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Greenify vs Doze: is Greenify still useful?

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Greenify is one of the most popular apps for optimizing battery life. But Android 6.0 Marshmallow brings its own battery saving function, Doze, which some say negates the need for Greenify. Here, we compare Greenify and Doze’s capabilities to see if Greenify offers anything that Doze doesn't. 

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Is Greenify still useful on Android Marshmallow? / © ANDROIDPIT

What is Greenify?

Greenify is an app designed to control other Android apps and settings to optimize background processing and memory use; the effects of which can lead to longer battery life.

For example, you might use the Amazon app to browse for things to buy, but you may dislike that it operates in the background to retrieve notifications. Some other apps might be operating in the background without you having any idea why.

Greenify puts a stop to this by sending those apps into hibernation when they are not in use, which reduces their impact on the system, thus saving battery life and improving overall performance.

What is Doze?

Doze is similar to Greenify, but it's a little more advanced. Android Marshmallow can recognize when your device isn’t in use, such as when you are asleep, and reduces processing during this time by putting your device in a low power state. This is known as Doze. 

Doze differs from Greenify because it is an automated process – you don't need to decide which apps it affects. It is also less extreme than Greenify – Doze poses no risk to app functionality because it doesn't disable them. 

AndroidPIT Nexus 6 Android 6 0 Marshmallow review 19
Doze comes built into Android Marshmallow. / © ANDROIDPIT

What are the benefits of Doze?

Doze is Google’s way of reducing the battery that is usually depleted overnight. It’s a clever feature that automatically comes into effect once you upgrade to Marshmallow and activates only when your device is motionless and with the screen off. 

This means that Doze doesn’t come into effect while your phone is idle in your pocket or when the screen is on – the screen must be off for an extended period. This is a disappointing aspect of its functionality that Greenify doesn't suffer from.  

What are the benefits of Greenify?

Greenify's major advantage over Doze in that it operates even while you are using your device. The apps that are hibernated stay that way until you open them. The downside of this is that hibernated apps are completely inactive, so they won't retrieve any background data at all. That's not the case with Doze – you'll still get notifications from certain "important" apps.

androidpit greenify doze
Improve battery life and device performance by restricting app usage. / © ANDROIDPIT

Conclusions

Doze is something that you never even need to think about: it’s a benefit that everybody receives. Greenify, on the other hand, requires a manual input to get a similar effect. Doze and Greenify can work simultaneously, but is Greenify still as effective on devices running Marshmallow as on those without Doze?

In short, yes. Though the advantage of reduced app processing is somewhat negated by the fact that Doze does this automatically, Greenify still has its uses. Doze doesn't do anything while your device is in use, whereas Greenify can happily hibernate non-essential apps and boost battery performance.

Ultimately, if you are happy to get involved with Greenify then I highly recommend it: even with Android Marshmallow. 

Are you a Greenify user? How much of a battery life improvement have you noticed? Tell us about it in the comments.

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Scott Adam Gordon

Scott Adam Gordon
Editor

Originally from the UK, Scott graduated in Popular Music Studies at Newcastle University and attributes much of his success there to his beloved Samsung Galaxy S2. His current aim is to write cool things about Android. And he loves it.

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44 comments
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  • 1
    SoL93GT Oct 26, 2019 Link to comment

    Greenify is the best free Android app I've ever seen or used! It saves so much battery life, and resources it's amazing! I love how it Force stops apps in my list, and keeps them hibernated. Unlike other battery-saving apps in the Play Store, and apps like Device Maintenance that came on my new Samsung Tab A 10.1 w/ S pen that says it does the same thing but doesn't. Even though you can add apps to a list in that app it does nothing to hibernate apps. I'd never use any Android device without Greenify!


  • 2
    KEVIN Jul 23, 2017 Link to comment

    i tried marshmallow rom, been using it for a month.. i can say that doze and greenify are have just the same effect. as a matter of fact i can't feel its effect because doze doesn't hibernate gp services, unlike greenify on root where you can hibernate gp services


  • 2
    Imed Chabchoub Jul 16, 2017 Link to comment

    Well, I desagree on one point. On a rooted device like my Note 3 running on KitKat (I chose not to upgrade to a higher version), Greenify do let notifications come while an app is hibernated, and this makes Greenify ingenious and unique.


  • 2
    Krishna Friedmann Elektrotechnik GmbH Mar 8, 2017 Link to comment

    I have Android Marshmallow installed in Sony XPeria Z3. Yes, people say, this android comes with Doze features, but I did not see any increase of my battery life, it could last only 12-14 hours after full charge. More than 90 % charge consumed by Android itself, not my installed applications. Then I installed "DU Battery Doctor" and "360 Battery Saver". These are very cool applications, problem a flood of notifications and ads. Then finally, I decided to install Greenify, and I am satisfied with this. You can define the applications to hibernate, and battery is extended drastically. I have only 15 % charge left after using for 3 days, and it still says it can last for another "60 hours", is not that cool?

