Database Users

Disable 3G on Incredible

My buddy just bought the Incredible today and I'm wondering how he can turn off 3G? I've always been Winmo and am unfamiliar with Android. Thanks

Why would you want to do that? You should have 3G all the damn time, Ive yet to drop 3G within the 20 square miles i drove today.
Battery Life? Compared to my Nexus (so far) the incredible is better because its not trying to force back and forth from 3G and Edge 99% of the day....Savor It!

thats all well and good, but some of us would like to disable 3g on occasion to ensure we get longer life, i've yet to find the option in the system settings, anyone know where it might be hidden.

Hold down the power button. Its the last option on the list "Mobile Network". It works as a toggle.

deekjx said:
Hold down the power button. Its the last option on the list "Mobile Network". It works as a toggle.
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cheers, its kind of a solution (ie: turns off all data connections except wifi instead of just using edge).

deekjx said:
Hold down the power button. Its the last option on the list "Mobile Network". It works as a toggle.
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Click to collapse
this will turn off all the internet for it, TC is your friend trying to turn off 3g and just have it use 1x to save battery? or turn off all internet on the phone?

Yeah I figured out how to disable all data connections in Settings, but in my experience, whenever I turn off 3g I've had waaaayyyy better battery life. I am on ATT though...so it IS constantly going from 3G to Edge. I don't know if he'll be able to keep a 3G connection constantly, but I'm still wondering if turning it off will help.

arcteryxbird said:
Yeah I figured out how to disable all data connections in Settings, but in my experience, whenever I turn off 3g I've had waaaayyyy better battery life. I am on ATT though...so it IS constantly going from 3G to Edge. I don't know if he'll be able to keep a 3G connection constantly, but I'm still wondering if turning it off will help.
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i was about to post the info but it got realy long so i made new post on it so its easier to find
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=690682
- short version
- turn off 3G
phone screen > ##778 > "000000" > modem settings >
preferred mode- should be on auto as default, switch it to cdma only
menu > commit settings > (auto reboots)
poof 1x only mode!!!
--- also if this is just for battery life, biggest hits are
screen brightness, timeout
gps!,bluetooth,wifi(wifi can help battery in low 3g coverage but dont leave it one when your away)
email pulling ( gmail app with push is much more energy friendly if you can use just it and not the standardized mail program at all
other programs that do constant updating
Edit: oh and vibration uses more energy then audio and can be turned off, also haptic vibrate on selections and notification the have audio and vibrate

Has anyone proved that Using 3G wastes more power, I would think that the slower transfer speeds require more info transfered from your phone to download the information requested, and longer uptime waiting to view a webpage.
Why spend money on such a nice phone to browse with slow speeds.

Lino. said:
Has anyone proved that Using 3G wastes more power, I would think that the slower transfer speeds require more info transfered from your phone to download the information requested, and longer uptime waiting to view a webpage.
Why spend money on such a nice phone to browse with slow speeds.
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hey i'm not saying i'm planning to use it myself, with the exception of when i go to gamble at the casino cause they have awful data interference
if your streaming videos or large file transfers the cell radio would actively broadcast for much longer time and would use more power going to youtube on it all day, but sometimes you know your gonna be away from a charger or just have to be on the run for while and while the phone has great data features sometimes you need the phone to be a phone and know that its reliable and their when you need it
of course it will have breakpoint where smaller data transfers will be more efficient, the largest benefit will be noticed when the phone is in your pocket maintaining its connection with cell towers
this will allow you to still receive emails in real time but give your phone radio less work to do

runkittyrun said:
i was about to post the info but it got realy long so i made new post on it so its easier to find
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=690682
- short version
- turn off 3G
phone screen > ##778 > "000000" > modem settings >
preferred mode- should be on auto as default, switch it to cdma only
menu > commit settings > (auto reboots)
poof 1x only mode!!!
--- also if this is just for battery life, biggest hits are
screen brightness, timeout
gps!,bluetooth,wifi(wifi can help battery in low 3g coverage but dont leave it one when your away)
email pulling ( gmail app with push is much more energy friendly if you can use just it and not the standardized mail program at all
other programs that do constant updating
Edit: oh and vibration uses more energy then audio and can be turned off, also haptic vibrate on selections and notification the have audio and vibrate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does all this even mean?

[Q] APNDroid on the Vibrant?

