[Verizon Droid Charge] jkbucksot:
Saving Your Droid Charge's Battery

We all know that the droid charge is decent with battery but some functions just drain it so quick that it seems like its the phone itself. I have posted in several other threads about saving batter. I wanted to put together a single thread on all of the many ways as to save your battery. Some of these ways can be done through various apps free and paid. Some users of android opt to buy an extended battery for their phones to combat the high power consumption of the phone. This isn't always the best way to handle this as with the extended battery, you are very limited almost never going to find a case that protects your phone. Here are several factors that drain the charge's battery:

1. 4G. Its a known fact that Verizon's 4G connection is the fastest LTE that is in the market. This function is one of the most battery intensive functions that the phone has. While this radio is active it pulls a lot of juice from the battery to ensure that you stay connected and have the highest bandwidth possible.

2. Mobile Data. Keeping this function on allows you to recieve your email notifications, mms, and all other apps that require a data connection. This function can use 3g or 4g connection for data.

3. Screen Display. Though with the super Amolled plus screen is the best on the market, this is THE most drain on your battery.

4. Accounts and Sync. This function is a harsh one to control because it isn't always active and can run in the background or while the phone display is off.

I have listed some of the major functions of the phone that drain the battery. Below are some steps to prevent and/or help your droid charge last throughout the day. I use my phone at work while I am away from my computer or just during breaks and can last throughout an entire 10 hour work day without worry of my charge going dead.

1A. 4G. There are several things to be done to ensure that you don't let one of the droid charge's best feature become your worst enemy. While not using your phone for any data intensive apps, you should always turn this feature off to conserve battery. To turn this feature off, while on your home screen: Menu-->Settings-->Wireless & Networks-->Mobile Networks-->System Selection-->and choose CMDA Only (this is the 3g Network).

There is an easier way to get this feature on and off by a 4G toggle app and is linked here--> https://market.android.com/details?id=com.coreyapps.togglelte

2A. Mobile Data. While the above should be done every time you use/don't use your phone for data, this should be turned off always if you are connected to any wifi source. This also ensures that both your 3g and 4g radios are turned off while in a poor signal area and will save your battery the strain from trying to gain a signal. While turning this off, you will not receive data unless you are connected to wifi, but you will be able to receive calls and sms messages.

3A. Screen Display. This is the number one cause of battery drain. While there are preventative measures to ensure that you limit the strain, if you are using your phone a lot for anything, you will need to charge any device. You should pick a screen lock out timer that best suites you and you should let the phone turn the display off. I have mine set to 30 seconds and believe this to be the happy median between the two extremes. 15 seconds seems to be to short and 1 min is way to long. Note: If using the phone there should be no reason to use over 30 seconds.

4A. Accounts & Sync. This function isn't as bad as the others but can leave you puzzled if this is your first droid. This is the silent killer...To combat this only allow your phone to sync over wifi and the best is to set times to sync every 12 to 24 hours. I use 24 hours and it syncs around 2 a.m. while I am sleeping. To get your phone on a schedule like this, stay up to the wee hours of the morning or until you know for sure that you will be at home at the time for the sync to occur. When the time is right, go through the Manage Accounts and through each of your accounts and sync.

There are many other factors that could play a role in your phone not lasting the day. With the newer phones and the 4G capabilities, we should train ourselves and not our batteries. With this it is up to each individual user to ensure that they manage their phones in a proper manner for proper results. I have used an extended battery until i got fed up with not having a case for my phone. Once going back to the stock battery, I had to train myself to manage my phone to ensure that I could last an entire day on one full battery charge.

Contrary to popular belief, giving your Droid Charge some extra juice throughout the day isn't a bad thing. A full uninterrupted charge is best at night but throughout the day it isn't bad to sneak a good 10-15 min charge in. My battery life is amazing with following my routine of things when I use and don't use my phone.

There are several apps that can aid you squeezing the most life out of your battery. Juice Defender is the main one with many options and very customization.

Please let me know if anyone else has any more information on either battery intensive apps or functions and ways to correct them and I will be sure to update this post for everyone. Hope you enjoyed my write up.

~jkbucksot