Google Services, battery usage and other areas of confusion
Google Services uses more battery as it encompasses more things, but that doesn't help with the confusion factor
It's not just you, Jonathan. Seems like everyone running the combination of Android 4.3 with the newGoogle Play services (which, really, everyone should have by now) is seeing the Google Services entry in their battery list with bigger numbers than we're used to seeing. This makes sense — it's doing more than ever.
The good news is that for most people it's not really keeping the CPU awake very often. That's what abnormally kills your battery. After some investigation and discussion, we think that the Google Services now encompasses more "stuff" so it uses more battery, and some change in the way it gets reported are the cause of what you, and everyone else is seeing.
But that's not the root issue.
Google needs to change the look of the Battery information screen in the settings, because what the numbers show us isn't the whole story. Follow along.
That's Jonathan's Battery statistics screen. Before we go any further, thanks for making me look at theJungle Heat game — it looks pretty damn awesome. Enough of that, let's look at those numbers.
We see what we're used to seeing, but what we're used to seeing is pretty useless without doing a little calculation. In Jonathan's case, Google Services did not use 20 percent of the battery. It actually only used 5.4 percent. Don't pay attention to the numbers, instead pay attention to what they mean.
Jonathan's Nexus 10 has 73 percent of a battery charge left. That means, only 27 percent of it has been used by everything that used any of it. That 20 percent figure you see for Google Services is really 20 percent of 27 percent. You need to do a little math, even though we all hate math.
((100-73)*.20) = 5.4
That means 100 percent (the fully charged battery), minus the amount of charge left (that's 73 percent per the top of the screen) leaves us with the total amount of battery used — in this case, that's 27 percent. Of that 27 percent that's been used, 20 percent of that went to Google Services, meaning that 5.4 percent of a full charge has been used in the 1 day, 13 hours, 22 minutes and 20 seconds the Nexus 10 has been off the charger. That number is bigger that we used to see for Google Services, but it's not an abnormal amount compared to everyone else. The screen is just confusing, and has always been.
Google needs to fix this. Somewhere in the mix of numbers and percentages, they need to tell us the amount of the overall charge that each entry has used, not the percentage of the used percent each has used. See — I told you it was confusing.
This is a better representation of exactly what's been eating away at that battery. Make it a card that opens when you tap or long press on something, We all love cards. Or do it some other equally simple way, just show us what those numbers and percentages mean so we're not switching from the Battery settings screen to the calculator app to figure it out for ourselves. You can do it, Google.
The Basics: Copying ringtones, notifications and alarm tones to your Android
Big, clunky desktop programs are a thing of the past when you're using an Android smartphone
For most people around these parts, not having to use a program like iTunes to copy files to and from your Android is a good thing. We're used to the ease of drag and drop, and for the most part, it works really well. But not everyone has a grasp on it, and the idea that a phone can act (more or less) like a thumb drive is a bit difficult to grasp.
We can't really blame anyone, the fruit companies (Apple and BlackBerry) pretty much conditioned people to using a dedicated program on their computer to interact with their phones. Whether or not it was easier makes no difference, it's what a lot of folks grew accustomed to. It's high time to change that, and we'll start with the most basic task of all — adding sounds you can use for ringtones, notification tones and alarm sounds.
Setting things up may be necessary
Microsoft Windows is both the easiest and most difficult of the desktop (and oddly enough, that includes laptops) operating systems to set up for dragging and dropping files. Modern Androids use the MTP protocol to connect to your computer when you plug them in. It was developed and designed by Microsoft, and every version of Windows since XP has it enabled by default. If you're still using XP, you can set up MTP pretty easily by following the directions here.
The problems arise when you install "helper" applications like Samsung Kies or HTC Sync. There's nothing inherently wrong with these programs, but if you're going to install and use them you need to use them every time, no matter how small the operation you plan on doing is. The like to interfere with the normal MTP mounting for a device. Our advice? Unless you want to use the backup abilities of these programs, skip them. Use the native file transfer built into your Android and Windows.
