Google Testing New Background Suspension Feature on Android 11 to Improve Battery Life

Google is testing a new feature on Android 11 in a bid to improve battery life significantly. The feature was earlier spotted on the Android 11 Beta 2 as well by XDA Developers; however, the update wasn’t live at the time. From the latest source code analysis of Android 11, the report points out that Google is freezing apps while they’re cached in a bid to extend the battery life. However, developers also point out that since the cached apps are now frozen, users can no longer re-open the apps to the same page as earlier. Additionally, not only the feature is live, but it is also enabled by default.

At the moment, it remains unclear when the battery-saving feature will reach other users, although its arrival appears to be imminent. Explaining the ‘suspend execution for cached apps’ feature in the Android 11 source code, the report points out, “freeze apps when cached and unfreeze them once removed from the cache or killed. Frozen apps won’t use any CPU cycles, reducing power consumption for misbehaving processes which might attempt to run while cached.”

The suspend execution for cached apps feature was spotted in Android 11 source code on both Pixel 3 and Pixel 4 phones. A Reddit user u/JayYouTea notes that developers can disable the feature, in case they don’t want the Android 11 to kill cached apps, therefore, allowing them to switch between apps without rebooting them every time. To disable the feature, users on developers programme need to go to Settings > System > Advance > Developer Options > select Suspend Execution for Cached Apps.

Meanwhile, another report last month noted that Google is planning to bring the ‘Extreme Battery Saver’ on Pixel 5 to other Pixel devices. When the feature is enabled, Android will pause most apps (including notifications), automatically turn off location scanning for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, reduce the screen timeout to 30 seconds, and disable extras like hotspots. The Extreme Battery Saver can reportedly prologue the battery life by up to 48 hours.

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