Mountain View, CA - May 18, 2024 – Google’s annual I/O developer conference always brings a slew of exciting announcements, and this year’s event was no exception. Among the reveal of Android 15’s headline features such as Private Space, App Pairs, and enhanced theft detection services, Google also shared some impressive under-the-hood improvements that could significantly enhance user experience. Notably, Android 15 is set to improve standby battery life by up to three hours on some devices.
During a session at Google I/O 2024, Dave Burke, VP of Engineering for the Android Platform, and Sameet Samat, President of the Android Ecosystem, provided insights into how these battery life improvements were achieved. This enhancement, they explained, is largely due to a 50% reduction in the time it takes for devices to enter doze mode — a state where the device conserves power by reducing background activity and delaying tasks until necessary.
“The faster entry into doze mode means that devices will be more efficient at conserving battery life when not in active use,” Burke noted. “This change is a fundamental improvement to Android’s power management system and will benefit all devices that upgrade to Android 15.”
The improved doze mode, introduced in Android 6.0, has been pivotal in managing power consumption by optimizing when and how background tasks are executed. Android 15’s enhancements continue this tradition, making devices smarter about when to conserve energy.
Samat also discussed related improvements in Wear OS, highlighting that the upcoming Wear OS 5 will consume up to 20% less power during intensive activities like marathon runs compared to its predecessor. This was achieved through several optimizations, such as reducing the time it takes for the device’s main applications processor (AP) to return to a low-power state after performing necessary tasks.
“For Wear OS 5, we’ve focused on delaying more background tasks to when the watch is charging rather than running them on the wrist,” Samat explained. This approach helps in conserving battery life during regular usage, ensuring that more power is available when it’s needed most.
“For Android 15, we’ve sped up the time to doze (doze is when we go into a quiesce state) by 50%. So we get into doze 50% faster, and the result is on some devices we tested up to 3 hours longer standby power. And that’s sort of a general improvement in 15 that applies to all devices.” Dave Burke, VP of Engineering for the Android Platform.
While Wear OS 5 is based on Android 14, the improvements to doze mode in Android 15 are expected to extend to Wear OS devices with future updates, likely starting with Wear OS 6. Users can also look forward to a grid-based app launcher and a new privacy dashboard in the upcoming Wear OS 5 update.
Google's updates to power management in Android 15, though small, are making a big difference. They show Google's dedication to improving the user experience with both noticeable and hidden enhancements. As these updates roll out, users can expect longer battery life and more efficient performance across their devices. For a deeper dive into the technical details and future implications, check out the full interview with Dave Burke and Sameet Samat on episode 44 of the Android Faithful podcast.
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