Android 4.4.2 draining battery....

[4evermaat]

I've searched for a good bit on google and it seems to not just be a samsung, galaxy, or note 2 issue. It seems to be affecting virtually all kitkat users. Was wondering if anyone here has had any success fixing the problem.

4.3 didnt have this problem....but not sure if i can revert back with samsung knox. I do have a rooted device, if that makes a difference.

[casualbiker]

Don't have that problem cos I'm on the latest version 4.4.4. Amazing for a 1 year old Moto G.. hope to get Lollipop by the New Year.

I understand if you turn off 3g and wifi when not using it's loads better. Some think both are pulling power at same time.

[tw25rw]

I had something similar, but reflashing it fixed it.. I had a suspicion is was Malwarebyte, but I can't be sure.

[RichCor]

Could be that an application you thought was closed is still running in the background.

My i-Mobile IQ phone came shipped with an app called CleanMaster. My phone usually lasts 2 days (light usage), and when I notice heavy battery usage I'll use CleanMaster to close/kill apps still running in memory that I thought were closed.

Modern android versions aren't supposed to need a Task Killer, dammit.

[thrilled]

Some batteries last longer than others.It's the nature of the beast.

[quandow]

I had a 700 baht tosser for years, finally upgraded to an Android 4.4.2 and was SHOCKED how quickly the battery dies. My friends suggested I go into Airport mode and only take it off when I need internet. It has made a HUGE difference, holding its charge completely overnight.

Edited November 8, 2014 by quandow

[hawker9000]

Wifi and Bluetooth can make a huge difference, even when you're not actually connected to anything.

[Sheist]

Have 4.4.2 on my Mega 6.3 and do not see this issue. I can leave the phone off charge for at least 2 days without having to plug it in. I keep wifi on all the time, even while it sleeps. Has 3200mAh battery and the Note 4 has a 3220, by the way.

Suggestion: root it, and uninstall/disable any/all apps that are crapware. Crapware tends to seek data constantly and THAT will certainly drain your phone and prevent it from sleeping properly. Titanium Backup is a good choice that offers a "freezing" option which does not uninstall the app (if you are not sure about it), only disables it and removes it from your app list at the same time. Install ad blocking software (like AdAway) which prevents apps from sending/receiving ads that also wastes battery and data. You can Google for info on which apps are notorious battery-wasters, like Facebook.

It is more complicated to set up, since you have to install a custom recovery like Cyanogenmod or (recommended) TWRP2 or Philz (using ODIN and your PC with a USB cable, but there are step-by-step instructions), then you can flash SuperSU, after you reboot the phone into recovery, to give you root access, but there are many step-by-step instructions for your phone type on forum.xda-developers.com.

[PHP87]

Download "Battery Booster" app. - it let's you select from battery saving profiles, or you can create a custom profile to turn off WiFi, Data, GPS, ETC...

You can even set time ranges for your profile as well.

DU Battery Saver is another good App, as are the one's that allow you to control what loads at Start up.

Leaving apps. Running in the background will also drain your battery.

[bigwhitewarrior]

I have used every Samsung phone on the planet and the only real difference to the battery life is ..that you must turn of WiFi when not in use as the device will continuously search for WiFi same with Bluetooth and location. The Samsung s4 only used to last me about 6 hours the s5 did a little better at 10 hours . Now the note 4 with 4.4.4 has resolved many battery draining issues. If however you don't want to use battery saving options then you could always buy a power bank. I use one on long journeys about £20 and I get 3 full battery charges out of it when traveling.

[Tywais]

I have an LG G2 (3000 mAh) with 4.4.2 and don't have any issues. Wifi and GPS on all the time, Bluetooth off. I had one app that was chewing up battery and CPU usage even in the background and that was CM Security. I made an adjustment to CM Security configuration and no longer have the problem.

[lvr181]

Basically turn off all services that are not needed (turn on ONLY when needed), GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi etc. because they are always searching for something!

Also look at the Display settings e.g. Brightness and Screen timeout because the big screens can chew up the battery pretty quick.

Some Android phones will prompt you when to re-charge, be guided by that.

And thank the lucky stars that you do not have an iPhone

HTH

[eXplosief]

As you have a note 2 it is probably a bit older. The (good performing) lifetime of a battery is usually around 2 years. Also check if your battery is not swollen. A swollen battery is most likely replaced within warranty for 2 years.

Ofcourse powersaving options should be looked at. Some software, especially games like candy crush, drain a battery quickly. But also some of the preinstalled samsung bloatware scores high on power consumption.

[KonaRain]

I checked the web after years of problems..

Use battery, li-ion,lightly for many sprints not daily marathon..

Charge, don't leave plugged in after charge..and don't discharge and leave low charge.

Use for email..etc.

Talkin'to myself..

Aloh

[build6]

Sony forums had a LOT of complaints about this when 4.4.2 rolled out. Consensus is that its a problem with the version of google play services. Solution is to either install a newer or rollback to older version if possible. If not one possible workaround is to disable android device manager (but you lose functionality )

[Kiwiscoot]

I have an Samsung S5 with Android 4.4.2 and I get more than a day. But do the following:

1.) turn off Auto screen brightness.... it makes screen to bright... on manual you can control it yourself. Screen backlight is a huge battery drain.

2.) switch Location off - only use when you need it

3.) switch Bluetooth off - only use when you need it

4.) use black photo background - Amoled display is off when displaying a black background

5.) switch off download booster and multi-window

6.) switch Power saving mode on and tick "Restrict performance" but leave " Block background data" unticked

these are the obvious ones.

Google the topic, there are some good tips.

[4evermaat]

Used titanium backup to freeze off some of the google/samsung bloatware like newstand, books, games, chaton, print service, etc. I will revert back to battery doctor and wakelock detector to further inspect.

Wifi is always turned off. 3g is on, but i've tested with mobile data switched off and still idle drain.

Airplane mode does seem to have some positive effect, but i shouldnt be losing 40-50 of the battery in 1 hour with the phone sitting idle.

I ran into a blog post today and in the comments, someone mentioned something interesting. Turning off the wifi doesnt actually turn off wifi. It disables the wifi for most apps, but the adapter is still 'ON' and sucks power. He couldnt find an app that fully shuts off wifi adapter. It is an issue with how the system firmware handles powering the wifi/bluetooth adapter. It is possible that some manufacturers/models are more likely to have this problem.

I tried disabling google play services app, but no google app will run and several will alert that the service is required to function. Will try android device manager. What specific functons would i lose?

I do find it interesting that airplane mode works better than turning off all wireless adapters individually.

Battery is not swolen and is in good condition. Any tests i could run to verify battery?

[Kiwiscoot]

turn off sync to google, Samsung, Yahoo, Drop Box and other accounts, they all take their toll.

Set your wallpapers to a black picture, this turn the led display off.

With this setup, after 9 hours of use with a lot of Wechat messaging, some Video, Yahoo mail, Line my Galaxy S5 still has 58% battery

You can run Snapdragon battery utility. This is very good as it is an battery extender app by the people who do the Snapdragon processors of these phones. This use advanced features on the Snapdragon core to extend battery life, but is can be aggressive.

[Asia2000]

My Galaxy Alpha (famous for short battery life) got 5 hours more per day, after I installed DU battery Saver, from Google play.

After a week I bought their PRO version, with more tweaking options, and now get 7 hours more than normal.

[KonaRain]

I bought 2 new batteries for $5 ea from Amazon..checking delivery to Thailand..

Some new batteries weren't so good either..sent 'em back, doing ok now.

Cheers