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It sounds like Android 6.0 Marshmallow delivers on one of Google’s key promises

Published Oct 6th, 2015 9:00AM EDT
Android 6.0 Marshmallow Doze Mode Battery Life
Image: Bloomberg Businessweek

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One of the biggest features that Google has added with Android 6.0 Marshmallow is Doze Mode, which the company promises will significantly improve your Android device’s battery life when it’s not being actively used. Doze Mode essentially forces apps to stay asleep when you aren’t using your phone, which not only prevents them from syncing but also prevents them from constantly consuming battery life while they’re running in the background. If early impressions are any indication, it seems Google has delivered on its promise of better battery life when your device is idle.

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In his massive review of Marshmallow, Ars Technica’s Ron Amadeo writes that Doze Mode “does greatly increase the amount of time an Android device will survive on a table,” even though he says Android’s battery consumption when your device is being actively used has remained unchanged.

Android users over on Reddit are also reporting positive early impressions of Doze Mode, with one user reporting that they left their Nexus 5 unplugged during the night and woke up to find that its battery life had only gone down by one percentage point. Another chimed in to say that they also didn’t plug in their device overnight and its battery life had only gone down by two percentage points.

At any rate, these early reports are encouraging — while Doze Mode isn’t a cure-all for your phone’s battery life, it will at least ensure that your phone won’t be completely drained of juice if you forget to plug it in overnight.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.