Android - Optimising Battery - Sony Xperia Z3

SaberX on 25/10/2016 - 13:47
Last edited 25/10/2016 - 14:33 by 1 other user

Hi all,

Just curious how all Android users - although specifically those with a Sony Xperia Z3 or subsequent models - optimize battery life with their android phone?

I was reading an old battery life thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3/general/xperia-z3-battery…

where users seem to be getting 8,10, 13 hours battery life with screen on time. I also commonly see 'reviews' and users feedback when the phone first came out of people spending hours on video, and hours on screen on time, listening to music and still with 20-30% charge, whereas for me when I got my phone in Dec 2014 I was clocking up 1hr-1.5 hrs screen on time per 20% battery life. Typically a 100%—-> 60% drain would be 2 hours and abit of screen on time. So max 4-6 hours SOT for a full charge brand new. Recently I"ve noticed (given I'm coming on close to 2 years) the battery does and sometimes doesn't make 1 hour screen on time per 20%,

So it led me to the question: why do I get such a marked difference to other users of the same phone, let alone other android phones?

Be keen to hear of people's optimization tips. I believe the phone was bought outright (unlocked) from Telstra so I am not sure about bloatware. I have never rooted or flashed - whatever you call it , don't know how.

It appears to be on android 5.1.1 version.

Any good apps that can split battery drain details down to more specific items? My current battery drain usage stats in the built in power management breakdown are attributable to :

77% battery life remaining, 32 mins screen on time.

  • Google play services 12% (CPU total 10 mins, keep awake 13m, GPS 8m)
  • Android OS 11% (CPU total 21m, Keep awake 34m)
  • Spotify (CPU total only 9 seconds????) yet 7% of usage
  • Screen is only 6%.

Misc: there is Pocket 5%, facebook 5%, and domain 4% - although I don't remember actively going into pocket or domain since last night's overnight charge. Surely these stats refresh once fully charged, if so are these syncing or causing battery drain?

The above therefore gives no detailed useful information on what google play services or Android OS is. No apps, no specific functions etc I can tweak. I am not updating apps in google play either??

When my phone was newer the SOT tended to be the largest battery usage %, but occasionally now Android OS and/or Google Play services creeps in. Usually my battery usage graph has a huge cliff plunge on bad battery days corresponding to these services showing. They don't always show though.

I do leave Bluetooth on now for my fitbit call notifications, have just turned wifi off (I leave it on after I depart home - is there any use in turning it off. Does searching for networks/leaving it idle drain battery significantly?)

Apart from this the only other suggestions I seem to have picked up online is that you can change your notifications/sync frequency of apps like Facebook that supposedly that drains a lot of battery otherwise? I am on push notifications currently. Still - I would not think my difference in battery life should be so significantly different?

Strangely when I am at my girlfriend's house sometimes - it has sketchy reception so I use wifi. Which sometimes stops transmitting/runs into problems (but stays connected on my phone, albeit with the exclamation error mark) and I find my 100% battery at sleeping is down to 55%-60% when I wake up? I don't seem to have this issue at my own house with similarly terrible cellular coverage, albeit my wifi stays connected with no transmitting issues overnight.

Just totally confused on what does and doesn't drain battery life - could do with some tips! I had the same issue with my Samsung s3 where I got a pitiful 2-3 hours all up on the phone when using the screen before it died. Not useful for overseas holidays!

I just really want to get a workhorse, decently priced phone where I can confidently get 1-2 hours screen on time with 20% or less battery life… in other words a good 5-8 hours screen time while still having cellular on, Bluetooth, and browsing and having the regular cache of apps running: emails pushing, facbeook, whatsapp, and still get the few hours of music and/or videos that people seem to also report on - is this too hard to achieve with most phones these days? Their adverts and professional reviews, and user reviews seem to indicate plenty of people getting 8,10 hour usage on their phones but I never seem to have any luck?

Mobile Mobile Phone Sony Android

Comments

  • MiniMoo on 25/10/2016 - 14:18

    specifically those with a Zony Xperia Z3 or subsequent models

    "Zony"? Are they anything like Fony? Nah I wouldn't trust any of that cheap Chinese knock-off junk. Just chuck it, mate. :)

    • SaberX on 25/10/2016 - 14:19

      Sony*

      • MiniMoo on 25/10/2016 - 14:26

        You might want to edit your OP too. :)

        • SaberX on 25/10/2016 - 14:32

          Done ;)

  • pernunz on 25/10/2016 - 15:04

    The best option is to back everything up and do a factory reset.

