Powerconsumption and MRA Next

[GT JWR]

@Con-Hennekens if MRA is using the HERE platform, then MRA has just as much responsibility to solve the issue. Granted, it seems all MRA can do is continue to push HERE - hopefully this is the case.

It is frustrating as it has been a known issue almost from the beginning, however, the benefit of doubt goes to MRA - keep pushing, hopefully if people continue to raise, and keep this issue in the forefront, MRA just might get HERE to take more of an active approach.

[GT JWR]

@Peter-Schiefer interesting information.

When I discovered MRA, I was impressed with the web based planner, and being I was responsible for last years annual motorcyle ride (~4000mi over 10 days), I bought the Gold membership. And the planner is still top notch, in my opinion. Can't wait to see what improvements/upgrades they have for it.

As for the app itself, never did use the old version as this latest iteration was released. While I do see a lot of promise in it, the power consumption makes it difficult to trust over a days riding. For short, in city/town routes, if needed, it seems to be ok.

The MRA Team does indeed, seem to be very busy, and going a good job - I just hope they have some sway with HERE to solve this issue, then, again, in my opinion, MRA will have 2nd to none nav app that compliments already great route planner.

[Con Hennekens]

Sorry, I have been on a short break for a few days.

@Flat-Twin-Therapy said in Powerconsumption and MRA Next:

Not sure if I understand your remark correctly... Are you saying the HERE app also suffers from the same battery drain as MRA? Because, that is not the case.

Yes that's exactly what I am saying.

I use HERE for years during my summer holiday to navigate: connected with an USB cable I have a positive charge.

The platform that MRA has built their app on, is the same as HERE has built their own HERE WeGo app on, and they both suffer the same problem which has been confirmed by MRA as well as HERE. It also needs to be said that by for NOT everyone experiences a negative charge while navigating with MRA Navigation Next. My own CAT phone has no problem whatsoever with charging while navigating.

I don't know which HERE app you have been using, and I also don't know since which version exactly the HERE WeGo app uses this specific platform. HERE has multiple apps, not all using the same platform. The current platform has not been around for much longer than a year, so you probably are comparing different platforms. MRA's "Previous" Navigation app also used an older HERE platform and did not suffer the battery drain problem whatsoever.

In the current state of the HERE WeGo app they could well be experimenting with improvements in the SDK that will benefit MRA too when they get published to HERE customers. I have not compared the apps recently.

[Edwin_M]

@Con-Hennekens
please please please stop downplaying this issue. It is a serious problem , see lots of other threads (also in other languages and multiple people reporting it over a longer period of time
(and I doubt everyone is reporting it.):

It also needs to be said that by for NOT everyone experiences a negative charge while navigating with MRA Navigation Next. M

[Con Hennekens]

@Edwin_M I am NOT downplaying anything, just stating facts.

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@Peter-Schiefer today I did a test using the Here we go app to see if only using that app would lead to the same power consumption. After I installed that app and tried to use in the first 5 km. It crashed 5 Times. I started with 78 % battery with the phone pluged in to usb cable in my car. In those 5 km I had a negative power on the phone and when I quit after 5 crashes it was 77%.
Then I finished the rest of my 125 km drive using MRA next with my Android auto screen. I turned off the screen of the phone only using the car’s screen. When I finished the trip my battery had a positive charge and ended with 84% so the phone could keep up charging.

[GT JWR]

@Marinus-van-Deudekom I'm 50/50 at best whether the iPhone charges positively or negtively, whether using the app direct on the phone or in CarPlay with the phone screen off.

This is only part of the problem - the other part is the very hot battery on the phone as its trying to keep up the charge, combined with the iPhone going into protect mode because of it - which makes the screen unviewable when the nav app is used. For me, this is the biggest issue.

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@Peter-Schiefer well I was only trying to see if that Here we Go app would also drain my battery and my conclusion in that short while was that it was. So back to @Corjan-Meijerink trying to work it Out with Here

[Flat Twin Therapy]

This post is deleted!

[Flat Twin Therapy]

@Con-Hennekens

I don't know which HERE app you have been using, and I also don't know since which version exactly the HERE WeGo app uses this specific platform. HERE has multiple apps, not all using the same platform.