Hey all, I've been trying to use Tasker and APNDroid to shut off my data connection while I'm at work, but APNDroid won't deactivate my 3G/EDGE service. I've read that other Vibrant users are having the same issue. Can anyone tell me if this is being worked on (or if there's a workaround)? For the record -- I'm running stock 2.1 with lag fix. Thanks for the assist.

have you tried 3g watchdog? it has a setting where you can turn off your data connection after certain % has been reached. if those dont work for you (other apps) you could always just change your 3g watchdog settings to lower % to block data when you want it to.

I've actually got 3G Watchdog already installed, and I like it great. My issue has less to do with limiting my data usage -- since getting my Vibrant, I've only used a few hundred megs of data -- than turning off my 3G/EDGE antennae to save battery.
This is definitely possible with Tasker and APNDroid (and an alternative app, APN On/Off), at least with other devices. But a lot of users report that APNDroid simply doesn't deactivate data services like it's supposed to on the Vibrant.

APNdroid is working perfectly on my Vibrant, been using it since the first day I got the phone. Note that I never toggle 3G on and off, I have it permanently off. I've heard of some issues regarding 3G access not being restored fully/shut down fully when toggling the switch. If it's not working for you, I would suggest restarting the phone after toggling to make sure it takes effect.

Looking to disable radio...

I recently purchased a used Droid x for the strict purpose of using as a dash cam for my car. I don't have Verizon and I skipped activation. I need GPS access all the time and wifi access intermittently but I have no use for the cellular radio. Airplane mode is of no help since it disables GPS. I want to get maximum battery life, how do I go about permanently disabling wlan since I'm using this device as a computer and not as a phone. I am running stock 2.3.5 rooted.
Methods tried:
*#*#INFO#*#* (Worked, temporary)
Network by Philipp Mangelow (Worked, temporary)
WiFi Only Script (Does not work at all)

Since I'm running CM7, the path to "enable data" will be different.
But, menu\settings and then look for "enable data" or something to that effect and uncheck it.
Let me know how it goes.

Sorry, menu/settings then network or data then uncheck "enable data".

Yes but will disabling data really stop the phone from trying to connect to the best tower? If a verizon tower can't be located will the phone burn battery life while roaming? When I think data I think 3g. I'm pretty sure it still connects for voice.

in
sub2k1 said:
Yes but will disabling data really stop the phone from trying to connect to the best tower? If a verizon tower can't be located will the phone burn battery life while roaming? When I think data I think 3g. I'm pretty sure it still connects for voice.
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Yes, data is the 3G data. I keep my data turned off and my Droid X lasts 24 hrs. It will be less with GPS on, of course.
What your trying to do is the correct thing.

booda3000 said:
Yes, data is the 3G data. I keep my data turned off and my Droid X lasts 24 hrs. It will be less with GPS on, of course.
What your trying to do is the correct thing.
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Disabling data certainly gives a battery boost but at the end of the day I am still connecting to the cellular towers. With data disabled I see the signal going up and down. I tried a script that I found but it doesn't work for the droid x. I've tried freezing Dialer and Phone 2.3.5 using titanium backup but that doesn't disable the radio either. I downloaded a program called Network (by Philipp Mangelow) and it lets me successfully turn off the radio (it simply is a shortcut to dialing *#*#INFO#*#*), however this method is only temporary and the radio comes back everytime I reboot so I'd like a permanent way to disable it. Airplane mode does it but it also disables wifi and gps so its of no use. Any other ideas guys?

Root phone and install droid wall

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1646210

Massively increased battery duration

I'm guessing a lot of people on here know this already but I recently discovered how to massively increase my Moto X's battery duration. Namely by switching off Mobile Data, I can then go a full 14 hours only dropping down to around 75% by the end. So now as soon as I get into work or any place where I'm on Wifi I switch off mobile data.
Makes me wonder why having mobile data switched on is expending so much battery power?

If you wanna increase that even further, just turn the whole thing off. The battery will last for weeks.

teh_lorax said:
If you wanna increase that even further, just turn the whole thing off. The battery will last for weeks.
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He actually has a point, there's no point on being sarcastic over a good advice that should be logical by now.

rogeriorp said:
He actually has a point, there's no point on being sarcastic over a good advice that should be logical by now.
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Yes, turning off (necessary) features saves battery. This is not shocking.

teh_lorax said:
Yes, turning off (necessary) features saves battery. This is not shocking.
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It is not shocking but somehow people tend to forget the basics. And it is also unnecessary while on wifi, which is the case and the advice he spoke of.
And I'd go even further and set 3G only with wifi, lollipop tends to switch from wifi to LTE by itself very often.

