∞ Google says multitasking, apps hurt Android's battery life

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Google co-founder Larry Page admitted during a talk at Google’s annual partner forum, Google Zeitgeist, that multitasking and some apps could drain the battery of its Android phone.

Google Android battery indicator

“I have noticed there are a few people who have phones where there is software running in the background that just sort of exhausts the battery quickly,” said Page. “If you are not getting a day, there is something wrong.”

Google CEO Eric Schmidt explained that tuning the phone and figuring out ways to save on using that apps will save battery life. He added, “people bring in applications that are not particularly smart about that.”

Apple has been criticized for the past three years for not including multitasking in its iPhone OS and for its stance on app approvals, but maybe iPhone users have been lucky.

Apple has been working on multitasking and during the roll-out of iPhone OS 4 in April, Apple CEO Steve Jobs admitted that the company wasn’t the first to multitasking game, but they would be the best.

Jobs said that, even though it was tough, Apple figured out a way to implement multitasking that didn’t hurt battery life on the iPhone.

I’m okay with waiting until the technology is fully cooked before using it.



  • Thib

    I'm hoping that this news is going to MUCH BIGGER. There has been such a cacophony of voices from those bashing Apple for not implementing full multitasking on the iPhone. I so want to see them admit them that Google also says multitasking needlessly hurts the phone battery life.

    • Janey

      The Google fanboy crowd will just bury it or blame it on something other than their beloved Android.

  • Perry Clease

    "that multitasking and some apps could drain the battery of its Android phone"

    Going on three years with my iPhone and I really haven't needed multitasking other than what is currently allowed by Apple. It will be nice of course when we finally get it, but it is in my opinion an overrated feature

  • Dean Lewis

    A quick Google search shows the story is on a few tech blogs, mostly nothing I recognize — doesn't mean they don't have a sizable readership, though. Daily Tech and Gizmodo come up. Several are running the headline that Google blames the apps and app developers (as is mentioned in this story by quoting Schmidt on apps that aren't smart about battery life). I haven't read them to see if they mention Apple gets around this by heavily controlling its multitasking rather than opening it willy-nilly and thus getting tons of battery life.

    I don't see the article on CNet yet, nor on news sites like CNN or BBC…

    • erin

      That's because bashing anything Google (who has rainbows & unicorns running around the Googleplex, obviously!) gets negative press while bashing Apple (even if it's total BS) gets loads of pageviews.

      Google is everyone's darling right now cuz they say "Don't be evil" (even though they are) and Apple is the evil guy.

  • Pedant

    Apple users haven't been "lucky" – that implies that its a coincidence, or a surprise.

    Apple users have been the beneficiaries of wisdom on the behalf of the products designers who, despite what the Internet pundits claim, were right.

  • Dev 1

    Not that anyone can discuss the iPhone os 4.0 Beta 4 which was released yesterday but…. If they were to discuss it, It might go something like this.

    Dev 1: "Hey, look at this they seem to have sped up the fast app switcher(multi-tasking) so it is now quicker to get between apps while avoiding that home screen which is cool as well as the fact backround processes from the 'closed/minimised' app now has 10 minutes. I only find it marginally faster than going back to the home screen and really I just like the way the new app flies in while the old app flies out effect. This also doesn't really hurt battery life, I mean I haven't noticed any difference, have you? They also cleaned up mail a bit especially when it comes to threaded conversations, increased stability of the SMS application and Phone app, they also sped up the overal performance while still further refining the app switcher."

    Dev 2: "Yup, the battery doesn't drain any quicker at all, it might just be me but mine seems to drain slower??? If that is possible. Really the only thing the person on the street is going to notice is the multitasking. You have had too much coffee go lay down you're too f&*king chatty."

    Dev 1: "…"

    • mark

      your point being what exactly? That you aren't funny? Or clever? Or smart?