Our Android phones’ batteries are becoming bigger and longer-lasting with every generation, but it’s rare for them to live up to the advertised specs.
This isn’t the manufacturer’s fault; it’s just that, unlike them, we aren’t using our phones in an optimal setup. However, when the battery drain becomes problematic, it’s time to look for a solution.
Understanding that some apps’ background processes use more than others is common sense, but which ones are the worst? And what do you do when you’ve identified the troublesome apps?
While the battery usage page in our phones’ settings apps tells part of the story, it doesn’t go much further than identifying the worst apps.
I finally stopped letting my phone’s default settings limit me, thanks to this little-known Android power utility
I can now see the bigger picture of why battery drain happens on the system level
Identify the apps that use the most battery in the background
It’s harder than you might think
If you want an easy way to improve your phone’s battery life, head to the Battery page in your Android phone’s Settings app at the end of the day, and check the battery usage of various apps.
The one at the top uses the most battery, so use it less, and you’re golden. But for the sake of this article, we’re going to examine the apps that drain your battery when you’re not using them.
We’re looking for apps where background usage is equal to or greater than screen time usage. Apps that you use for only a few minutes a day, but run in the background and drain hours of battery life, are the problematic ones.
For example, a quick look at my battery usage from yesterday shows that Instagram, WhatsApp, and Clock are the biggest offenders. But that’s not the whole story.
Frustratingly, Android does not track battery usage split between screen time and background processes.
For example, while I used Instagram for 44 minutes yesterday (Birthday-sactioned doomscrolling time), its background processes ran for 50 minutes.
But while it accounted for 58% of my battery use, it’s impossible to tell how much was due to background processes and how much to screen time.
So how do we tell which apps’ background processes are problematic? We guess.
The most precise way to identify problematic background processes is not to use an app for a day. At the end of the day, check that background time number and compare it to the percentage of battery drain it corresponds to.
Alternatively, turn off the background processes for the apps that drain the most battery and have background usage time that matches or exceeds their screen time.
If an app’s screen time was high, but background time was low, you don’t need to disable its background usage, as in the case of the two apps below.
However, it’s important to note that the limited reporting in the Battery Usage page doesn’t tell the whole story.
For example, the two apps above, Chrome and Play Books, seem like inoffensive apps with regard to background battery usage. But I know their usage jumps when I’m downloading books or files.
This fact doesn’t mean they’re problematic (after all, I’m not constantly downloading books every minute of the day), but consider how you use your apps before disabling their background usage.
Reduce background usage without impacting your apps’ performance
Don’t miss important notifications or messages
In the screenshots above, WhatsApp and Instagram look like prime targets for my quest to reduce background usage.
But while I’ll happily halt Instagram in my run-up to deleting the app entirely, WhatsApp will remain untouched.
WhatsApp regularly checks for messages and backs up my chats in the background. I’ve already stopped it from automatically downloading media, but these other processes still account for a significant portion of my battery life.
However, if I were to disallow background usage entirely, I would miss notifications and risk losing my chats in case of device failure.
Instead, consider this question when stopping an app from running in the background:
“Does this app do tasks in the background that are vital to my everyday life?”
Messaging apps will therefore need to run in the background, while social media apps can usually have their background processes disabled.
Media apps like Spotify and YouTube can also drain your battery in the background and often don’t need to run when not in use.
Also, consider disabling data-heavy apps like Google Maps when you’re not using them.
Background usage probably isn’t the main offender of poor battery life
Unless you’re deliberately running data-hungry background tasks, like downloading movies, the culprit for poor battery life is likely something else.
Changing some settings can improve your phone’s battery life, and disabling background processes that aren’t listed on the Battery Usage page can also help.
Nevertheless, identifying battery-hungry apps and disabling their background processes can improve your phone’s battery life.
