Battery life on Android is a nightmare to deal with unless you know exactly what to look for. Android’s vague battery statistics can be frustrating for a novice and seasoned user alike. For example, a battery drain labeled as Android System could be Google Play Services performing something in the background, or the Facebook app using the camera, or any other app that makes any API call. And speaking of Facebook, there’s a lot of conflicting research and anecdotal reports on whether the app is responsible for any sort of excessive battery drain. Personally, I spent a week with the Facebook app uninstalled and saw no difference in battery life.
There is another app that is notorious for draining your battery, Snapchat. Snapchat periodically loads stories in the background. The benefit to doing this is so you aren’t waiting forever for a story to download; you can watch it immediately. The biggest disadvantage is that it drains your battery in the process.
Many users have reported a slight battery life increase when they disable this functionality altogether. To Disable Snapchat Background Data go to Android Settings –> Applications –> Snapchat. Then select data usage. You will be taken to a window which shows the data usage for Snapchat over a period of time. Select the option to Restrict app background data. This will disable stories from preloading in the background. Don’t worry, you will still receive notifications. One side effect from doing this is that you will have to wait until your Snap sends before you leave the app or it will not send in the background.