    Failing that, install the Greenify app. It's made my tablet's standby battery life improve a lot.

    For Facebook I don't use the official Facebook app, I use Swipe for Facebook but also have Messenger installed.

    • SaberX on 25/10/2016 - 19:57

      Just posted a new comment below about Greenify. I will give it a shot tonight. My main thing is I still want to somehow disable apps from sapping data regularly, but somehow managing it in a way that important phone calls or msgs from fb, whatsapp, mobile etc. can come through.

      Is there a reason behind factory resetting? I guess one would have to reinstall all apps but does this get rid of old services and improve speed and battery life due to the clogging of the system as things update, uninstall/run over time?

      Why don't you use the official facebook app and use a 3rd party - incase of third party interference/eaves dropping?

      • pernunz on 26/10/2016 - 11:36

        I'm not sure about using Greenify to stop an app from accessing data regularly, but I know it stops wakelocks.

        I changed from the official Facebook app about a year ago because I found it was quite a big battery drainer (constantly polling for GPS). I'm not sure if it is still the case, but the 3rd party apps are essentially wrappers for the Facebook Mobile site.

        A factory reset can reset the battery statistics, and just clean up the flash memory. One of the reasons it 'feels' like you get a new phone is that it has nothing installed on it. Chances are you might have some apps/games installed from ages ago that might be using power/data occasionally (syncing data to servers), and whilst a single simple app may not do much, the accumulation of many apps doing this can make a noticeable difference.

        • SaberX on 26/10/2016 - 13:07

          I'll haveto google what wakelocks mean but I assume it is little niggly apps that (while screen is off) cause the cpu and phone to process and update/check for little things - therefore not truly 'shutting off' as you'd expect while screen is off.

          I checked out the swipe for facebook link - looks good. How well can we trust these 'wrappers' given you'd have to login through your facebook account in a 3rd party app - in terms of privacy and your password etc?

          Ok, will consider the factory reset. One of the reasons I haven't so far is the myriad of photos stores on whatsapp and my phone to clear. I've backed them up but it's always nice having them there for reminiscing and resending when the occasion allows :)

          One of the annoying things is having a 16gb z3, and not the 32gb model, I'm constantly on 300-500 mb free space which makes upgrades to apps or even updating my software (requires 1.2gb for most recent system update) impossible.

          Whatsapp is partially responsible - 2gb of photos, I don't know why they don't allow you to select the SD card external memory as a storage point.

          One annoying thing I noticed, which may come back to what you meant about 'old games/apps' installed from ages ago draining power or data occasionally - is I constantly have "560mb" in photos on my internal memory. Although I swear apart from the 2GB that it tells me whatsapp media uses, all other photos claim to have been moved to my external SD card. I still can't find what video or photos are on the internal memory that are taking up the space. It may be as you mentioned - stuff which is just clogged in the memory, that isn't really there?

          By your games/old apps reference though - are you referring to apps that were since uninstalled? By definition these couldn't 'linger' after uninstalling could they? In terms of draining battery, data or storage?

          Kind of like how an old computer still isn't the same after uninstalling apps and the like - as updates and installations embed and don't fully clear from system registry and the computer, and eventually slow and clog it down performance wise?

        • SaberX on 26/10/2016 - 13:08

          Another thing to add - would the lack of internal storage space work similar to a HDD on a computer - less available space for flash memory or storage of files, more battery/power usage??

  • SaberX on 25/10/2016 - 19:53

    Just a general question: it seems many advocate lowering your push notifications to lesser intervals or disabling.

    I am abit confused as to just what to do to reduce battery. In the xperia z3 you can go to your settings/personal/account - and only some like google have a push frequency. Online guides point to here? Not sure if it changed?

    I notice you can go into apps such as facebook and instagram and disable notifications for certain 'events'. However, is this the same as push sync intervals?

    With emails they sync every so often to "Push" synchronise new emails through. By delaying how often it 'refreshes' and checks for emails, you can reduce battery drain.

