Strava phone charge

This topic has 30 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 5 months ago by kwarkentien.

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December 31, 2015 at 12:07 am #917711

wheelswings
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Pardon my ignorance, but I have a question about how to maintain enough power in an i-phone to keep Strava running.
I recently acquired a used i-phone (my first…an old 4s), and last night I set up my very first App, which is Strava. I’m super-excited to be graduating from the Manual Entry Club in time for FS 2016! But I can already see that I will have a problem using Strava for longer rides ‘cause my power is draining so quickly. And I’m sensing that the power issue is uneven… in some locations like Bailey’s Crossroads it seems to be sucking energy faster than in others (maybe that is in my imagination. This is only my first day…).
Is there a battery pack or equivalent I can keep attached to my phone for the longer rides or the places where I seem to lose power most quickly?
Specific recommendations gratefully accepted. No information is too dumb or too basic…
Thanks! w&w
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December 31, 2015 at 12:26 am #1043680

DismalScientist
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Put the phone in airplane mode (which turns off mobile data and WiFi connections and searching). Strava only talks to the outside world when uploading. Airplane mode also means you can’t receive incoming calls. To make outgoing calls, you will have to temporarily turn off airplane mode. Or you could directly turn off WiFi and Mobile Data.

Keep the phone in standby mode by turning off the screen. The display uses a lot of power.

If you need more power you can buy an extra external battery (often called an external charger) for $5 at Target or other places that that sell car chargers over the counter. I’ve gotten a little over 100 miles on a single battery with these tactics.

December 31, 2015 at 12:42 am #1043682

cvcalhoun
Participant

@DismalScientist 130617 wrote:

Put the phone in airplane mode (which turns off mobile data and WiFi connections and searching). Strava only talks to the outside world when uploading. Airplane mode also means you can’t receive incoming calls. To make outgoing calls, you will have to temporarily turn off airplane mode. Or you could directly turn off WiFi and Mobile Data.

Keep the phone in standby mode by turning off the screen. The display uses a lot of power.

If you need more power you can buy an extra external battery (often called an external charger) for $5 at Target or other places that that sell car chargers over the counter. I’ve gotten a little over 100 miles on a single battery with these tactics.

Doesn’t Strava need GPS data? I would agree you can turn off wireless, mobile data, etc. And turning off the screen is critical.

Another option: If you have a Garmin, you can upload from that.

December 31, 2015 at 1:12 am #1043684

DismalScientist
Participant

The GPS remains on in airplane mode. Just turn back on your data connection to upload your data when your ride is done.

If you are on an airplane, you can look at Google maps to trace your route in airplane mode.

December 31, 2015 at 1:13 am #1043685

peterw_diy
Participant

You can get a “USB battery” and connect it to the phone with a charging/syncing cable. Something like one of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Description=USB%20battery%20pack&Submit=ENE

December 31, 2015 at 1:19 am #1043686

Steve O
Participant

@DismalScientist 130617 wrote:

If you need more power you can buy an extra external battery (often called an external charger) for $5 at Target or other places that that sell car chargers over the counter. I’ve gotten a little over 100 miles on a single battery with these tactics.

External batteries are cheap and well worth having, not just for power-sucking apps like Strava, but also for those times you forgot to charge.

December 31, 2015 at 1:20 am #1043687

Steve O
Participant

@DismalScientist 130621 wrote:

If you are on an airplane, you can look at Google maps to trace your route in airplane mode.

But your KOMs will get flagged.

December 31, 2015 at 1:30 am #1043688

cvcalhoun
Participant

@DismalScientist 130621 wrote:

The GPS remains on in airplane mode. Just turn back on your data connection to upload your data when your ride is done.

If you are on an airplane, you can look at Google maps to trace your route in airplane mode.

Apparently, airplane mode turns off GPS on some devices but not others. http://www.howtogeek.com/194421/what-does-airplane-mode-do-and-is-it-really-necessary/

December 31, 2015 at 2:45 am #1043693

lordofthemark
Participant

So far I just carry my charger and recharge at the places where I take breaks. That obviously does not work if you take breaks less frequently, or for shorter durations, than I do.

December 31, 2015 at 2:48 am #1043694

vern
Participant

And are you sure about whether the battery in your newly acquired phone is still good, or does it need to be replaced?

