@jperez I am using the app for a while now and I love it and I have a request to prolonged the live of my battery.
I am using Galaxy Tab A 10.1 inch (model number SM-T510) which is running on Android 11.
This Android OS version has an option to protect the battery from overcharging in the Battery Settings menu of this OS.
Enabling this option will limit the max state of charge to 85% which in the long time is way more healthier for the device / battery preventing the battery from expanding etc. etc.
Issue at hand is that I am not able to enter the battery settings (even though they are visible) when the Victron GX WiFi app is running / installed. Again I am perfectly able to enter the hidden settings menu, choose the Android settings. Most of the Android settings are available but NOT the battery settings.
As a test I just used the factory default option in the hidden menu, to reset my tablet to check whether I am able to access the battery settings in normal Android mode of the tablet.
And yes I am able to.
As my use case of having a dedicated Tablet as a GX display over wifi (again I LOVE IT !) is having my tablet mounted on a wall with a charge connected all the time the most safe way to do so (preventing the bloated batteries and such) is enable the battery protection option.
Now I am not able to.
Could you please be so kind and ask our beloved Victron developers to test this / check this and make this default Android battery safe option accessible for us humble users ?
This would absolutely make my day !
Plus make the world a little more safe (preventing bloating batteries) and better (as our tablets will last longer preventing more e - waste)
That is interesting, I run a Galaxy Tab A9 8" and I have access to the battery protect settings. In the hidden menu, I go to Android Settings, then Battery, and Battery Protection is an option. I can choose from disabled, basic, adaptive, and maximum. I have it on Maximum (always plugged in so do not need it full) and it caps it at 80%.
I ran into the same issue with an older Samsung tablet. IMHO backing off the state of charge from 100% is quite important from a battery safety perspective. Bloated batteries are a real risk for tablets in an always plugged in dashboard application.
After quite some time and attempts I found a work around:
Install Victron GX Wi-Fi Display app using the standard QR code method (skip if already have app installed)
Boot the tablet up in Safe Mode.
eg. in my case:
-2.1) Press and hold the power button, then choose Power Off.
-2.2) Turn your phone back on with the power button, and hold the power button until you see an animated logo appear.
-2.3) Hold the Volume Down button once you see the animated logo appear.
-2.4) Continue holding Volume Down until your device boots.
Navigate to the appropriate battery setting (eg. Settings/Device Care/Battery) and enable ‘Protect battery’.
note: Lenovo tablets often allow 60% which is even better than Samsung’s setpoint of 85%.
Reboot tablet using the power button. It will load up the GX Wi-Fi Display app and your tablet battery should now be in it’s happy place.
I am a huge fan of the app and am super grateful Victron have taken the initiative to develop it. If the developers can tap into the software and enable the reduced SoC by default (or perhaps accessible through the developers menu) that would be ideal.
@cles_nz Sir, may I salute you and show my biggest appreciation?
Your nobel work and time you invested in this solution is also my saviour.
After a factory reset, the default Victron GX Wi-Fi Display app installation using the standard QR code method and your safe boot procedure (I kept volume down pressed until I got the user interface directly showing Safe Mode label for other fellow Samsug users as I did not see any animated logo’s)
I did loose my wifi settings after this procedure as my WiFi was disabled. But going into the Andriod WiFi settings and enabling wifi this was an easy fix.
So Thank you !
@jperez I hope you still initiate an investigation to why some versions of Android are not able to go into the battery option in the Andriod options allthough it’s perfectly vissible when browsing in the Android settings.
From my humble perspective this might have something to do with the default kiosk mode / Mobile Device Management profile that is being used.
Probably each version has it’s own default profile and the older versions have a default restriction on this setting.
Hope you can take a look into this.
But for now the default boot option is a perfect work arround for me, preventing my Battery to bloat / expand / get overcharged by being allways powerd via the USB C connection.
