Study Debunks Myth That Preloaded Apps Eat Up Battery Life

A Purdue University based software startup company has released a study that concludes preinstalled apps on smartphone devices do not use more energy than apps installed by a user, dispelling a consumer myth.

Y. Charlie Hu is CEO of Mobile Enerlytics, an Indiana-based technology company with the mission of developing technologies that extend smartphone battery life by enabling energy-centric mobile app design. The company’s recent research study showed that preinstalled apps require the same or similar amount of power as apps with similar functionality available at app stores. Hu, a professor in Purdue University's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, analyzed data from more than 70,000 smartphone devices in January.

Hu used the Mobile Enerlytics’ eStar energy saver app to conduct the research, which provided the energy profile information for apps analyzed in the study. Hu compared several data points between preinstalled apps - by three of the most popular Android phone vendors, Samsung, HTC and Motorola, and by two carriers, AT&T and Verizon -  and user-installed apps. The data included the average number of apps on a device, their average daily use, how much power they drained when used and how much power they drained when they weren't used.

Hu discovered the power being used by preinstalled apps in the foreground and the background was similar to user-installed apps. He found that sometimes preinstalled apps from device manufacturers such as Samsung and carriers such as AT&T and Verizon drain less energy than similar ones installed by users, and sometimes they drain more. Based on the data, there was no indication that one type is always more power hungry than the other.

Mobile Enerlytics is an Indiana-based technology company with the mission of developing technologies that extend smartphone battery life by enabling energy-centric mobile app design. The company develops software that empowers smartphone users with access to energy-efficient apps and empowers app developers to pinpoint energy bottlenecks of mobile apps and to reduce their energy footprint.

The company’s eStar app allows users to learn how fast mobile apps in app stores drain their smartphone batteries. The app also warns the user about apps that drain an excessive amount of the battery and estimates how much battery life a smartphone user could save by stopping the apps. It also recommends a list of similar apps in the app market that are more energy efficient.