Android 101: Know what's using your battery

Ever wonder what it is that's draining your battery? Is it a rogue app, or are you just using your phone a lot? Let's find out. There are a couple of easy ways to see what's been using your battery. The first is to use Android's built-in battery reporting. Press the menu button, then go to Settings, then About Phone. There you'll find battery stats, and you can break things down even further from there.

Another popular way to check your battery usage is with the Spare Parts application. It's not as pretty as Android's built-in battery stats, but it gets the job done, too, and throws in a slew of other settings.

Phil Nickinson