    Is this the equivalent/same by disabling notifications for key events/things happening in facebook, instagram and other apps?

    And is the best way to do this appear to only be by going into the actual apps for their settings? There is no general settings function via the android OS?

    I notice you can make your way to your "apps" in the settings, under the "app info" you can untick the "show notifications". However, will this actually save battery life - i.e. is this the same as actually physically stopping how often or regular your emails syncs, or disabling specific notifications for social media apps for everything bar your most important notifications that you want? My worry is this bans notifications from showing, but behind the scenes they're still running?

    I know many have mentioned using the stamina mode and other things, but my main purpose is having data running when the phone screen is off so that any whatsapp calls , messenger calls or other important calls/contacts can ring through or msg me? Which is pointless when stamina disables all of these functions.

    Figured the best thing is to then disable some notifications? But am struggling with pinpointing where to handle each different apps notification settings.

    P.S. I came across app suggestions called doze and greenify - any idea if this is worth getting?

    Am still looking for a detailed battery analyser that can pinpoint/break down the default battery usage details that the OS gives so I can actually know what 'google play services' or 'android OS' relates to - given they are taking up the majority of battery %.

  • bananabendera on 26/10/2016 - 07:58

    This would be my personal approach if I wanted to extend battery life that much on this phone.

    Install marshmallow > root > install xposed > install amplify and limit most wakelocks > install greenify and turn on aggressive doze + hibernate most apps > make sure wifi scanning in background for location assistance is turned off > remove facebook app and install swipe pro (better alternative if you care about privacy and battery life) > turn location mode to battery saving and use GPS only when necessary > turn analytics off > disable unnecessary google/sony apps.

    If there is no official marshmallow available yet for your device then you are still able to do all of this on lollipop if you do not want to delve into custom ROMs etc, just use the Doze app on the Play Store.

    If you just want to go simple, then a factory reset should also have an effect.

    To answer some of your queries:

    • Other people are probably only on WiFi, with Sony's stamina mode on and screen brightness not that high, with less apps running in background.
    • Leaving WiFi on should not drain significantly no.
    • 40% discharge overnight is huge, you need to factory reset and install marshmallow/Doze

    I just really want to get a workhorse, decently priced phone where I can confidently get 1-2 hours screen on time with 20% or less battery life…

    Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Special Edition.

    • SaberX on 26/10/2016 - 13:12

      Thanks. I've never rooted so my worry is I have no single clue how to and the risks involved?

      Can I not install the amplify app with my stock standard phone? I will try and install greenify - space is full on my phone so I have been trying since yesterday for the space to 'clear' itself automatically when the OS senses the lack of space. The only worry is I have been disabling notifications and apps in general that are installed as pre-installed bloatware i.e. some google functions and built in camera funcitons by the xperia - i.e. filters and themes for your camera, but with greenify my only worry is knowing which apps once hibernated or dozed will affect day to day usage of needed functions or other system functions?

      Is there a good resource which perhaps has been compiled through users that list battery hoggers or apps that can be dozed or hibernated safely, disabled, notifications and other things listed - as they are tested bloatware or useless apps that won't affect performance if disabled?

      THanks for answering all other questions. Seems like the recommendations is still to factory reset and start anew. Given I have selected for apps to save to SD card where required - some are partly internal, partly SD card, how will factory reset affect these??

      Should I uninstall these apps before factory reset? Otherwise assumedly I would be leff with app data and storage on my external SD card that would become useless, correct? Or would reinstalling the apps after factory reset reclaim the SD card portion of the apps stored on there?

      • bananabendera on 26/10/2016 - 18:31

        Risks are minimal with most phones as it is only possible to 'soft brick' which is completely recoverable. No you need xposed and root for Amplify. Greenify is fine without root. Space is full? That could also be another factor. Get a bigger SD Card and migrate some stuff over perhaps? With Greenify you can use light hibernation if my memory serves me correctly. It will allow inter-app interaction but block the app from otherwise running if that's your concern.

        Just go trial and error, everyone's phone is different, it should be 100% fine to use Greenify. You just have to be conscious that some apps' notifications could be being blocked, so just keep important ones that you use ungreenified.

        In regards to the app data - I can't specifically comment on that other than my HereWeGo maps have remained on my SD Card for years surviving 4 phones and many wipes so you could assume data on the SD Card is safe as long as it isn't that important. You could backup with Helium (app on play store).