I've heard of people suggesting switching off wifi when your not using it, but never mobile data. So i just thought it might be a suggestion some people might appreciate. Take it or leave it.
Plus wifi is doing the exact same funtion as mobile data when your connected to it, so your not losing any functionality.
If your rooted you can even get Tasker to do the switch automatically.

This actually doesn't work. The data radio goes I to sleep mode when WiFi is on. Its not just doing its own thing while wood is on.

Definitely working on WiFi enhances battery life enormously but didn't try switching off mobile data

Zammo76 said:
I'm guessing a lot of people on here know this already but I recently discovered how to massively increase my Moto X's battery duration. Namely by switching off Mobile Data, I can then go a full 14 hours only dropping down to around 75% by the end. So now as soon as I get into work or any place where I'm on Wifi I switch off mobile data.
Makes me wonder why having mobile data switched on is expending so much battery power?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is this possible? When your wifi radio is connected, the data side is completely disconnected. This is even reported in your 'status'.

I see your point, but all I know is that it definitely is making a large difference for me.
One theory I attributed it with was that with Wifi and Mobile Data switched on the phone is getting a lot more Wake Locks (perhaps doubling up), which in turn could also possibly be preventing the phone going into a Deep Sleep. But as the Wakelock detector app doesn't work any more (unless your rooted), I can't verify this.

Gonna test this out!

The issue with turning off mobile data is that it will cause problems with sending and receiving MMS, you may also have problems with SMS as well.
My HTC Sensation was really good at basically putting the radio to sleep when on Wifi and only waking when needing to send or receive data that will only work over the cell network.

Zammo76 said:
I'm guessing a lot of people on here know this already but I recently discovered how to massively increase my Moto X's battery duration. Namely by switching off Mobile Data, I can then go a full 14 hours only dropping down to around 75% by the end. So now as soon as I get into work or any place where I'm on Wifi I switch off mobile data.
Makes me wonder why having mobile data switched on is expending so much battery power?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't disable mobile data, but I do use tasker to switch to 3G when I'm connected to wifi. The LTE radio uses a lot more battery in poor signal areas (like my apartment) and I have noticed it helps me go from about 3 hours of screen time to 4.5. I think the MMS issues are a good point and I feel like this solution is slightly more elegant because even with mobile data disabled, the phone is still holding an LTE signal. Ymmv, obviously

mrapp said:
I don't disable mobile data, but I do use tasker to switch to 3G when I'm connected to wifi. The LTE radio uses a lot more battery in poor signal areas (like my apartment) and I have noticed it helps me go from about 3 hours of screen time to 4.5. I think the MMS issues are a good point and I feel like this solution is slightly more elegant because even with mobile data disabled, the phone is still holding an LTE signal. Ymmv, obviously
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Click to collapse
Hi can you explain whats the settings on tasker to do such a thing? Ive never used it but I have heard good things and just bought the app!

unk3 said:
Hi can you explain whats the settings on tasker to do such a thing? Ive never used it but I have heard good things and just bought the app!
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Click to collapse
First you'll need root and this plugin (make sure to enable external access in the plugin app)
Basically, create a profile that runs whenever you connect to a network (you can leave it blank for all networks or press the search button to choose just your home network).
The entry task would basically wait 10 seconds and then run the plugin choosing wcdma/gsm (auto) as the network mode. Choose then to add an exit task which simply recalls the plugin and chooses the network mode as LTE, wcdma, gsm. You can even add an extra step to each task at the end which has tasker display a toast that you can have say LTE enabled or 3g mode only

BrokenWall said:
The issue with turning off mobile data is that it will cause problems with sending and receiving MMS, you may also have problems with SMS as well.
My HTC Sensation was really good at basically putting the radio to sleep when on Wifi and only waking when needing to send or receive data that will only work over the cell network.
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Click to collapse
SMS/MMS are sent via voice channels, not data.

floepie said:
SMS/MMS are sent via voice channels, not data.
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SMS is sent over Voice channels. MMS still requires data.
I double checked and tested this on my Pure Edition on T-Mobile.
Disabled Wifi and Cellular Data
Sent a standard text message, it was received by the other party. Attempted to send a photo message, it was not able to send from my phone as well as the other party did not receive it. Though it did resend when data was enabled.

