My personal use of cell phones:

• Calls + text messages: I want to be reachable at all times
• I only use the browser, email, messaging apps, cloud services, and other apps when necessary (like a camera)

Most days, the phone is unused for 90% of the time it’s turned on. So for 90% of my usage, even a Nokia 3210 (with up to 260 hours of battery life) would suffice.

Task: Given this usage pattern, how can I maximize battery life?

Workaround:

Install and open “UT Tweak Tools”
For all apps: Prevent background suspension = ON

• Location services = OFF
• Bluetooth = OFF
• Wi-Fi = OFF
• Mobile data = OFF
• G2 network (optional)

Then run the script in the terminal:
...
#!/bin/bash
#Enables power-saving mode on all CPU cores

for governor in /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor; do
echo "powersave" | sudo tee "$governor" > /dev/null
done

echo “Power-saving mode has been enabled for all cores.”
...

New scenario:

• The phone enters deep sleep mode after a few minutes
• You remain reachable by phone and text message
• Set alarms and timers function normally
• Power consumption drops to an incredible ~22mA (Pixel 3a)

As a result, in this state, the battery level drops by only about 1–3% over a 10-hour period. (Tested on the Pixel 3a) Theoretically, a full charge lasts more than a week with minimal use. (see pritscreen)

Advantage: There are hardly any restrictions. You can turn on mobile data or Wi-Fi at any time and use any app with an internet connection. Afterward, turn Wi-Fi and mobile data off again.

Usage:
With appropriate usage habits, this can be the default mode. The reduced processor performance is barely noticeable. Only launching apps takes 1–2 seconds longer.

The cores can be restored to normal performance using this script.
...
#!/bin/bash
#Enables Schedutil mode (default) on all CPU cores

for governor in /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor; do
echo "schedutil" | sudo tee "$governor" > /dev/null
done

echo “Default mode (schedutil) has been enabled for all cores.”
..,

It would be perfect if a “super power-saving mode” like that could be built into UT.

I found the reason for my increased battery drain when using Wi-Fi.
On January 26, 2026, I installed an app called "UB Connect" from the OpenStore. ubconnect
I uninstalled it shortly after. The app wasn't uninstalled cleanly, and a ubconnect.daemon.service remained in the system.
Whenever Wi-Fi was turned on, this daemon would automatically start, but it failed because the app was missing. This prevented Ubuntu Touch from going into power-saving mode after the screen was turned off.

After uninstalling and deleting all leftover files from the ubconnect app, Ubuntu Touch goes back into power-saving mode with Wi-Fi on, and the battery consumption is minimal like with mobile data.

@Moem
After clearing the saved Wi-Fi connections, power consumption is minimal.

@ralf
I tested on three Pixel 3a devices for one week. No active use. All background services turned off. Location services and Bluetooth also turned off.

The same behavior occurred on every device. When I turn on Wi-Fi, power consumption increases dramatically.

Without Wi-Fi: 1 to 2% per hour
With Wi-Fi: 4 to 6% per hour

@Moem

I was monitoring the journal with “sudo journalctl -f” while I turned the Wi-Fi on and off. I noticed that when turning on the Wi-Fi, a connection attempt by the daemon fails.

sudo journalctl -f
Mai 20 19:14:25 ubuntu-phablet systemd[2850]: ubconnect-daemon.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILUREMai 20 19:14:25 ubuntu-phablet systemd[2850]: ubconnect-daemon.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.Mai 20 19:14:30 ubuntu-phablet systemd[2850]: ubconnect-daemon.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 89.Mai 20 19:14:30 ubuntu-phablet systemd[2850]: Started ubconnect-daemon.service - UB Connect Daemon.Mai 20 19:14:30 ubuntu-phablet aa-exec[5041]: [5041] aa-exec: ERROR: Failed to execute "/opt/click.ubuntu.com/ubconnect/current/usr/bin/ubconnect-daemon": No such file or directoryMai 20 19:14:30 ubuntu-phablet systemd[2850]: ubconnect-daemon.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILUREMai 20

@gpatel-fr That´s perfect!
Thank you very much for solving this stubborn problem.

Now I can put the Pixel 3a into ‘Nokia 3210 mode’ with a single click. Calls and text messages work, and the battery lasts at least three days in this mode.

#!/bin/bash
# ====================================================================
# NOKIA 3210 MODUS: CPU throttling + All offline services (Pixel 3a)
# ====================================================================

if [ "$EUID" -ne 0 ]; then
    echo "ERROR: Please run the script using: sudo $0"
    exit 1
fi

echo "Enable Nokia 3210 mode..."

# 1. Force CPU cores into power-saving mode
for governor in /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor; do
    if [ -f "$governor" ]; then
        echo "powersave" > "$governor"
    fi
done
echo "[✓] CPU throttling enabled."

# 2. Turn off Wi-Fi
nmcli radio wifi off
echo "[✓] Wi-Fi disabled."

# 3. Turn off location tracking (GPS)
sudo dbus-send --system --type=method_call --print-reply --dest=com.lomiri.location.Service /com/lomiri/location/Service org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties.Set string:com.lomiri.location.Service string:IsOnline variant:boolean:false
echo "[✓] Location tracking disabled."

# 4. Turn off Bluetooth
rfkill block bluetooth
echo "[✓] Bluetooth disabled."

# 5. Turn off mobile data
sudo -u phablet DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS="unix:path=/run/user/32011/bus" dbus-send --session --type=method_call --print-reply --dest=com.lomiri.connectivity1 /com/lomiri/connectivity1/Private org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties.Set string:com.lomiri.connectivity1.Private string:MobileDataEnabled variant:boolean:false
echo "[✓] Mobile data disabled."

# 6. Greenline-Service stop at user level
XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/32011 sudo -u phablet systemctl --user stop greenline.service 2>/dev/null
echo "[✓] greenline.service stopped."

echo "------------------------------------------------"
echo "Success! CPU, wireless modules and GPS are in sleep mode."
sleep 3

@Keneda

Sometimes, such severe restrictions can also lead to a huge surge in innovation and creativity.