. Also keep in mind where your "fringe" areas are (ie. bounces between 3G/LTE/1X)
38. Apps - not all 3rd party apps are optimized for the TB, be sure to read reviews/ratings in the market to see what problems other users have had with them. Monitor your apps to see if any of them are hogging system resources (eg. CPU, RAM) and draining your battery, and delete or replace them accordingly. And remember to set the sync/update/notification frequency at longer intervals in settings within the apps that connect to the internet frequently.
39. Power saver - go to settings/power, and check enable power saver, the go to power saver settings and tweak (basically does a lot of the things we've talked about here for you automatically when you get low on battery, in case some things are left on or on higher settings than needed)[/FONT]
jaskil1975
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Thanks. I was trying this method I saw in a forum.
I first heard about bump charging back in the early days of owning the Incredible. I read a thread starting with this post and decided it wasn't something I wanted to do. That's just me though, and I realize it's a popular thing to do. That said, here is how it's done:
Power up (if not already) and plug your TB into a power source. As the battery is being charged, the notification LED shows a solid orange light.
Wait until LED is solid green, indicating it is fully charged.
Unplug, press and hold the power button, and select the option to power off.
Once powered down reconnect power source.
The LED will show a solid orange light again, indicating it is charging.
Once it's green, unplug the TB and use the power button to power up up the TB.
Once Sense has loaded plug the phone back in again. You will notice that the LED is now orange again.
Repeat steps 3-7 process until the light is green immediately upon plugging it back in (approximately 3-4 times).
I first heard about bump charging back in the early days of owning the Incredible. I read a thread starting with this post and decided it wasn't something I wanted to do. That's just me though, and I realize it's a popular thing to do. That said, here is how it's done:
Power up (if not already) and plug your TB into a power source. As the battery is being charged, the notification LED shows a solid orange light.
Wait until LED is solid green, indicating it is fully charged.
Unplug, press and hold the power button, and select the option to power off.
Once powered down reconnect power source.
The LED will show a solid orange light again, indicating it is charging.
Once it's green, unplug the TB and use the power button to power up up the TB.
Once Sense has loaded plug the phone back in again. You will notice that the LED is now orange again.
Repeat steps 3-7 process until the light is green immediately upon plugging it back in (approximately 3-4 times).
tu3218
Active Member
I see you mention to do this 3-4 times. Is this really what people are doing in between charges to get full capacity or is this more of the calibration process?
- Thread Starter
- #382
OP
guitarchris123
Member
Honestly, I don't think repeating the steps several times will do anything special. Maybe do it twice and call it a day, it won't really make much of a difference. And this is a once a month thing, not on a regular basis.
Z06_Mir
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I was having some of the worst battery life that I saw on the boards in the few three-four days of ownership. Yesterday I got the longest battery life yet, with 12 hours. It seems to be improving every day, I'm at 75% today with two short phone calls, some texting, some email and some angry birds. I've been unplugged for almost 5 hours. Maybe I can make it 15 hours today.
- Thread Starter
- #384
OP
guitarchris123
Member
Hey, that's great to hear! Now you won't have to return it! I hope some of the tips I compiled in the first post helped you out. And now I also wonder if the phone and battery needs a few days to "break in" (not sure if that's really true or not), and if it has something to do with just playing with it frequently at first (more likely to be true for many people).
jaskil1975
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Thanks for the tips guys.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
- Thread Starter
- #386
OP
guitarchris123
Member
No prob, glad to help and share with everyone, now get out there and save some battery life!
Bump charge is not worth it you get MINIMAL gain and i mean.. def not much at all..and it absolutly kills your battery
How/why does it kill the battery?
- Thread Starter
- #389
OP
guitarchris123
Member
Can you explain your theory further please, be more specific as to your reasoning, and maybe provide some links or evidence? The method I outlined originally came from an HTC representative, and people appear to be having varying levels of success with it all over different forums. Its not supposed to work miracles in gains (every little bit helps), but how does it "absolutely kill" your battery? Thanks.
yea i know from exp and have read a article let me try to find it
