Arlo Android App drains phone battery when in geofencing mode

[Retired_Member]

I was so happy when Netgear finally solved the issue with the persistant notification "Geofencing is enabled". Now, we can just block this message from appearing without impacting other notifications from Arlo that we still need. Nevertheless, since then I noticed that the Arlo App is heavily draining my phones battery as long as geofencing is enabled.

Even if the app is running in the background and is not actively being used (means not checking notifications or watch recordings) it drains up to 20% of my phones battery in just 4 hours. This cannot be normal. After switching to schedule mode, the battery drain stops. It is clearly related to geofencing mode.

Phones tested: OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 6 (same issue)

Android Version: 9

[zmjc]

Seeing the same thing on a Google Pixel 3 XL with geofencing. Heavy battery drain due to Arlo app.

[JessicaP]

The development team is working on an app release that addresses several Geofencing issues being reported by users. We hope to have that app update available soon. I'll post an update in this thread when I have more information on this release.

[Dannybear]

Well, I have to kudos arlo for their ingenuity. Not only are they not allowing all recordings to the cloud but they have nobbled the USB backup recordings also to exclude the audio stream.
Thank you again arlo for showing your persistence with a stealth targeted approach.

[Dannybear]

Another ingenious effect this morning with a base station restart killing my iPhone battery with rapid drain by the arlo App. Kudos to all at Arlo.

[y3llo]

I am experiencing the same battery drain. I have sent an email to support a week ago. No response.

I have dealt with tons of bugs over the last two years, but this battery drain makes geofencing unusable.

[y3llo]

Also, I can't swipe away the "geofencing enabled" notification... I am just  uninstalled / reinstalled latest update.

[ShayneS]

The development team is working on an app release that addresses several geofencing issues being reported by users. We hope to have that app update available soon. I will post an update in this thread when I have more information on this release.

[just1man]

Glad to hear.
I finally reverted to 2.7.2_25500 (2/13/2019 release), which doesn't seem to have the battery issue, although geofencing is a little quirky (slow to change zones).

[Retired_Member]

They want to close my support ticket due to my inactivity. I have updated it twice, though. Arlo Team, it looks like your support portal does not save user updates to cases anymore. I tried multiple times, with different browsers. I get no feedback if it saved my update or not and it looks like it does not.

[ShayneS]

Hi @Retired_Member

Can you PM me with the best contact email & phone number & I will have Customer Support reach out to you as soon as possible. I apologise for the inconvenience this has caused & thank you for your patience.

Also, may I ask if you can send me the link (URL) you used to contact support? I have provided an example of what we would would like below. It is the link under the highlited text. You can attach a screenshot or copy the link. I would like to look in to this issue immediately. Thank You! 

[Retired_Member]

@ShayneS : Any more information to share about this issue ? when can we expect it to be fixed ?

[SlimViking]

Update is out!
(Version 2.7.10_25620)

Let the testning begin 🤗
Cross fingers they have fix the problem with geofencing with extreme battery consume on phone.

[Retired_Member]

Still having battery drain, not sure if it's as bad as before, but for my Samsung S9+ the battery has drained 5% in 5 hours. So geofencing is usable but not sure i think the result is a complete success. ~15% battery drain during one day (15h) for an app running in "background" is to much.

[ShayneS]

Hello everyone,

“A new Android update for the Arlo Mobile app was just released addressing a bug specific to Custom modes and Geofencing. Please make sure to download the latest Arlo Mobile app and test again to see if you are still experiencing this issue.

Arlo Android App - 2.7.10 - 16th May 2019

More updates and improvements for Geofencing are slated for release in the very near future. Stay tuned.

[cyberr8der]

No change. Still as broken as ever. There's always a problem with this app. It's to the point of being ridiculous.

[York4c]

I'm still experiencing the same issue with geofencing enable battery is draining quickly. Have installed latest version a d still having this issue. Android Samsung S8.

[Sonata]

Directly following the app update to version 2.7.10.25620, I am having excessive battery drain from the Arlo app geofencing background monitoring on my LG Nexus 5x.  It has jumped from about 1% battery usage in a 24 hour period to 20-25% battery usage in a 24 hour period, placing it well at the top of the list.  I have restarted the phone several times in addition to uninstalling/reinstalling the app.  Is this a known bug with a fix in the works?

[Retired_Member]

For me the geofencing works ALOT better with this update, the best ever actually! It detect in/out of zone as it should, though the battery is draining about 1% / hour, but if this is the compromize i can deal with it!

[Junkan]

Just as bad with new version

[SlimViking]

Hi.
My experience is also not the so great, a little better but still not justified the function.
It's still use to much juice and is top of the list in background apps thats use my battery.
If i disable geo tracking it drops to nearly nothing.
I have others gps apps thats use 1/10 of what this program use, so there is plenty room to optimize it better.

[Retired_Member]

1% battery drain per hour is way better than the previous 5% per hour. The update is indeed greatly iproving the situation. But still, I won't use it as the Arlo app would still be the most power consuming app on my phone. If they can further improve on it, let's say 0,5% per hour, I would not hesitate and switch back to geofencing immediately.

My support ticket can be closed. There has not been a single usefull update. The technical issues that prevent me from updating my own ticket, make it even worse. I conclude that with Arlo you need to help yourself or consult with other users.

Thank you to all the other users posting to this thread. Let us hope we will soon finally have an app with working geofencing support that does not drain our batteries to strongly.

[cyberr8der]

This app always has some problem or another. We've all been suckered into this system and constantly have to deal with problems and bugs. While we're the suckers here let it be a lesson and don't let you family friends purchase anything Netgear. Especially Arlo. You can only hope for average. When people ask simply tell them you wouldn't buy again and recommend Blink.

[Sonata]

In addition to the excessive battery drain outlined above following the app update to version 2.7.10.25620, I am now having geolocating failing altogether where it will not go into Disarmed mode.  I've confirmed that it is not my GPS as all other Apps that use GPS locating are not having any issues.  I've also uninstalled/reinstalled the app yet again.  It would be nice to get an acknowledgement that these two issues have been noted and are being looked into.  Thanks.

[sf_paul]

I'm running Arlo app 2.7.11_25630 on a Samsung Galaxy S9.

What are the best settings for battery conservation? When I look in Battery Settings, it shows Arlo as being active in the foreground for the whole time the phone is on. For example, if the phone has been running for 5hrs47mins, Arlo will show as being in Active Use for the whole 5hrs47mins and has used ~16% of the battery.
What settings do I need to employ to get it running in the background and therefore not consume so much of the battery but still allow for geo-fencing to be active?

[Retired_Member]

Perfect!

With the latest update the app drains more battery than before and geofencing is NOT working.

What about testing sw before releasing it ?