How to interpret and evaluate a Screen on time graph: And information that can be gotten from it.
A graph is a diagram representing a system of connections among two or more things often by the use of bars, dots Etc. In this sense, an SOT(Screen on time) graph aims to show you the real time you've spent using your device and also the battery capability of your smartphone. Certainly this is an important feature that is often overlooked in the settings of a mobile phone. A quick fact is that the SOT graph is one of the two sole graphs we can find in the settings of phones, the other being the data usage graph. In order to observe our phone's battery performance as well as other features, a sound knowledge on how to interpret this graph is important to any battery-conscious user. So without further ado, lets dive in.
Fact: To access the SOT graph of your android mobile phone, Settings>>Battery>>Screen on time or type SOT in the settings finder.
1.0: Base Screen on time graph. Basics:
It is true that smartphone companies employ different visual methods of representing the screen on time graph, they still follow the normal base structure. After this you won't get lost in any SOT graph from any OEM.
1.1: Indicates charging. The time your phone used in reaching the specific charge percentage. The vertical line indicates the percentage, while the horizontal line shows the time. So anytime the chart goes up, know it's because of charging. Subsequently a downward slope means it's discharging.
1.2: Yellow line. Indicates battery was less than 10%.
1.3: A Gap. Indicates that your phone was off at this time period.
1.4: Red line. Indicates that the battery was less than 5%.
1.5: Grey line. Shows time left before phone runs out of battery.
1.6: Mobile network signal bar. Yellow lines indicates bad network (3 bars or less), and red lines shows that your phone struggled to search for a signal. This can lead to battery drainage. Green shows good network. If you're in airplane mode or no SIM is present, it will be blank.
1.7: Shows how long your GPS was on. The GPS line indicates the duration when the GPS receiver is powered.
1.8: Wi-Fi indicator. Represents the time you spent using Wi-Fi.
1.9: Awake: indicates that some applications are running even while your phone was ''asleep". For example, your Facebook will alert you when someone is a mutual friend or close by.
1.10: Screen On: shows exactly how long your actual time usage was and not when it was on standby. This is where the name screen on time is coined from.
1.11: Charging: shows the amount of time your phone used in charging.
2.0: Screen on time and apps:
This shows the applications installed on your phone and the percentage of battery they used in carrying out their functions. It is arranged by default in order of significance but can be changed to date or time. Click on "screen" to show the SOT.
Now, in this area, the usage details reads a time on of 9 hours, 33 minutes and 5 seconds. This simply means you used your phone consistently for 9 hours. Not at a stretch, but a combination of the various times you operated your phone.
3.0 Apple iPhone:
Yes, apple's iPhone definitely has something similar to what android employs in their SOT representation. Although more detailed, it can be a bit complex especially for people new to the OS. Let's check it out.
Fact: To access your SOT in an IOS device, Settings>>Battery>>Battery Usage>>Show detailed usage.
3.1: SOT graph:
3.1.2: Below that is the last charge level, which is the percentage you charged to last.
3.1.3: then comes the battery level. Like android, upward slopes indicate charging while downward turns indicate discharging or use.
3.1.4: immediately after that is the Activity chart. This shows you how much time your device was in use, broken down either by hour or by day. The activity chart uses a darker blue color to indicate activity that took place while your screen was on, and a light blue to indicate activity that took place while your screen was off. So if you only browse Twitter a little, but you listen to audio a lot while your iPhone is in your pocket, then you'll have a more activity taking place when the display is off.
3.1.5: then below is the screen on, which shows how long you used your phone. And by the right is the screen off, which shows the amount of time your phone spent doing background activities when the screen was turned off.
4.0 Ways you can use the SOT information:
Certainly checking how long you phone lasted isn't the only use of the screen on time graph. Here are some evaluations you can deduct from the visual piece of information.
4.1: You can check apps that consume battery in the background.
Some applications can use up a lot of battery either actively or in the background. An SOT graph is the best way to expose these apps, and it's up to you to either delete or restrict their activities.
4.2: You can check apps trying to know your location:
The GPS line in the graph indicates the duration when the GPS receiver is powered on or some app or system service tried to use GPS to determine your exact location. You might need to check your app permissions after seeing this.
4.3: Know how long your phone takes to charge:
If you're testing your OEM's word for your device regarding charging, an SOT graph is a sure way. It can tell you the time spent in filling your bar in a single charge or bit by bit.
4.4: Check the amount of power Google's services use.
So that brings us to the end of the post. Share your comments with us in the comment section below. Happy new month from Techtemplar.
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