Evaluation of in-service smartphone battery drainage profile for video calling feature in major apps

Abstract

Video calling is one of the most energy-intensive features in apps requiring the simultaneous operation of the mobile camera, display screen, audio speaker, and internet services. This feature impacts a smartphone battery's runtime and lifetime. This paper is the first of its kind experimental study, which quantifies the operating profile (discharge current, temperature, and terminal voltage) of video call feature in multiple widely used social media apps, which include WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Zoom, Skype, WeChat, Google Hangouts, Imo and Viber. One smartphone each of Vivo and Motorola has been evaluated as the manufacturer-provided application programming interface (API) allowed real-time measurement of the operating profile. Results indicate that the video calling feature for Facebook Messenger and Imo is the most energy efficient. In contrast, Google Hangouts is up to 35% more energy-intensive for video calling than other apps. Measurements also show that Vivo's in-service battery temperature is lower than Motorola due to its efficient chipset. For instance, during active Google Hangouts operation for 1 h, Vivo temperature is limited to 46 °C, whereas Motorola temperature rises to 52 °C. Finally, the influence of app algorithms and codecs on energy efficiency is also discussed with regard to operating performance.