December 31, 2015 at 2:50 am #1043695

vvill
Participant

I have a 4S too (also not new). It’s also my first smart phone so I can’t say anything with too much authority, but if you shutdown apps you’re not using (double click the button on the bottom, then click and hold an app icon to show the minus sign, hit minus sign to close it) and even turn off WiFi, Bluetooth, cell service, etc. while you’re riding you may have better luck keeping the battery life up. The times I’ve noticed battery disappearing fastest are when I have spotty cell service.

Not sure about Airplane Mode, but according to this
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204234

“If you have a device with iOS 8.2 or earlier, Airplane Mode will also turn off GPS.”
(I’m on iOS 6 because the 4S is old and I assume will run slower with newer iOS versions, and I don’t use my phone for much. Note: I don’t think you can easily downgrade your OS, because… Apple.)

December 31, 2015 at 2:59 am #1043697

cvcalhoun
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@Steve O 130623 wrote:

External batteries are cheap and well worth having, not just for power-sucking apps like Strava, but also for those times you forgot to charge.

I’ve also found that they are helpful when I’m just going to be out for a long time. If I’m at a movie, for example, I don’t want to leave my phone charging outside the theater, for fear someone would take it. However, I can leave the charging device with the management to get it charged. And leaving a $5 charger out of my sight is a lot less of a risk than leaving my phone there.

December 31, 2015 at 3:37 am #1043704

DismalScientist
Participant

Spotty cell service drains the battery because the phone is constantly searching for towers. If you leave WiFi on, the phone will constantly scan for WiFi signals.

I don’t know about the specifics of airplane mode on iPhones as I use Android devices. Changing old batteries is easier in Android devices.

December 31, 2015 at 3:55 am #1043708
bobco85
Participant
When I had an iPhone 4S (had it for 3 years and 2 months before getting a new phone a few weeks ago, and it still works albeit with decreased battery life), I would have the same issues with rides longer than 5 hours. This is excluding any “I forgot the directions so I need to bring up a map app” which drains the battery even more.

As a former iPhone 4S owner, I have many tips/tricks to keep your battery and Strava rides going:
- Adjust which of your apps use cellular data (Settings -> Cellular -> scroll down to set which apps use cellular data). I would turn the Mail app and many other apps off for long rides as they would occasionally “check for updates/messages/etc.”
- If you take a panorama picture or a movie with the Camera app, Strava may stop running (the iPhone 4S cannot handle both apps running simultaneously); you will have to close the Camera app and start the Strava app; keep this in mind if you stop for a quick pano/movie and start without checking Strava
- Get an external battery. IT WILL TOTALLY SAVE YOUR LIFE IF YOU TRAVEL. I used this one which fits snugly around the iPhone 4S: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004B1H6NS
- For the external battery, don’t plug your iPhone into it until your iPhone’s battery is low
- Turn Wi-fi off; your iPhone will constantly search for signals if it is on
- Memorize your route; having to constantly check Strava for the route (if you made one on the Strava site beforehand) will drain the battery faster
- Don’t take selfies with the front-facing camera; the images are low resolution compared to the rear-facing camera
- When taking photos/movies with your iPhone, you can use the Volume+ button instead of having to tap the screen to help with image stability
- You can take panoramas vertically by turning your iPhone sideways (very useful for tall trees and the Washington Monument)!
December 31, 2015 at 2:37 pm #1043722

Emm
Participant

I echo what others have said. Turn off wifi, get a portable charger ( i use an anker powercore mini charger, its rechargeable, lipstick sized so fits in a jersey pocket, and is $10 on amazon), and look into replacing your battery if needed. My samsung will run strava and pandora non stop for a 75 mile bike ride without dying (and I’m slow, so thats 5 hrs plus a few rest stops), but the portable charger is really helpful for when i forget to charge my phone ahead of time.

December 31, 2015 at 3:31 pm #1043729

mstone
Participant

@DismalScientist 130641 wrote:

Spotty cell service drains the battery because the phone is constantly searching for towers. If you leave WiFi on, the phone will constantly scan for WiFi signals.

I used to put my phone in airplane mode, but I’ve found that just turning off wifi and data gets just about as much benefit. (It doesn’t take much power [relatively] to just listen for cell towers, it’s transmitting that really burns the juice. Mapping apps tend to try to update stuff in real time and that’s what really chews through the battery.) It’s reassuring to be reachable via call/text in an emergency, or be able to make an emergency call without having to fiddle with disabling airplane mode. +1 for external battery packs; I’ve got a tiny one that’s nice for long rides, and a bigger one that’s something like 15k or 20k mAh that can charge my phone from zero at least twice and is great for bike tours.
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