Switching off battery optimisation: so the camera does not fall asleep
Android likes to end background apps to save power. Here is how to take VintageCam out of optimisation, on Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei and other manufacturers.
The most common cause of “the camera was suddenly offline” is not VintageCam but the phone's power saving. Android, and some manufacturers in particular, end background services that run for a long time so that the battery lasts. For a camera, a guard or a phone with auto-arm, that is exactly the wrong thing.
Why this happens
Android wants to save power. With the so-called Doze mode it puts the phone to sleep when it lies still and the screen is off. Apps in the background are then slowed down or ended. That is why VintageCam runs as a visible foreground service with a notification and keeps the CPU awake as long as the camera is working. On many phones that is enough. On some, for example with aggressive power saving, it is not.
The first step: the button in the app
The app has a button that takes you straight to the “Battery optimisation” setting. There, choose “Don't optimise” or “No restrictions” for VintageCam. This is the most important measure and is enough on many devices.
Additionally on individual manufacturers
The path differs by brand and Android version, so here only the direction. On Samsung: Settings, Battery, Background usage limits, and remove the app from the “Sleeping apps” there. On Xiaomi: allow autostart for the app and set the power-saving level to “No restrictions”. On Huawei and Honor: set app launch to “Manage manually” and switch on all three toggles for autostart, secondary start and background activity. For other brands it is worth searching for “manufacturer + allow background apps”. The website dontkillmyapp.com collects such guides by manufacturer.
Location “Always” for guard and phone protection
If you run a phone as an alarm system or with “Protect this phone”, the app additionally needs the location permission “Allow all the time”. Without it, Android does not allow the position to be delivered in the background. The app asks for it with an explanation and takes you to the right setting.
After a restart
For the camera phone: after a restart the camera has to be started by hand once. Guard and phone protection, on the other hand, start again by themselves after a restart or app update, provided they were switched on before. Battery optimisation should be off for that too.
How to check that it works
Let the phone run for a night and check in the morning in the viewer whether the camera was online throughout. If a gap leaves traces, try the manufacturer's toggle. There is another limit for remote commands: in Doze mode, commands such as “Arm now” may arrive with a delay. Where seconds matter, auto-arm on the phone itself is more reliable than arming remotely.