Tasker can't turn off mobile data since Lollipop update....
Any sugestions?

BrokenWall said:
SMS is sent over Voice channels. MMS still requires data.
I double checked and tested this on my Pure Edition on T-Mobile.
Disabled Wifi and Cellular Data
Sent a standard text message, it was received by the other party. Attempted to send a photo message, it was not able to send from my phone as well as the other party did not receive it. Though it did resend when data was enabled.
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Click to collapse
No one sends MMS messages now (apart from old people), since the advent of Whats app and the like, so its hardly a deal breaker.

Zammo76 said:
No one sends MMS messages now (apart from old people), since the advent of Whats app and the like, so its hardly a deal breaker.
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Troll alert

Mobile data not going inactive when wi-fi connects?

So when I first got my V20 (VS996), when wifi was connected the mobile data went inactive- at least I'm presuming so, the '4G' was grayed out, not crossed out, and when there's simply no 4G signal it entirely disappears (or drops to 3G etc). But now it ALMOST never does this anymore... every once in a while it will, but there's nothing specific about times it does.
I'm pretty sure that's what it's supposed to be doing, as there's even an option 'Cellular data always active - Always keep mobile data active, even when Wi-Fi is active [...]' (not enabled). I've searched high and low for a setting that could be causing it not to work right, and information about this, but have come up dry. Is anyone familiar with this? Really didn't want to have to reset and track it that way.
Thanks.

Bad WiFi signal bro. Disable your gsm data and see if you can still watch YouTube.
Sent from my LG-H990 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

fafalone said:
So when I first got my V20 (VS996), when wifi was connected the mobile data went inactive- at least I'm presuming so, the '4G' was grayed out, not crossed out, and when there's simply no 4G signal it entirely disappears (or drops to 3G etc). But now it ALMOST never does this anymore... every once in a while it will, but there's nothing specific about times it does.
I'm pretty sure that's what it's supposed to be doing, as there's even an option 'Cellular data always active - Always keep mobile data active, even when Wi-Fi is active [...]' (not enabled). I've searched high and low for a setting that could be causing it not to work right, and information about this, but have come up dry. Is anyone familiar with this? Really didn't want to have to reset and track it that way.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
developer options
keep mobile data always on
as well as agressive wifi to cellular handoff
as well as under advanced for wifi, you can tell it to switch more agressively off wifi under poor conditions etc

somemadcaaant said:
Bad WiFi signal bro. Disable your gsm data and see if you can still watch YouTube.
Sent from my LG-H990 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
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Click to collapse
Bad WiFi doesn't seem to be the issue. It's showing max strength and is 2 feet away from the wireless router under my desk, and the issue still persists. (yes, youtube plays fine in HD)
Team DevDigitel said:
developer options
keep mobile data always on
as well as agressive wifi to cellular handoff
as well as under advanced for wifi, you can tell it to switch more agressively off wifi under poor conditions etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm trying to get it to turn mobile data off, not hand off to it even easier. Are you saying that these options will make it disable mobile data when wifi is good, when it's not even doing that without them? Tried that just in case, it's still not deactivating mobile data (still at my desk, wifi router for 100mbps symmetric fiber showing full strength 2' away, so unlikely bad signal)
Edit: I may have found the issue. It appears one of the Verizon apps was forcing the cell connection to stay alive. I tried killing a bunch of the ones I wasn't using after recalling how their voicemail app only runs over cellular, and now mobile data is deactivated. I'll need more trial and error to confirm which one was doing it.. I killed 4 of them.. and it stayed off after re-launch so was clearly some kind of bug. Although it's odd as it did persist through reboots.
Edit: Confirmed; it's the 'Caller Name ID' app. Ending that single process restores the normal mobile data deactivation when wi-fi is good.

So another cause of this problem has popped up. After a reboot, 4G was becoming active after 15-30 minutes despite not touching the phone at all since the reboot, and there were no apps that could be killed to get it to switch off this time. But after a lot of trial and error, the cause was finally isolated: The My Verizon data meter widget. Once it refreshes, it forces cellular data to stay on, even when Wi-Fi is connected and strong. Once the widget was removed from the home screen, 4G never came back on while using WiFi.
Is there any way to disallow an app from using 4G but still allow it to use WiFi? I really would like a better solution than just not being able to use the widget. It would be fine if it just connected, got its update, then disconnected... but no, it's on permanently after a refresh.