wakelock-source-hunter

This is a small script you can run on your root-ed Android phone to find out the source of wakelocks.

The main logic is to watch the wakelock happening and one-by-one disable the user installed apps and wait if the wakelock occurence drops. This way one can find the source of the wakelocks. One can do this manually but it is easyer to do this by a simple script.

The script does 30 second tests and counts the selected wakelock during that period. It first does 3 baseline checks with all apps enabled, then one-by-one disables then re enables the apps and prints the wakelock count during the test period.

Usage

Use this script at your own risk, I take no responsibility for any damages to your phone! Don't use it if you don't understand what is does!

• You must use BetterBatteryStats to find out what wakelock bothers you
• Backup/note down your app shortcuts on your launcher (if you disable an app it is removed from the launcher), or you can switch to an alternative launcher and then back this way your usual launcher's app shourtcuts will be preserved
• Edit the script and set WAKELOCK= to your wakelock of choise
• Start a shell on your phone (I recommend JuiceSSH for "local device" connection)
• su to gain root
• Start the script by bash wakelock-source-hunter.sh (should also work with mksh)
• Interpret and do experiments by the results

Note: all environments are different, I can't guarantee they this will work in your. If you get an error message try another terminal emulator. (I use JuiceSSH.)

Example

I was fighting with the IPA_RM12 and IPA_WS wakelock. I've googled for a long time but the only info I was able to find out that it is the Qualcomm Linux Modem's wakelock, so it has some connection with the mobile communication. So something is using the mobie net in the background constantly but not that hard that I can spot it by network usage. I know there would be other ways to find out the source of network traffic, for example by monitoring the network, but it would be more of a pain and this way I've built a more useful tool for future use. My phone was ok for hours but then somethign happened and those two wakelocks kept it awake around 50% screen off time, only reboot helped. So some app must stuck somehow and causes it.

~$ su
:/storage/emulated/0 # bash wakelock-source-hunter.sh
Parent app is com.sonelli.juicessh, will skip it during the tests.

I will count IPA_WS wakelocks during disabling apps one-by-one. But before I'll make some baseline with all apps enabled. Please wait...

        32 Baseline
         8 Baseline
        17 Baseline
         9 net.oneplus.weather
        28 com.alibaba.aliexpresshd
         9 com.google.android.apps.docs.editors.docs
        32 com.ichi2.anki
         0 com.otpmobil.simple
         0 com.niksoftware.snapseed
         0 com.oneplus.soundrecorder
         3 com.italki.app
         1 com.devhd.feedly^C

As you can see after disabling com.otpmobil.simple the wakelocks vanished, and after re enabling it didn't returned, so the app was doing some background job what stuck sometines and caused the wakelocks for me. I deleted it and my wakelock issue is done. As you can see not all the wakelocks wanished, buy since it is a mobile network related wakelock it's not a problem.

Please send success stories to: stone at midway dot hu