14 DAY TRIAL // WhatsApp, the application that has quickly become part of everyone's life no matter what smartphone platform they're using, continues to be a pain in the neck on Windows Phone, despite the recent updates rolled out by the parent company.
At this point, WhatsApp is one of the apps that are draining Windows Phone handsets' battery insanely fast, with user reports confirming that there are times when their phones cannot even last for one full day when WhatsApp is running in the background.
After a series of tests, we’ve discovered that WhatsApp for Windows Phone is indeed impacted by compatibility issues that are basically killing the battery of devices running Microsoft’s mobile operating system, especially when the application is configured to run in the background.
We performed the tests on three different devices, namely Lumia 920, Lumia 930, and Lumia 1520, all running Windows Phone 8.1 and the latest version of WhatsApp.
In all three cases, Battery Saver, the built-in Windows Phone application that displays battery power consumption, placed WhatsApp on the leading position, way ahead of all the other programs installed on handsets.
On Lumia 920, WhatsApp basically kills the battery in approximately 12 hours, with only moderate use of the application. After uninstalling WhatsApp, the 920 battery lasted for a day and a half in the exact same conditions.
As far as Lumia 930 is concerned, the latest updates indeed brought some improvements, but nothing to be really excited about. WhatsApp 2.11.586, which was released by the parent company this week to address a number of issues and improve compatibility with large-screen phones, reduces battery power consumption, but the app continues to take the leading position in charts generated by Battery Saver. Version 2.11.587 appears to be causing the exact same issues on both Lumia 920 and 930.
Our Lumia 1520 test unit experienced drastically reduced battery performance after installing the latest version, 2.11.587, from the store. In this case, the battery drops to 50 percent after a full day, again with moderate usage of WhatsApp. Without the app, Lumia 1520 lost approximately 20 to 30 percent of battery power per day.
Problems confirmed by users worldwide
The exact same problems have already been confirmed by plenty of users worldwide, who have expressed their frustration on online support forums.
Many have claimed that running WhatsApp on Windows Phone handsets cuts battery performance in half, draining all available power in less than 24 hours. Needless to say, a device that cannot last for one full day isn't quite the best choice, so it's easy to see how a single app can make people step away from Windows Phone.
Some of the users complaining about the reduced battery life after installing WhatsApp considered going back to Android or iOS, so there's no doubt that both Microsoft and WhatsApp need to address these issues quickly.
As our resident mobile expert Cosmin Vasile said in May this year, the best way to deal with these issues is to either disable WhatsApp from running the background and periodically check for new messages by manually opening the app, or remove it altogether from the phone.
Microsoft and WhatsApp not willing to comment on battery issues
If you are an avid Windows Phone user, you most likely know that every time a new version of app is available, both Microsoft and WhatsApp announce it with much fanfare on all available channels.
Unsurprisingly, the strategy is entirely different when users experience problems with the app, and it's almost impossible to get in touch with representatives of the two companies whenever a workaround is needed.
Even though it's pretty clear that both Microsoft and WhatsApp know about the battery issues experienced by Windows Phone users, given the huge number of complaints posted online, we've also tried to contact the two companies for a comment on this with no success.
We're still waiting for a word from spokespersons of any of the two companies since this is such a critical issue for many Windows Phone users and will update the article when and if we get an answer.
In the meantime, the only thing we can do is wonder what's actually happening with Satya Nadella's promise to be more open to user feedback...
Don't know the reason, but WhatsApp is draining battery on my Windows Phones like crazy. Lumia 920, 930, and 1520. @joebelfiore @WhatsApp
— Bogdan Popa (@BogdanSPD) October 31, 2014