        Uninstalling is not necessary, SDmaid (app on play store) can cleanup after if you wish. The apps should reuse the data after they have been installed again yes.

    • SaberX on 26/10/2016 - 13:23

      thanks for the Redmi Note 3 example - my only worry is a) not android OS from memory that Xiaomi phones run?

      And b) the Chinese factor - bloatware, malware or just things spying on you - have these ever been disproved or are safe for the every day retail users such as myself who use the stock standard OS that comes with phone.

      Am looking for something that is safe and good to use without having to root and wiping/tweaking everything?

      I am not sure if I can upgrade to marshmallow yet, there is a system update of 1.2gb that I assume would improve my 5.1.1 to what I assume is marshmallow. I just don't have the space to download it given it's a 16gb internal storage phone and I'm struggling to stay above 500mb free space to even download greenify. If you can manually install the doze app from play store then I might just do that. I assume it is built into Marshmallow otherwise?

      Just curious why you think factory reset should have an effect? Given I would be reinstalling all my apps, wouldn't it result in the same situation of the same battery drains behind the scenes? Or would it stop the "android OS" and "playstore services" eating up a vast majority of the battery %, given these are known/reported bugs right? I just don't know what these descriptions encompass as there is no breakdown in the settings/power management tools for these two?

      With location mode: how accurate is battery saving style location modes - i.e. assuming I have mobile network coverage? Does this affect your photo tagging locations, or is geotags a separate function to using the location mode?

      Sorry one last question - but you referred to turning analytics off - care to point me to where this is?

      edit: is swipe or swipe pro - i.e 3rd party software for facebook, that much more battery efficient than the facebook app? Even if I turn off notifications from facebook app would it still chew through background battery? I assume swipe pro would also push through notifications like the facebook app and would chew through the same battery by doing so as the original fb app? or is it still better?

      And more importantly would these third party apps be safe for privacy and content given they will have access to our facebook account login?

      • bananabendera on 26/10/2016 - 18:50

        Redmi Note 3 Pro Prime (not special edition with Band 28) is my current driver. It does run OS, but with their 'skin' on top (which actually looks quite nice). Aside from that their software pisses me off as there is some bloatware and some very restricting security features that piss me off. The stock software as safe as long as the shop you buy them from does not install their own software which can come with adware, malware etc. EASILY fixable by flashing one of the ROMs from official MIUI forums (which give you downloads and guides), no tinkering such as unlocking bootloader required it is quite simple really even if it seems daunting at first, minimal risk. On my device I have unlocked my bootloader and installed the Official CM13 ROM which runs awesomely, I love it. Downsides to this phone are the terrible (official) support and time it will take to claim warranty. There's always the Moto G4 which is in a similar ballpark, as long as you get the version with the right RAM. Enough about that though.

        An update of 1.2GB is definitely a major update to Marshmallow, make it your priority to get that. 16GB should be plenty of internal space, this phone has an SD slot, use it! Yes Doze is built into Marshmallow. Factory reset is like a fresh start, gets rid of the clutter and crap that gets left behind, makes Android re-organise and optimise itself. If you are going to factory reset, do it before the update otherwise the update will take longer. Even if factory resetting won't save battery it will speed up the phone even if just for a little while. It will clear you some space too.

        Battery saving using triangulation of surrounding cell towers and nearby WiFi networks that have been indexed. Im in a residential area and it's accurate to the neighbouring houses. It will affect geotagging a bit as co-ordinates won't be entirely accurate but as long as you just want a suburb/city it should be okay.

        I'm sorry it's been a while for me as to where those settings are, I always opt out of analytics during setup but it is negligible really. Don't worry about it.

        Yes Facebook is battery and RAM hog, you can change the sync interval on swipe and it has theming etc. It is MUCH better and is recommended over the FB app all throughout android subreddits (thousands of users). It just uses the mobile site for facebook really, while adding support for notifications.

        Yes they are fine (swipe is) privacy wise, but obviously still use caution.

    • SaberX on 26/10/2016 - 14:20

      Sorry to spam - but I noticed my recent software update build number:

      23.5.a.1.291 was an update to marshmallow and included some battery optimization being brought in (or back) that marshmallow didn't have.

