Sony acknowledges Xperia Z KitKat battery woes; provides workaround

by XB on 5th June 2014

in Android, Firmware, Problems, Sony Tablet


Xperia ZSony’s recent Android 4.4.2 KitKat rollout for the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR and Xperia Tablet Z has seen a number of users complain about severe battery drain. Judging by our recent feedback post, it appears that many people are affected by upgrading to KitKat build 10.5.A.0.230. One of the main culprits for the drain appears to be Google Play Services.

Sony Mobile support has recognised this as being the main cause for the battery drain. In a post over on its support forums, Sony says that the problem lies with the latest version of Google Play Services (4.4.52). It goes on to provide a workaround to uninstall this latest update, whilst we wait for Google to provide a new version of Google Play Services. It’s too early to say whether this completely fixes the problem, so let us know how you get on in the comments below.

Sony statement on Xperia Z, ZL, ZR, Tablet Z battery woes

We have investigated the issue with Google Play Services using a lot of battery and we have identified that the root cause of this is related to the latest version of Google Play Services (4.4.52).

Until a new version of Google Play Services is provided by Google we urge users to either uninstall the latest update of Google Play Services (might limit use of Google Services like YouTube) or go to Settings > Google (accounts) > Ads > Tick the box for Opt out of interest-based ads and also disable back up of your data by going to Settings > Backup & reset (Personal) > uncheck the box for “Back up my data”.

If you are unable to uninstall the update for Google Play Services from Settings > Apps, go to Settings -> Security -> Device administrators and disable “Android Device Manager”. Also check the settings in the Play Store so that automatic updates is not enabled as this may update Google Play Services again automatically.

Via Sony Mobile Talk Forums.

Thanks Jacky!

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