Kill Mobile Network - Droid (turn off i-net , save batt , but receive calls/SMS)

[pushdrops]

There's an option on the Eris which lets you turn off the "Mobile Network" , I can't find this option on the Droid , is it available?

Basically , this allows you to save (major) battery power & yet still receive calls & text messages (Airplane Mode is the closest I can find for the Droid but it kills all connectivity).

On the Eris you can choose to turn off the Mobile Network (Verizon's Internet connection basically) when you long press the End call button (along with the options to go into Silent Mode , Turn Off , Airplane Mode).

There's lots of times when I would like to keep the Droid turned on but do not need Internet access & would love to save (major) battery power by keeping the phone in the "Mobile Network" off mode - like if you are sitting around at work or home and won't be checking mail , the web but would like to be able to receive calls.

This mode keeps my friend's Eris from using hardly any battery power over a few hours (versus at least like 20% used when the network is active , with typical b/g apps pushing / syncing).

Even with all app syncing turned off my Droid uses more battery power than I'd like , so turning off the network would be great (Airplane Mode does save lots of batt on the Droid, I've tested it vs. normal but Airplane Mode is useless w/o the ability to receive calls).

Thanks for any info!

[Adrynalyne]

I don't think the drain is as big as you might think. The display is the largest drain. Anyway, my Blackberry could hold a charge for 2-3 days, and it was never not conencted to the net.

Of course, if you have a bunch of widgets and apps updating all the time, that will kill the battery. Just Gmail,calendar, and contacts, I doubt is causing much of a drain.

[banden]

I was thinking about this thread today and decided to experiment. I found a way to do it through one of the apps on my phone which is a paid app: 'Better Cut.' I imagine it's also do-able through 'Any Cut' which is the free version of this app. It's probably just a matter of time before someone realizes this functionality is not there and makes an app specific for it.

In the meantime with Better Cut (or possibly Any Cut) installed:
Long press on the home screen.
Choose 'Shortcuts'
Choose 'Better Cut' (Or Any Cut if that's the case)
Choose 'Activity'
Select 'Data Call Settings'
Select an Icon, choose a name and select 'Create'

Then open the shortcut and it appears to take you to a menu that might be normally only accessible through some uber secret technician master code of awesome powerfullness.

But yeah... just uncheck 'Data Call Enabled' and that will cut off all data communication.

Hope this helps...

EDIT: Confirmed SMS works too with it disabled.

[z0mbiexx]

nice find.

[pushdrops]

Adrynalyne - now that "banden" has provided us with a way to disable the Mobile Network I'll see if my Droid's batt life is increased just as my wife's Eris is when the Mobile Network is disabled on her phone (again , this would like if the phone is just sitting idle while at home / work , when you wouldn't need access to anything online but want the phone on in case a call or SMS comes thru) . Her Eris' batt lifespan increased quite a bit once I discovered how to turn OFF the Mobile Network.

The reason this may be a big deal to ME - My Droid eats up the battery quite a bit even with App Sync OFF - just "sitting around" all day at my home - but this may be because there's a very WEAK signal at our house. It constantly jumps from 3G (even a full signal but that's deceiving) to 1X - I'm guessing that this is a drain on the battery (the phone trying / moving from both bands in the background all day). If that's the case , then disabling the Mobile Network should help (the same for the Eris , so I know it's not just my Droid that has an issue getting a signal, it's weird though - even though they both don't get a steady 3G signal , each gets a 3G signal temporarily at diff times , guess it's just flaky because of a weak signal).

What really bites is that we had Sprint - the signal was very weak - (dumb-phone , one bar) ; I also have an iPhone 3gs (for work ) and it can only pickup the Edge network here at home ; so I figured when we recently went with Verizon that I'd get a decent signal but no! Just a block away and signals for all three providers - 3G at full ! So it's like we are in a direct dead spot (even out in the yard the signals are low , walk down the street ... it's fine) .

Thanks BANDEN for the info , very much appreciated (I bet it will help me save my batt just as with the Eris , with the fluctuating signal). The Any Cut app is also pretty cool (that combined with Folders - I now have a "tidy" setup , something I can't say for the work iPhone).

(note: you can see this setting automatically kick on / off when enabling / disabling WiFi <since WiFi kills the Mobile Network> , when I 1st tried it I saw that it was already Un-Checked so I was "shocked" to see it un-checked b4 I got to it! But I realized that I had WiFi enabled <the ONLY way I can reliably get on-line while at home>)

[Adrynalyne]

Yes, please keep us updated. You are probably right. If you are constantly switching signals, this will be a great battery saver.

Im in a strong 3G area, so...

Anyway, let us know

[banden]

Woot! Glad I could help.

I saw those extra 'activities' in that list a while ago and had planned on taking a closer look. After you posted this I knew that this feature must be on the phone just in some hidden menu. And thought I'd try seeing what all those other activities did.

They are all pretty much just manual programming functions.