Battery Optimization (Critical)

Battery optimization is one of the most critical aspects of LiteP2P Android integration. Improper handling leads to connection failures and paradoxically higher battery drain.

What Battery Optimization Does

Android's battery optimization system applies aggressive restrictions to apps it considers "not in use":

• Delays background execution – Your app may not run when expected
• Blocks background network – Network requests are queued or dropped
• Kills idle processes – Your app is terminated to free memory
• Coalesces alarms – Scheduled tasks are batched together
• Drops sockets silently – TCP connections are closed without notification

Why LiteP2P Needs Exemption

LiteP2P relies on several capabilities that battery optimization restricts:

LiteP2P Requirement	Battery Optimization Impact
Short wake windows	Delayed or skipped entirely
Timely reconnections	Blocked by network restrictions
Secure handshakes	Timeout during CPU throttling
Push notification handling	Delayed delivery

The Paradox

Battery optimization causes:

• Missed sync windows – App can't connect when needed
• Excessive retries – Failed connections lead to more attempts
• Higher battery drain overall – More work, less efficiency

Requesting Exemption

Applications must encourage users to disable battery optimization for reliable P2P functionality.

Check Current Status

fun isBatteryOptimizationDisabled(context: Context): Boolean {
    val powerManager = context.getSystemService(Context.POWER_SERVICE) as PowerManager
    return powerManager.isIgnoringBatteryOptimizations(context.packageName)
}

Request Exemption

fun requestBatteryOptimizationExemption(context: Context) {
    if (!isBatteryOptimizationDisabled(context)) {
        val intent = Intent(Settings.ACTION_REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS).apply {
            data = Uri.parse("package:${context.packageName}")
        }
        context.startActivity(intent)
    }
}

// Add to manifest
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS" />

User-Friendly Prompt

fun showBatteryOptimizationDialog(activity: Activity) {
    if (isBatteryOptimizationDisabled(activity)) return

    AlertDialog.Builder(activity)
        .setTitle("Enable Reliable Sync")
        .setMessage(
            "To ensure reliable peer-to-peer connectivity, please disable " +
            "battery optimization for this app. This allows the app to sync " +
            "data even when running in the background."
        )
        .setPositiveButton("Enable") { _, _ ->
            requestBatteryOptimizationExemption(activity)
        }
        .setNegativeButton("Later", null)
        .show()
}

LiteP2P Built-in Helper

LiteP2P provides convenience methods for battery optimization handling:

// Check and request in one call
LiteP2P.ensureBatteryOptimizationExemption(context) { granted ->
    if (granted) {
        Log.d("LiteP2P", "Battery optimization disabled - full functionality")
    } else {
        Log.w("LiteP2P", "Battery optimization enabled - limited background sync")
    }
}

// Show built-in educational UI
LiteP2P.showBatteryOptimizationEducation(activity)

Google Play Policy

Google allows apps to request battery optimization exemption if they have a legitimate need. P2P networking qualifies under:

• Communication apps requiring real-time messaging
• File sync applications
• Decentralized/P2P applications

Best Practices