For Mac users, it's pretty simple. MTP isn't enabled by default on OSX, so you need a small utility developed by Google called, simply enough, Android File Transfer. Grab that here and install it like you would any other program. Log out or restart your Mac, and the next time you plug an Android into your computer you'll see a Finder window open that shows the contents of your phone.
Linux, on the other hand, is a tough one. You can manually set up MTP if you know what you're doing, but results are mixed. Our advice here is to just use a wireless transfer utility like Airdroid. You'll thank us later.
Copying things over
Once you have things ready to go, and your Android is plugged in and you see the files and folders, you're ready to copy over your custom tones and sounds. On your Android, you'll see folders named Ringtones, Notifications and Alarms. These are exactly what you think they are. Copy the sounds you want to use for each into the respective folder, unplug your phone, and you should be able to select them from the menu where you're choosing your sounds. If they aren't in that list, restart your Android so the media scanner picks them up. Always try to use an .mp3 or .ogg file for these, as those are the file types Android uses natively.
That's really all there is to it. It's really much easier than learning how to use iTunes effectively, and we won't even talk about the beast that is BlackBerry Desktop. Take a few minutes and be sure you have everything set up, and you'll soon be dragging and dropping files like a pro.
Unless you're a geek, there's probably a lot of stuff you don't yet know about Android smartphones. And even if you are one, there might still be a thing or two to learn about the world's most popular mobile OS – things like how to make Google Maps available offline, how to manage an Android smartphone remotely, and how to track the whereabouts of a missing or lost handset, to name a few. Regardless of how knowledgeable you are about Android and its peculiarities, checking out our list of Android tips and tricks would be a good idea. Let us know in case you've learned something new and don't hesitate to share some of your Android experience with us all down in the comments!
Android tips and tricks
1. Monitor what's using your data
Chances are that your smartphone is almost always connected to the internet, be it over Wi-Fi or 3G/4G. Do you know what apps consume most of that data? If not, then try Android's built-in data usage monitor, available from the Settings menu, or just get an app for the job – Onavo Count or Traffic Monitor Plus. Keep an eye out for data-hogging apps.
2. Keep your storage space clean and tidy
It seems like the on-board storage space on smartphones is never enough. That's why moving your stuff – music, videos, apps – onto a microSD card is a good idea. Also, try to get rid of apps and games that you don't use since these occupy space as well. Just go to Settings > Apps and uninstall whatever software isn't needed. To get a better idea as to what files and folders really take up the most storage space, getDiskUsage from the Play Store. It represents visually each folder with a rectangle – the bigger the rectangle, the more space it occupies. Then just move or delete all the stuff you don't need using a file manager. ES File Explorer is one we'd recommend.
NOTE: Don't delete any files or folders unless you're absolutely sure they aren't in use by an app or the operating system!
3. Monitor what apps are loaded and running
When a smartphone is turned on, it loads a whole bunch of apps and services that run in the background. Most (if not all) of these are harmless, but others just sit there, taking up memory and keeping the CPU busy. Autorun Manager is one of the apps that can show you what software is loaded on start-up and what's running on your device. Feel free to disable or uninstall apps that you don't need.
4. Avoid suspicious ad-supported apps
We have nothing against ad-supported software, but some apps take that concept to the extreme, with ads being displayed on the notification bar. Some even add links to shady search engines to your home screen and suspicious bookmarks to the browser. These apps should be avoided since their ads consume data and battery life, not to mention that they might put your private information at risk. To see what ad-supported apps you have installed on your Android device, give Lookout Ad Network Detector a try.
5. Monitor apps' battery usage
There is a built-in battery monitoring tool in the Android operating system, accessible by going to Settings > Battery. Keep an eye out for apps that consume excessive amounts of power without being used that often.
6. Make parts of Google Maps available offline
In case you use Google Maps on a regular basis, you might want to save frequently viewed areas for offline use. That will save you data whenever Wi-Fi isn't available. To do that, open the menu in Google Maps, tap on "Make Avaliable Offline" and select the area you want to cache onto your device. Note that saved areas may be up to 100MB in size.
7. Monitor the permissions of installed apps
Do you know what kind of information your apps have access to? If not, Clueful Privacy Advisor is the app you should consider downloading. It scans your Android device for suspicious apps, including apps that may leak your passwords, phone number, and other sensitive data.
