Answers about 2.2 Battery Issues
fsm
Newbie

After wading through other threads on this site that claim to have solved the battery problem, and countless threads on other sites discussing the issue, here are some answers about what is going on.

 

Why did the 2.2 update affect my battery?

The Android OS keeps a file of information that it uses to calibrate the battery. Unfortunately, if an update to Android OS happens while your battery has a very low charge, then the data in that file is incorrect. Subsequently, the OS cannot keep track of the correct battery charge and you end up with very short battery life.

 

Why do some people claim they had no problem after the 2.2 update?

They were lucky enough to get the OTA when they had a full battery. Or maybe they had a 80% full battery and are affected to only a small degree. I was lucky enough to get the OTA update when I had a 15% battery charge left, and ended up with a phone that couldn't hold a charge more than 5 hours with minimal usage.

 

Why do so many Verizon reps claim that there is no problem?

*Chuckle*.

 

Okay, so what can I do about it?

You need to recalibrate your battery. This involves making sure the battery is fully (and I mean fully charged), and then deleting the existing file of calibration information so that it will be rebuilt. There are many sites with explanations on how to do this, but I followed the instructions here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-765656.html

You need to follow all the instructions, including step 6 to remove the file. After I did thisk my phone lasted its usual 24 hours.

 

What is involved in removing the existing calibration file?

That is unfornately the tricky part here; it requires "rooting" your phone. This is a simple enough procedure if you use a program that promises a simple one click root install (google it...), but it still is more technical than a problem like this should be.

 

Are there any other alternatives?

Possibly. If you follow the first 5 steps in the link above (which require no modifications to the phone), it might help somewhat, and I've read people claim it solved their problems. Certainly you have nothing to lose by trying it.

 

Could something else be going on?

Most definitely; you should also follow the usual instructions to minimze your battery use: don't have lots of widgets that update data continuously, turn of GPS and Wifi, and the rest.

 

Will it really work for me?

All I can say is that it worked for me, and that there are large communities of people who regularly update the OS on their phone and know that this is a common occurrence; they perform this recalibration all the time. But it is possible that something else got munged on your phone during the upgrade and that your particular problem lies elsewhere.

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Re: Answers about 2.2 Battery Issues
nickjr
Contributor - Level 3

fsm wrote:

After wading through other threads on this site that claim to have solved the battery problem, and countless threads on other sites discussing the issue, here are some answers about what is going on.

 

Why did the 2.2 update affect my battery?

The Android OS keeps a file of information that it uses to calibrate the battery. Unfortunately, if an update to Android OS happens while your battery has a very low charge, then the data in that file is incorrect. Subsequently, the OS cannot keep track of the correct battery charge and you end up with very short battery life.

 

Why do some people claim they had no problem after the 2.2 update?

They were lucky enough to get the OTA when they had a full battery. Or maybe they had a 80% full battery and are affected to only a small degree. I was lucky enough to get the OTA update when I had a 15% battery charge left, and ended up with a phone that couldn't hold a charge more than 5 hours with minimal usage.

 

Why do so many Verizon reps claim that there is no problem?

*Chuckle*.

 

Okay, so what can I do about it?

You need to recalibrate your battery. This involves making sure the battery is fully (and I mean fully charged), and then deleting the existing file of calibration information so that it will be rebuilt. There are many sites with explanations on how to do this, but I followed the instructions here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-765656.html

You need to follow all the instructions, including step 6 to remove the file. After I did thisk my phone lasted its usual 24 hours.

 

What is involved in removing the existing calibration file?

That is unfornately the tricky part here; it requires "rooting" your phone. This is a simple enough procedure if you use a program that promises a simple one click root install (google it...), but it still is more technical than a problem like this should be.

 

Are there any other alternatives?

Possibly. If you follow the first 5 steps in the link above (which require no modifications to the phone), it might help somewhat, and I've read people claim it solved their problems. Certainly you have nothing to lose by trying it.

 

Could something else be going on?

Most definitely; you should also follow the usual instructions to minimze your battery use: don't have lots of widgets that update data continuously, turn of GPS and Wifi, and the rest.

 

Will it really work for me?

All I can say is that it worked for me, and that there are large communities of people who regularly update the OS on their phone and know that this is a common occurrence; they perform this recalibration all the time. But it is possible that something else got munged on your phone during the upgrade and that your particular problem lies elsewhere.


Thanks for the link and info
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Re: Answers about 2.2 Battery Issues
demmo86rt
Champion - Level 3
You know, this makes me wonder about how many people claiming poor battery life from the start turned their phones on without fully charging them first. It says to do so in the startup manual, but aren't we all too excited to play with our new toys to wait the couple hours or so to let it charge all the way before first turning it on. If we just slap the battery in and start it up with the factory fresh, less than full battery, I would think that the batterystats.bin file would be created with just as much incorrect information as getting an OS upgrade with a low battery. It seems as though we have found one more way to be smarter than our smartphones.
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Re: Answers about 2.2 Battery Issues
ibm360
Enthusiast - Level 3

Before 2.2 update:

  • Fully charged battery,
  • Formatted the SD card
  • Factory reset

 

After 2.2 update:

  • Another factory reset
  • SD card format

 

Battery drain excessive after 2.2 update.

 

Numerous settings tweaks and battery "bump" charges

 

No diff.

 

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Re: Answers about 2.2 Battery Issues
fsm
Newbie

Neither the factory reset nor the SD card format removes the battery calibration file.

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Re: Answers about 2.2 Battery Issues
ibm360
Enthusiast - Level 3

I know the battery config file is not on the sdcard...mypoint was a full battery did not help...at least for me.

 

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Re: Answers about 2.2 Battery Issues
nickjr
Contributor - Level 3

fsm wrote:

Neither the factory reset nor the SD card format removes the battery calibration file.


You can't get to the battery calibration file unless you have a [Edited to comply with Terms of Service] phone....

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Re: Answers about 2.2 Battery Issues
jenjo
Enthusiast - Level 2

I will try the recalibration, but to actually follow the directions i think phone has to be rooted.... doesn't that violate the terms of the warranty?  Is there another way to access battery stats file without messing with all that?

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Re: Answers about 2.2 Battery Issues
nickjr
Contributor - Level 3

jenjo wrote:

I will try the recalibration, but to actually follow the directions i think phone has to be rooted.... doesn't that violate the terms of the warranty?  Is there another way to access battery stats file without messing with all that?


The answer to your three part question is : Yes, Yes, and NO
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Re: Answers about 2.2 Battery Issues
droidgurl10
Newbie

This link did not work. Could you repost it or send me there a different way?


fsm wrote:

You need to recalibrate your battery. This involves making sure the battery is fully (and I mean fully charged), and then deleting the existing file of calibration information so that it will be rebuilt. There are many sites with explanations on how to do this, but I followed the instructions here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-765656.html

You need to follow all the instructions, including step 6 to remove the file. After I did thisk my phone lasted its usual 24 hours.

 




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