Live Wallpaper Battery Drain.

From doing reading on the web the topic of battery drain from live wallpapers on android devices is quite heavily discussed. Many will disagree with me but I am of the opinion (a well researched one due to development of live wallpapers) that they really don't affect battery life in any significant way. Allow me to explain in detail.

The android live wallpaper service extends an engine when the wallpaper is visible, think of it like a cannon who's only function is to fire off a live wallpaper when requested (visible). unless some serious mistakes were made in development (almost too difficult to replicate without effort). when a live wallpaper loses visibility the service itself tears down. In effect the cannon sits waiting to fire a wallpaper. So if you open messenger, or your screen sleeps, or anything covers the homescreen it will wait until you bring it into focus to 'fire' another instance of the engine.

I am not saying a developer couldn't make a grievous error that would cause the wallpaper to continue running even when hidden, but it would take a rather concerted effort to do so.

As for the actual wallpaper content that varies, very complex rendering could indeed consume more battery than a static black screen, this is true. BUT! unless you stare at the wallpaper and keep your screen awake watching it, it won't be a continuous drain, your screen sleeps or you do something else with your phone, the drain ceases.

Overall with regular typical phone use the impact of using a live wallpaper shouldn't be of much significance to be of concern, unless you are really into micromanaging for battery life.

If you are here is something you may not be aware of. This is the real battery consumer for your phone/tablet whether you choose to believe it or not.

wifi, radio signal, and bluetooth <-- although these aren't specifically metered the very technology used for connectivity provides a more constant strain on your battery than anything on your screen ever could, with the exception of heavy duty 3d gaming (and the hot phones they create).

so if you have an android, why not use a live wallpaper if you like. Enjoy the exclusive feature afforded to you. If you drain the battery staring at a wallpaper, it has entertained you, and you can recharge your device.

-Munkee