8. Know how to track a lost or stolen phone
In case you have not heard of these already, there are Android apps capable of tracking a lost or missing smartphone – apps like Lookout, which is also a good anti-virus tool, and Where's My Droid. Just make sure you have these installed and configured before actually losing your phone.
9. Automate your phone
Your phone is smart enough to mute itself while you're at work, to turn the Wi-Fi and 3G off at night, and to do all kinds of stuff automatically. you just need the right app for that – an app like AutomateIt, Tasker, orPhone Schedule, to name a few.
10. Try an alternative virtual keyboard
Not entirely happy with your smartphone's on-screen keyboard? Well, there's plenty of alternatives to try, including SwiftKey, TouchPal, Swype, and many more.
11. Get an SMS counter
Obviously, this tip is for people who don't have unlimited text messages included in their monthly plan. To them we recommend trying the SMS Counter app, which will keep count of both incoming and outgoing text messages.
12. Take over your notification light
In case you have a notification light on your phone, you may customize the alerts it displays using the Light Flow app. And in case you don't have one, make your camera's LED light flash at specific events with theFlash Notification app.
13. Cut the wires
There's this neat application called AirDroid, allowing one to manage their Android smartphone from a computer over Wi-Fi or 3G/4G connection. In other words, with this app you can access your phone from a PC and then copy files from and onto your smartphone, send text messages, install or uninstall apps, view photos, music, video files, and much more.
A powerful yet completely hidden feature is easy to use once you find it.
Those of us who have been using Android for many months and years may take it for granted, but the ability to copy and paste text on our phones isn't the most discoverable feature in the OS. Android has steadily marched away from "hidden" features behind long-press actions since Ice Cream Sandwich was released, but copy & paste is one of the last big features holding on.
Adding to some of the confusion are different apps and manufacturer software customizations that handle copy & paste differently, which certainly isn't helping new users. Hang tight after the break where we quickly break down using one of the more useful features of your Android phone or tablet.
Although there are some small differences in implementation, the general process of using copy & paste is quite simple. Find the block of text that you'd like to copy, and do a long press on it. A menu will pop down from the top of the screen and you'll see small tabs and a highlight on the selected text appear as well. Drag the tabs to select the desired text you wish to copy, and look up to that new menu.
In the top bar, from left to right are options to select all text, copy selected text, share the selected text and perform a Google search on the selected text. The buttons aren't the most intuitive, but once you're used to what they do this copy & paste menu becomes quite useful. When you want to paste the text you copied, simply do another long press in a text field and select the "paste" option that pops up.
As we noted before, many of us are already pros with copy & paste and other basic functions on Android, but remember that many of us are also new to the platform. Use this opportunity (and guide) to show someone you know how to better take advantage of the copy & paste functions on their own Android, and they'll be on their way to power user status in no time.
I've seen it before with a number of devices; Android tablets starting to bog down to the point of not being responsive at all. What do you do? Is it time to reset that tablet to factory defaults? Probably not. Instead of scrapping the current state of your tablet, try these four quick tips to regain control of your wayward Android tablet.
Since every Android tablet is not created equally, some of these tips will either not work or their steps might vary. I'll be demonstrating on a Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy Note with Android version 4.1.2. Let's begin with the most obvious tip and work our way down.
1. Restart
Sometimes, a restart is the fastest means of getting your tablet resources back. Of course, this is also (depending upon your device) the slowest method. Plus, if you're in the middle of working on a file or cloud resource, you could lose your work. However, if it's the only route to success, it must be done.
To restart your tablet, follow these steps:
Press and hold the power button
When prompted, tap Restart
Tap OK when prompted
Allow the device to restart
I would never say this is the best method of getting your resources back -- or controlling a wayward application. For that, I would use the built-in task manager. Let's now work through using that tool to manage your running tasks.
