I was just reading an article over on Infotech about how Facebook for BlackBerry may be a huge battery drain on your Blackberry device.
“I downloaded it the very day it was launched. For next week or so, my battery would get drained out within a day, unlike the two days it used to last earlier. Then I figured out that it was due to this app and promptly removed it,” said a user Kunal S.
BlackBerry users are reporting a 10 to 15% increase in battery life after removing Facebook for BlackBerry.
Is it just me or does it make perfect sense that if you install an application that you start using all the time that you may see your power meter dwindle a bit faster than you did before? I just installed Golden Tee on my BlackBerry and I know that my battery drains more quickly. That’s probably due to the 90 minutes or so per day that I find myself playing the game.
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hellno 11.01.07 at 10:06 am
BBWeather is a battery drain too depending on the settings we use. Just like anything else any app’s running, or even running in the background are going to take a toll on battery life. RIM needs to do it’s best to keep (and to keep it’s customers aware) of that delicate balance between necessary app’s and the more social consumer app’s.
Nic 11.01.07 at 12:38 pm
well the way I see it you will get the best battery life by conditioning you battery correctly and then NOT use your BB. Of course when you DO use it you will see battery drain depending on the usage. DUH!
Steve 11.01.07 at 2:50 pm
Facebook and many other programs are battery drains. I don’t see it being isolated to Facebook. Here is the thing. If you use Facebook you simply charge your battery more often. No biggie. I would guess most people would/should be charging their device while they are sleeping anyway. I always believe it is best to start the day with a full charge. Simply because you never know how much you will need to use the device on a given day.
Casey 11.02.07 at 1:54 am
What’s weird, is that my ipod will also drain the battery if I use it a lot, and it doesn’t even have facebook…. C’mon people! it doesn’t matter if its facebook or playing around in your options menu,or google maps.if you spend hours and hours doing anything, its going to drain your battery.
Kara 01.28.08 at 12:54 am
The issue is NOT people using their device more so the battery drains faster as some biting posts suggest…it is that Facebook drains at an inordinately fast rate compared to other apps. People posting duh are simply not taking the time to register the point in their rush to appear clever to themselves.
AR 10.07.08 at 11:13 am
I had this same problem. The weird thing with the Facebook app, though, is that even if you’re not using the application, it will drain your battery really fast. This is different from other apps I have used where you have the ability to shut them down when you’re not using them. For example, I have BeeJive’s instant messenger and you can shut it down and put it into a battery-saving mode when you’re not actively using it. As a result, this application just being on my phone doesn’t seem to use any more battery juice. Facebook does drain the battery at a bizarrely fast rate, even when it’s not in use. I am guessing that this has something to do with the constant updates it receives from the site. I would hope that Facebook or RIM could address this problem and include a battery-saving mode. I installed this app but promptly removed it when I noticed that it was draining my battery really fast!
Ketan 12.31.08 at 11:20 am
Prior to upgrading to Facebook v1.2 on my Blackberry 8330, I had no issues with battery levels. However the day after I installed Facebook v1.2, my battery level was in the “redzone” within 4 hours of unplugging after a 100% charge cycle. I’ve had my Blackberry 8330 for 7 months now, and I’ve never had a battery drain like this. My daily pattern hasn’t changed either, it was a normal day, I woke up, got ready and went to work as usual. So absolutely nothing was different except the new Facebook version. This also happened to another co-worker of mine, so I’m convinced that Facebook v1.2 is a serious battery drain.