      What confuses me is my android version is 5.1.1 - i.e. not marshmallow?

      Not sure how the build number software of xperia can bring out a marshmallow based software update, yet the android version hasn't been updated to marshmallow?

      Am somewhat confused? Is it because Telstra has not released the version 6 android marshmallow update for my z3??

      More importantly if my gf had bought the z3 outright from sony in the future - as opposed to Telstra - would I be the front of queue in receiving software updates to the android version i.e. to marshmallow, and wouldn't have to wait on Telstra who we bought the phone off?

      Am currently using amaysim and not even Telstra anyway.. but from memory the android version updates come from where you buy the phone i.e. the Telco, correct?

      So in future my best bet is to buy from manufacturer i.e. sony direct? Just like how buying the google nexus phones get the latest updates faster?? Or am I understanding the whole android version vs software build number thing wrongly?

      • bananabendera on 26/10/2016 - 18:58

        Yes carriers can restrict updates, most likely Telstra's doing. Can't really comment on retail vs carrier but I would imagine that retail would get official updates quicker. I always use custom ROMs that update before official ones so it's not an issue for me. Yes update comes from where phone is from. You are pretty much correct, it is entirely possible for the software build to update and not the android version, especially on versions of Android that are OEM skinned like Sony's. If it is that important for you to receive official updates quicker then yes you are better off with retail - means you can sell it off later more easily to upgrade too :)

        • SaberX on 03/11/2016 - 19:49

          So by buying from Sony direct i.e. retail, Sony themselves would push out the update? And most likely faster than being tied to Telstra (even though it was bought outright unlocked it would still receive slower updates as it has to be modified to suit Telstra, correct?)

          So if one was to buy outright from a 3rd party electronics store i.e. jb hi fi - who would govern the updates being sent out? Would it come direct from Sony still?

          Didn't think they had higher resale value - thought as long as both phones were unlocked. I guess you have lower bloatware though buying it direct from the company than through a mobile reseller who chucks all their crap on their . i.e. Telstra, optus particularly.

        • bananabendera on 03/11/2016 - 22:01

          @SaberX: I meant as outright opposed to on a plan.

  • ozeebee on 04/11/2016 - 01:43

    Android is great because of the open customisable platform, but it's also its weakest point, because Android is just a hopelessly inefficient software.

    I used to have the Xperia Z3 which I thought had great battery life, but even then it's still not as good as iphones with half the battery capacity.

    Totally understand that OZB members are big fans of Android phones due to the value you get. But even if Android manufacturers release phones with 5000mah battery, I bet it will have the same or less SoT and average use as an Iphone 7 Plus.

  • iridiumstem on 04/11/2016 - 02:25

    I've not used Sony phones, I mainly use CM on my old phone and TouchWiz on my current phone. So what I am saying might not apply to you as much yaddi yadda.

    I used Wakelock Detector to find out more about what's waking my phone up (though with my current phone, I have to rely on Lite version which is limited). That said, I think it gives me fairly decent idea.

    Facebook app drains battery like crazy. I'd get rid of it and go with Metal or even go with website version. Anything social network, in my opinion is a potential battery drainer.

    There are few Google apps that drain battery a lot. Google Now and Google Maps with the location history I heard are battery drainers. If you don't use those features or feel like they are unimportant, I'd get rid of them. I've also heard that some people disable Device Manager and that apparently helps with battery life, though I kinda thought that was gonig extreme.

    Google Play Service and Android OS battery drain can be caused by a lot of different things. I'd probably reset the phone completely to see whether that helps or at least reinstall Google Play Service.

    Other than those I think you might benefit from grabbing a new battery, since they do degrade over the course of their lifespan.

  • carimakan on 20/11/2016 - 13:40

    Try backing up the handset, and repairing the software. You can find some instructions on how to do this here. It works.

    http://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/FAQ/How-to-perform-a-software-…

  • Braintrain1000 on 28/04/2017 - 19:02

    After using this phobe for two years. I noticed that ROMs/Android versions and builds influence the battery life. I recentoy install stock telstra kitkat rom on this phone and the SOT went upto 6 to 7 hours. And then i install a Generic stock Kitkat Rom and i am left with 4-5 hours of SOT.

    Codings, optimasations by developers can make or ruin your device's battery life.

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