2. Task manager
Although you might not be currently using an app, said application could still be residing in your tablet's memory. Fortunately, task managers are always at the ready to help you close apps that currently reside in memory. Android has a very handy built-in Task manager that's quick to access and easy to use. It also attempts to close applications that haven't been used in a while. Most of the time, it does a good job -- but sometimes, an application will prove too stubborn for the Task manager to close. When that happens, it's time to go manual mode on that rogue app.
To access the Task manager, tap the multi-task button on the device panel (third from the left on Samsung Galaxy tablets). From the running app list, you can tap Close all (to close all running applications) or Task manager (to open the task manager tool).
Once you have the Task manager open (Figure A), you can tap End all (to close all running applications) or the End button associated with a particular application.
Figure A
The Task manager on a Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy Note tablet.
Be aware that the more applications you have in memory, the less memory will be available -- at least until either the Task manager starts closing some apps or you do it manually.
3. Watchdog
If the built-in Task manager doesn't seem to be catching rogue apps, there's a third-party application that does a great job of doing just that. The application is called Watchdog. This application monitors running apps so you can easily see if any have gotten out of hand and are eating up your CPU. There is a free version called Watchdog Task Manager Lite and a full version that costs $3.49 (USD) called Watchdog Task Manager. The paid app removes advertisements and includes a blacklist, which allows you to choose an app, assign a CPU threshold to it, and have Watchdog automatically kill the app should it exceed the set threshold.
The free version gives you quick access to what apps are using the CPU (and how much of the CPU they are using, as shown in Figure B).
Figure B
The Watchdog CPU listing shows a pretty smoothly running system.
What isn't obvious about Watchdog is that from the CPU listing, you can kill, Whitelist, or launch an application. To do that, tap on the app listing and slide it to the right. A new popup will appear (Figure C) that allows you to take those actions.
Figure C
How to act on a running application in Watchdog.
The Watchdog Alerts tab will show any application that is misbehaving. If anything pops up in this window, be sure to kill it (from the CPU tab).
4. Read reviews
Finally, I would like to say this: The Google Play Store doesn't have the Big Brother-like vetting system that the Apple App Store enjoys. Because of this, questionable apps can make their way into the Play Store -- and then onto your device. Make sure you read reviews of apps before you install them. Many times, when an app is questionable, it will be mentioned by at least one reviewer. If you see mention of malware in a review, avoid that app completely.
The Android platform makes for a smooth running tablet experience. There are times, however, when you'll need to know what to do should an app go rogue. Whether you use the built-in Task manager, a third-party tool, or simply reboot your device, it's pretty easy to get control of your apps and speed up the processing power of your Android tablet.
In Depth Get the most out of your new Android phone or tablet with these tips
Give your android device added beans with these hints and tips
Jelly Bean may not be the same huge leap forward as Ice Cream Sandwich, but it still brings a lot of new features and functionality to the operating system.
Many
of these are improvements to the smoothness of rendering on the device -
it even briefly boosts the CPU when the screen's turned on to make
things super slick and speedy. Google dubs these little performance and
software improvements as being "buttery", assumedly referring to some
nice spreadable Lurpak rather than a solidified hunk of congealed milk.
The other big addition here is Google Now.
This adds personalised recommendations and information based on your
browsing history. Some people love its perceptive usefulness, others
hate its pervy, intrusive nature.
One thing's for sure though: the Siri-like voice search feature is awesome.
You might also like...Top 160 best Android apps 2012
As
ever, these tips are based on the vanilla installation of Android, so
your mileage may vary depending on how many layers of extra "features"
have been added by your phone or tablet's manufacturer.
1. Say "Google" to search
If
you're in America, you can open Google Now and say "Google" followed by
your query to search the net. If you're not in America, you can trick
Android into thinking you are. Open the settings on your device, choose
"Language and input", then switch Google Voice Typing's language from
"Automatic" to "English (US)". Next go to Google Now's settings and
again change the language to "English (US)". You should see "Search or
say Google" in Now's search bar. Faking an American accent: optional.
2. Now settings
You
can open now in two ways - either swipe up from the Home icon, or swipe
the lock icon up when the screen is locked. When you first start it,
Now will run through the basics of what it does, and even show you some
example cards. In Now's settings, you'll find each card has its own
notifications settings, which apply to both the Now homescreen and the
Notification shade. Standard means that new cards are accompanied by a
ringtone and vibration, Low priority places them at the bottom of the
list without any notification, and off, well, turns them off altogether.
