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Android battery drain and homescreen ads

There is nothing more frustrating than poor battery life on your phone, except for maybe ads appearing and getting in the way. So when these two things come along at once, you start to think about just getting a new handset and I certainly did. I nearly went as far as to void the warranty on my phone and to replace the battery for a new one. Fortunately I found out the problem was software based before I took it apart or threw it out a window.

I thought it could be the current Android OS conflicting with my handset or Malware picked up from somewhere. Turns out I was really overthinking it and in my case the problem was one thing, an app, more specifically – Premium Wallpapers HD.

Firstly the app seemed to just be causing a real battery drain and I could not see this in my battery usage section on the phone. I was charging my phone sometimes 3 times a day with this app installed and once it was uninstalled I could easily get a full days battery life again with moderate use.

Secondly, Android apps can ask for an overlay permission which allows them to display information over your homescreen, and you guessed it, they kindly decided to use this to display ads.

This just all totally slipped by me as being the problem because the app was running perfectly well for a long time. But it then automatically updated and the new version just caused massive battery drain and contained ads.

You may find that you have the same issue, so try uninstalling your screen loader or wallpaper apps to see if it solves your problems. The moral of the story is … DON’T INSTALL PREMIUM WALLPAPERS HD!

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