Facebook Found To Cause Android & iOS Batteries To Drain Fast

Facebook is undoubtedly one, if not the most, ubiquitous downloaded apps on Android and iOS smartphones but it also earned the notorious distinction of being a leading cause of fast-draining battery life.

In article written by technology columnist Samuel Gibbs for The Guardian, the author discovered that deleting Facebook from an iPhone could save up to 15% battery life. Similarly, taking Facebook app off an Android phone would save users 20% of the device's battery.

The social networking app has long been criticized for sucking energy out of batteries. The company has been receiving numerous complaints about Facebook app running in the background even after it had been closed.

"The first issue we found was a 'CPU spin' in our network code. A CPU spin is like a child in a car asking, 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?' with the question not resulting in any progress to reaching the destination. This repeated processing causes our app to use more battery than intended," explained Ari Grant, Facebook's engineering manager as quoted by NBC News.

The social media giant has since then apologized for the problem and assured users of their effort to solve the battery-drain problem.

"We have heard reports of some people experiencing battery issues stemming from our app. We are looking into this and will keep you posted. We are committed to continuing to improve these issues," remarked a Facebook spokeswoman as reported by the Huffington Post.

For the meantime, ditching Facebook app does not mean completely avoiding it. To save battery life while staying connected to the social network, the alternative way is to access it via the mobile browser after deleting the app according to a suggestion made by Rick Broida who writes for CNET.