3. Talk to Google Now
Google
Now also includes Siri-like functionality, supplying spoken answers to
your inane questions. Try things like, "what time is it in Kuala
Lumpur?", "when's Tom Cruise's birthday I want to send him a card?",
"how do I get home?" or "will it be sunny tomorrow?" and Now will speak
the answer back at you or search the web for relevant pages.
4. Get more Google Now cards
Google
Now presents relevant information such as weather and places on
"cards". To begin with it may be a little sparse, but searching the web
from any device will give you more. Just make sure your web history is
enabled: visit history.google.com, hit the settings cog and ensure that
Web History is on and not paused. Next, search Google for favourite
football teams, planned flights and destinations and the relevant cards
will pop up automatically.
5. Notification Shade
We
previously referred to it as the "pully-down menu thing", but
apparently it's officially called the "Notification Shade". Niftily,
certain notifications in the shade can be expanded by sliding two
fingers outwards on them, giving you an overview of the subject headers
in your email inbox, for example. Moving two fingers inwards on a
notification neatly contracts them, too.
6. Rotation lock
You're
sitting on a plane watching a vid in horizontal orientation. Suddenly,
the plane banks sharply to the left and - oh no! - the video changes
orientation. This worst-case-scenario can be avoided by tapping the
rotation lock in the Notification Shade, which keeps the screen in its
current orientation. Tap it again to unlock the rotation.
7. Turn notifications off
Install
enough apps and the notification bar at the top of your Android device
becomes the digital equivalent of an unending stream of ticker tape. In
fact, Airpush is an entire advertising company that makes money in this
way. Fortunately, each and every app you install in Jelly Bean has the
option to turn this off. Go to its info page under Apps, uncheck the box
labelled "Show notifications" and enjoy your empty notifications bar.
8. Equalise your music
The
ability to adjust those all-important bass and treble settings has been
sorely missed on Android devices - so much so that a bunch of apps have
been made to enable it. It's fixed in Android's stock music player,
though. Open a music file in the stock player, hit Settings then choose
Equaliser. Here you'll find manual sliders, a load of presets and bass
and 3D effects. Unfortunately it doesn't work for the whole device, but
it will give your tunes a little more oomph.
9. Rearrange your home screens
Long-press
on any icon or widget on your homescreen and you can move it around,
and other icons and widgets will shift out of the way to fit it in.
Bigger widgets can also be resized by long-pressing and releasing them,
and then dragging the circles that appear on the edges. It's actually
quite fun and satisfying. We just spent three hours doing nothing but
this.
10. Fling to remove
Homescreen
app clutter (surely the worst of all types of clutter) can be quickly
and easily defeated. Long-press an icon or widget, then fling it upwards
and it'll ascend into shortcut heaven. This won't uninstall the app,
though - it'll still reside in your app drawer.
11. Owner info
Wait!
Put down that blunt rock you were about to use to chisel your contact
details into the back of your Android device! Jelly Bean includes the
ability to display a few lines of contact details on the lock screen,
such as your email address, name and phone number. You'll need to enable
a screen lock from Security, and then you'll see the Owner info option
appear. This information is mirrored across all Jelly Bean devices, too.
12. Access App info
The
all-important App info screen - which allows you to uninstall, stop and
disable apps - can be accessed in a completely new way with Jelly Bean.
Pull down the notification shade, long-press on an open task and you'll
be taken straight to the settings page for the relevant app. It's handy
if you don't know which app displayed the notification.
13. Volume controls
You
can now set the volume for all the noisiest bits of your Android device
individually. Press the volume up or down key and you'll the familiar
little slider with a settings icon to the right of this. Tap this and
you'll see separate sliders for media, and notifications and ringtones.
Bonus tip: each of these sliders can be, er, slid, with your finger.
