The Android Doze Mode is a functionality that was introduced in Android 6.0. It is one of Android’s capabilities that ensure the apps on your phone aren’t consuming battery power when you’re not using your phone. It started with Android 6.0 Marshmallow as a new power-saving feature that helped to extend battery life. Today, lots of Android users are able to save more power from their battery devices.
Doze Mode runs underground and can never really be shut down completely. It is designed to automatically put an Android phone in a sort of hibernation when it has been unplugged and motionless for a certain period of time. This is when certain apps are denied access to the network, and their processing jobs paused. They will be allowed to access the network for updates and syncs periodically, though. In essence, with Doze Mode, when your phone isn’t being used, lots of apps on your phone go to sleep until when you need them.
The extent to which Doze affects apps depends on the capabilities they offer and the services they use. It easy for lots of apps to function normally across Doze cycles, although network management, alarms, jobs, and syncs have to be optimized in some cases. The following restrictions apply to your apps while in Doze:
- Suspension of network access;
- Wake locks are ignored by the system;
- Standard AlarmManager alarms are postponed to the next maintenance window;
- Wifi scans are not performed by the system at the time;
- Sync adapters do not run.
The Doze restriction on network access will definitely affect your apps, especially if they rely on real-time messages like tickles or notifications.
Doze Mode reduces battery consumption by postponing the background CPU and network activity of the apps on your device when it has been unused for long periods of time. In this state, the apps’ access to certain battery-intensive resources is delayed until a maintenance window opens.
When you leave your device unplugged and stationary for a period of time, with its screen off, it enters Doze mode. Battery conservation is achieved by restricting apps’ access to the network, CPU-intensive services, deferring their jobs, syncs, and standard alarms. When apps only sync occasionally, and in batches, as dictated by the OS, a ton of battery life is saved
The best part is that notifications don’t exit from your phone from Doze mode. So you still get notifications after your phone exits from Doze mode. Notifications like text messages and phone calls will still come through right away, although emails, Facebook messages, and other less immediate notifications may be deferred. If you also use other apps for MMS, you may not receive MMS messages.
The Android Doze functionality adds a lot of value to your phone or tablet’s battery life. When optimized, it will help you save more power from your battery, so you don’t have to miss that important call or message when it matters the most. If your app requires real-time communications, make sure you’ve tested it to consider all the internal features of your mobile device.