Battery Life Optimizations in Android

Developing an Android application that consumes a lot of battery can have a significant impact on the user experience. Users expect their devices to last for as long as possible without needing to recharge, and a battery-hungry app can quickly drain a device’s battery life. As an app developer, it’s essential to optimize your code and implement battery-saving techniques to minimize battery usage in your app. In this article, we’ll discuss some tips and techniques for reducing battery usage in an Android application while coding, helping you create an app that’s efficient and enjoyable to use for your users.

Here are some tips :

1. Optimize your code: Make sure your code is as efficient as possible, minimizing the number of operations and avoiding unnecessary CPU usage. Avoid creating memory leaks by cleaning up any objects you no longer need.
2. Use efficient data storage: Use efficient data storage techniques to reduce the amount of data your app needs to access from the disk, such as storing data in a database or cache. Avoid storing large amounts of data in shared preferences, as this can cause unnecessary disk usage.
3. Use background services wisely: Use background services only when necessary and ensure that they do not consume too much CPU time or network bandwidth. Make sure you stop background services when they are no longer needed.
4. Optimize networking: Optimize your networking code to minimize the amount of data your app needs to download from the internet. Use HTTP caching and compression techniques to reduce the amount of data your app needs to download.
5. Use battery-saving features: Make use of Android’s built-in battery-saving features, such as Doze mode and App Standby, to reduce battery usage when your app is not in use.
6. Avoid unnecessary wake locks: Wake locks prevent the phone from sleeping, which can lead to increased battery usage. Avoid using wake locks unless absolutely necessary.
7. Reduce screen brightness: Use the device’s built-in sensors to detect the ambient light and adjust the screen brightness accordingly. This can help reduce battery usage when the user is not actively using the app.

👉 By following these tips, you can help reduce battery usage in your Android application and improve the user experience.

DOZE

Doze is a battery-saving feature in Android that helps reduce battery usage when the device is idle. Doze works by deferring CPU and network activity to extend battery life.

When the device is not in use and the screen is off, Doze mode is activated after a certain period of time. In Doze mode, the device’s CPU is restricted to a low-power state, and network access is restricted to conserve battery life. During this time, the system delays background tasks and network access, allowing apps to save battery power. The device only exits Doze mode periodically to perform necessary tasks such as syncing data or receiving notifications.

While Doze mode can help extend battery life, it can also affect app functionality. When the device is in Doze mode, apps may not receive push notifications or perform background tasks. This can affect apps that require constant background processing, such as messaging or email apps.

To optimize your app to work well with Doze, there are several steps you can take:

1. Use JobScheduler API: To ensure that your app’s background tasks are performed during a device’s maintenance windows, use the JobScheduler API to schedule your app’s background tasks.
2. Use FCM high-priority messages: Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) provides high-priority messages that can bypass Doze mode and deliver notifications to the device immediately. Use FCM high-priority messages for important notifications that need to be delivered immediately.
3. Use foreground services: If your app requires continuous background processing, use foreground services to keep the app running in the foreground and prevent the device from entering Doze mode.
4. Avoid holding wake locks: Holding wake locks can prevent the device from entering Doze mode and cause unnecessary battery drain. Avoid using wake locks unless absolutely necessary.

App Standby

App Standby is a power-saving feature that limits the amount of resources an app can use when it’s not being actively used by the user. When an app has not been used for a certain period of time, App Standby puts it into a low-power state, restricting its ability to run background processes or access the network. While App Standby is a useful feature, it’s important to understand how it works and how it can affect your app’s functionality. In this article, we’ll provide a detailed explanation of App Standby, including how it works, how it affects apps, and how to optimize your app to work well with App Standby. By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to use App Standby to help improve battery life for your users.

And here’s a detailed explanation of App Standby:

App Standby is a power-saving feature in Android that limits the amount of resources an app can use when it’s not being actively used by the user. When an app has not been used for a certain period of time, App Standby puts it into a low-power state, restricting its ability to run background processes or access the network.

To determine which apps to put into standby mode, Android uses a set of rules based on the user’s usage patterns. The system considers how often the user interacts with an app, the duration of each interaction, and other factors to determine which apps are used frequently and which ones are not.

When an app is put into standby mode, it is restricted in several ways. It cannot run background processes, access the network, or use the device’s resources. This helps prevent apps from consuming unnecessary battery life when they’re not in use. However, this can also affect app functionality. Apps that rely on background processes or network access may not function properly when in standby mode.

📌 Both Doze and App Standby are designed to help extend battery life by reducing the amount of battery usage when the device is idle or when apps are not being actively used. Developers can optimize their apps to work well with these features to help improve battery life and enhance the user experience.

Overdraw

In Android development, “overdraw” refers to the process where the system draws the same pixel more than once in a single frame. This can happen when multiple overlapping views with transparency are displayed on top of each other, resulting in some pixels being drawn multiple times.

Overdraw can have a negative impact on the performance and efficiency of an Android app, as it requires the system to spend extra time and resources redrawing the same pixels multiple times. This can result in slower app performance, increased battery consumption, and reduced user experience.

To prevent overdraw and optimize app performance, Android provides tools such as the “GPU Overdraw” debugging tool in Android Studio, which highlights areas of an app where overdraw is occurring. Developers can use this tool to identify and fix areas of an app where overdraw is happening, by optimizing the layout and design of the app to reduce the number of overlapping views or using techniques such as view flattening or merging to minimize overdraw.

I hope this writing would be useful for you.

You can connect me on Linkedin.

My github:

betulnecanli - Overview