14. Talkback
Designed
for blind and low-vision users, Talkback provides an ongoing narration
of what's displayed on your phone or tablet. You can turn it on via
Accessibility, and then you'll be taken through a tutorial of its
functions. It's a very different way of navigating your device, and
quite interesting to experience. It also supports braille input and
output devices via USB and Bluetooth.
15. Blink to unlock
While
face unlock is smart and quick, more paranoid users may worry that a
ne'er-do-weller could somehow steal an image of their face - or their
actual face - and use it to access the device. Android's Liveness check
requires the user to blink before the device is unlocked, preventing
access if a quick eye-shut isn't detected.
16. Offline speech-to-text
Being
able to dictate long and rambling texts to loved ones is quite an old
Android feature, but it's just got a whole lot better with an offline
mode. Go to Google voice typing settings under Language & input and
choose Download offline speech recognition. Now you'll be able to
dictate that great novel without being distracted by Reddit.
17. Beam it across
Android
Beam works with near-field communication (NFC) to enable fast data
exchange between two devices. You'll need to make sure it's enabled
first - you'll find it under Wireless & networks. You'll also need
to know where the NFC area is on your device. This isn't a problem for
phones, but it can be just about anywhere on the back of a ludicrously
large tablet, so do a quick Google to find out where it is.
18. Simple secure pairing
Simple
secure pairing works alongside NFC to provide a quick and easy way to
connect Bluetooth accessories such as headsets, speakers and keyboards.
You don't actually need to do anything other than activate NFC to use
it, but make sure whatever you're pairing with is Simple secure
pairing-compatible.
19. Calendar notifications
Any
events you've been invited to via Google Calendar will show up in the
notifications blind. From here you can expand it and quickly send a
pre-defined response (Such as "I'll be there in 10 minutes") or type
your own. Quick responses can be edited from within the General settings
of the Calendar app itself. Perfect for you social butterflies.
20. Gallery views
Android
snappers will love its new gallery features. Pinch on photos to zoom
out into a filmstrip mode, where all your pics are displayed
side-by-side. Swipe left and right to browse all your snaps quickly, and
slide up and down on individual images to delete them. The gallery then
gives you just enough time to realise you've canned the wrong thing and
undo your delete.
21. Wi-Fi savings
It's
all too easy to run up costs when you're on public or mobile WiFi.
Tethering a tablet to a phone can suck a surprising amount of data, and
public WiFi, such as that found in hotels, sometimes have ridiculously
strict usage policies. In Jelly Bean's Data usage settings you'll find
the option to designate certain WiFi networks as Mobile hotspots, which
stops background apps accessing data and could save you lots of cash. If
there's another Jelly Bean device on the same network it'll pick up its
Mobile hotspot settings, too.
22. Try the stock keyboard
The
Swiftkey keyboard is enormously popular among Android users, and for
good reason: it monitors your typing and grammatical style uses this to
predict words. Jelly Bean's keyboard now offers the same functionality,
using bigram prediction and correction to complete words and sentences.
We've found it to be every bit as good as Swiftkey, and even slightly
faster and slicker.
23. Reboot to safe mode
Ah
safe mode, the saviour of so many Windows PCs. Thanks to the sheer
amount of dodgy apps on the Play Store it's on Android now, too.
Long-press the power button, then long-press the Power off option.
Choose OK to reboot in safe mode, which completely disables all
third-party apps on your device. Then hunt down and destroy that
nefarious bit of software..
24. Reset app preferences
Android
gives you loads of different options for each installed app, and on the
whole this is a very good thing. Sometimes it can be a bad thing,
though: you may find your phone playing up because a crucial app has
been disabled, or you've changed the notifications for something
important like emails. In the apps drawer, you'll find Reset app
preferences under the settings. This resets all your apps on a global
level, returning actions and data settings to their original levels.
25. Add emojis
"Emojis"
are the Japanese version of emoticons, and like most things from Japan
they're much better and cooler than their western counterparts. You can
enable emoji support for the default Jelly Bean keyboard by choosing
Language & input in the settings app, then going to the settings for
the stock Android keyboard. Here, choose Add-on dictionaries and select
Emoji for English words. When you next type certain words (there's a complete list here) you'll see its symbol appear in the predictions bar. It's like Wingdings never died.
