Google working on camera battery drain bug in Android 4.4.2; new details and quick fixes
In case you haven’t heard, there’s a nasty bug plaguing those who are running Android 4.4.2. According to this lengthy issue tracker over at Google Code for issue #60058, a process called mm-qcamera-daemon — one of the processes controlling a device’s camera — can erroneously begin using up to 50% of your CPU’s power at any given time, and can also cause overheating issues. This directly affects battery life, with many users reporting that their devices’ run time is being cut by a significant amount of time whenever this bug rears its ugly head.
Thankfully Google has recently acknowledged the bug and says they are looking into a fix. The bug doesn’t affect everyone 100% of the time, but one quick fix they’ve suggested is to simply reset the device — this should temporarily clear up any issues.
Google also noticed that the latest versions of Skype has the tendency to randomly and periodically call on this process even when the app isn’t in use, something that could trigger the bug more often than usual. Google suggests uninstalling Skype in the meantime, though that’s obviously not a suitable “fix” for those who use the app on a daily basis.
Some users have been able to steer clear of the bug by simply rebooting their device before bed every night, though we’re sure they wouldn’t mind Google getting a move on providing an official fix before too long.
Unfortunately there’s no timeline for when they’ll get an upgrade out, but they have listed it as a high priority issue and are likely doing everything they can to get the fix out to everyone. They say they’ll likely need significant time for testing this and other bugs, and we’re sure they’re not dragging their feet considering how many different reports they’ve gotten.
Another unfortunate detail is that Google can only promise that the bug will be addressed for Nexus devices. Any other device with Qualcomm-based camera processing chips will need to be addressed by their specific manufacturers, as not all of the devices use the same methods and code for their camera (despite them all using the same chip and process).
So if you’re noticing this bug on your non-Nexus device, do yourself and others a favor and report it to the support team of your OEM. As for Nexus device owners, Google says they’re confident they’ve identified and fixed the bug, so no further reports are needed.