---

I'm using this HERE app
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.here.app.maps

Again, for years I'm using this app. Since 2018 at least. I know this, because I create "collections" as they call it: folders to store places. I create a collection for each holiday. Oldest collection still in my app is that of my 2018 summer holiday.

I've always used Android. On my 3rd phone since 2018, I guess.

Always had a positive charge with this HERE app.
I don't know any other HERE app.

Perhaps the above statement is about what you call the "older platform". But again: I tried multiple times with the latest HERE app this week: positive charge.

I never used the old MRA App, so I cannot share my experience of that app.

It also needs to be said that by for NOT everyone experiences a negative charge while navigating with MRA Navigation Next.

---

I do get the remark of the other MRA member saying that you should not downplay this issue.

Nobody is saying that everybody has this issue. We know that. But a lot of people do have the issue, continously.
I can only speak for myself, but I love MRA. I would love to use it on all my rides and I would love to help. I probably only can help by sharing experiences/information.

Hope this helps to improve the product.

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@Flat-Twin-Therapy yep thats the app that I've been using and that crashed 5 times in 5km

[Con Hennekens]

@Flat-Twin-Therapy, thanks for the info. I have been test-riding this app this morning to my work, to compare the powerdrain with the MRA app. I see indeed that the drain has gotten less than the MRA app, and I am hopeful that it is a sign for a solution to arrive at MRA also. During my drive, navigating on my Pixel 8 Pro, the HERE WeGo app took about 600mA while the MRA took about 1200mA (both including system overhead). It looks though the 600mA are quite stable and independent of speed, while in the MRA app speed is a large factor. The slower you go the less power it draines. It seems larger movement of the map rises the power consumption for rendering. Sounds logical, but in the end it has to render as many frames a second as always, so I am not sure if I see the logic.

In my case, a power consumption of 1200mA is easily overcome by a decent charger and a compatible USB cable. On wireless charging, that can be a different case, with a lot more heat production. That is why I often explain that it is worth to look at the charging chain, but by no means I am downlplaying the issue.

[Charles Rijken 0]

@Con-Hennekens

Does it matter if you use offline maps?

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@Peter-Schiefer Maybe it's something that @Corjan-Meijerink could use while talking to Here to solve the problem
By the way looking at the reviews of Here WeGo its mainly very negative

[Con Hennekens]

@Charles-Rijken-0, I doubt it. If anything it will be marginally I think.

[Con Hennekens]

@Peter-Schiefer said in Powerconsumption and MRA Next:

Perhaps the team should expand to include Corjan,

I am not sure what you mean by this. Corjan already is head of development.

@Marinus-van-Deudekom said in Powerconsumption and MRA Next:

Maybe it's something that @Corjan-Meijerink could use while talking to Here to solve the problem

The beauty is that Corjan is in close contact with HERE's development department since a few weeks, instead of talking to customer service... It is MRA itself that brought the awareness to HERE that their own app suffers a battery drain problem. The better behaviour I saw in the HERE WeGo app this morning could well be the result of MRA's direct contact with HERE development. Now let us hope the same improvement will be rolled out to the customers SDK soon

[Mzokk]

The issue must be very phone defendant at least in Android. I didn't think that the navigation app was usable on AA until version 4.1.3-312. I use it via Android Auto on an Africa Twin with an old Motorola G7. Its slow to load but once loaded it works fine. I did a 120 mile route last week with it and the phone (cable connected) went from 85% to 100% on my return. For earlier iterations of the App the phone struggled to maintain charge. For speed I generally use my Garmin Zumo XT and I've also been experimenting with the AA version of OSMand+ which does not have power consumption issues. Why can't MRA use the OSM map set if the Here maps are so problematical??

[Con Hennekens]

@Mzokk said in Powerconsumption and MRA Next:

Why can't MRA use the OSM map set if the Here maps are so problematical?

Navigation apps are built around an SDK that is provided by the map provider. Switching to another map provider would basically mean developing a new app. The choice for HERE is partly based previous experience with a pretty good SDK (in the Previous Navigation app) and partly on the Flutter IDE that is compatible with the SDK. Basically that means that the app for IOS and Android can be built simultaneously with the same code. So the choice for HERE was not taken lightly, and in the light of everything getting better, probably the same choice would be made again today