    SoL93GT


  • Cabib Tanggomay 2
    Cabib Tanggomay Feb 19, 2017 Link to comment

    I am using greenify with a non-rooted phone running 6.0.1, i notice that when i am calling someone using headset, the screen of my phone keeps on blinking, looks like greenify forcing my phone to turn off my screen.

    scorsby


  • 1
    Buzz Litejear Feb 7, 2017 Link to comment

    who would trust google an inbuilt apps provider? they can't even get their system up to snuff! Doze is what you do when using google!


    • 1
      Denis Bernier Mar 18, 2017 Link to comment

      Just build a better "google" if you can, we'll be happy to use it.


  • Ratik Kumar 1
    Ratik Kumar Oct 10, 2016 Link to comment

    Hey , Can You Tell Me where i find DOZE in play store .. because when i search Doze it show lots of app same like , so Please detailed Me Full Info About Doze .


    • Jeson Dawi 2
      Jeson Dawi Oct 28, 2016 Link to comment

      it's built-in on android marshmallow 6.0 .. it's not an app.

      SoL93GT


    • 2
      KEVIN Jul 23, 2017 Link to comment

      doze doesn't have a downloadable app.. its exclusive on marshmallow .. dunno on higher android versions

      SoL93GT


  • Buks Janse van Rensburg 2
    Buks Janse van Rensburg Sep 11, 2016 Link to comment

    Use Greenify on Galaxy S5 and used to get about 5 or 6 hours battery without Greenify, now Battery life is More than doubled while still using the Phone alot during the day, almost no Battery drain during the night

    SoL93GT


  • Ивайло Минков 1
    Ивайло Минков Aug 19, 2016 Link to comment

    I have been using both. Greenify now has an aggressive Doze option which doze device a minutes after screen off. Still Android 6 also comes with auto hibernation of apps (you can find out in dev section of settings). Auto Hibernation comes active only when certain app is not used for a very long time(days?, weeks?). In an essence hibernation makes the app inactive(stop the app) unless it is explicitly started. This greatly reduces memory consumption. Now Greenify is certainly helpful as it comes with a few tweeks to those options and if you have xposed module installed you can do even more. Another thing is that Greenify comes with aggressive doze. So it will work even on wake lock-s which is not the case with the native doze mechanism. In both you should be careful which apps you select as using Greenify could compromise certain syncs that you may want (like chat - without donation package and xposed module even FB Messenger(which has GCM) will stop work until it is started and screen is not locked, google photos auto sync, google keep reminder(location and time).....). The information that I have is that google will optimize both in the next android version so then probably Greenify will render useless but until then it is only usable if you have a massive bunch of apps you don't use regularly and want them to be really stopped when you don't used them. Personally I've added around 10 apps to be auto hibernated and I've disabled aggressive doze. There are other apps in the market which are little more useful - like Hibernation manager as it can actively lock your processor's speed to the lowest when phone is not used. Still you won't get magic stuff out of those. They are still apps and they use native android commands executed on the apps themselves in certain circumstances to move the app in certain state( like "am" command, which is different than "pm" which freezes the app). So they also drain battery. The best way to save battery is just hibernate all apps and put your phone in Power saving mode(with disabled sync, bluetooth, nfc, wi-fi, data.....), and don't use it. :D


  • 1
    B K Jul 1, 2016 Link to comment

    Now, Android 6.0.1 is out with stamina and ultra stamina. So, an explanation of what the different modes do with and without Greenify would be greatly appreciated


    • Ивайло Минков 1
      Ивайло Минков Aug 19, 2016 Link to comment

      Doze starts after 1 hour of not using and moving device (on battery only) then after half an hour it's wakes the device briefly. Then again at another one hour... reducing the wake cycles. During doze - all dozed apps are basicly with disabled sync... so no network traffic. If app incorporates GCM it will be waken up if it receives massage and then again it will be dozed. Problem here comes from exitance of wake locks that will prevent the device from dozing. Hibernating app (in it's basic android 6 form) basically disables completely the app (freeing memory and rendering it inactive) until explicitly started by the user. Hibernate comes active after several days or weeks of not using the app (this means not interacting with it completely). Freezing app(another mode) also hides it from the launcher menu(in most cases). There is a good explanation on some of the modes and how Greenify works in xda forums (...../showpost.php?p=40475823&postcount=1200)


  • M M Piero 1
    M M Piero Feb 9, 2016 Link to comment

    On my sony xperia z, Doze drained up half battery in a night, while I was sleeping. It does NOTHING. So yes, greenify is still useful.


  • Albin Foro 30
    Albin Foro Feb 5, 2016 Link to comment

    Greenify version 2.8.1 came out a couple of days after this article, and developers have added features they say will take it beyond Marshmallow - worth checking for a true comparison. I've been quite happy with Greenify but will probably buy a Marshmallow device when I find one with microSD slot.


  • Howard Posener 3
    Howard Posener Feb 4, 2016 Link to comment

    Maybe a detailed review of some more Inc built in samsung and package disabler. Still waiting for the day when I don't have to worry about battery.


  • Avinash singh 2
    Avinash singh Feb 3, 2016 Link to comment

    This article is not informative. Dose only limits your data transactions when your screen is off. That means if you are not connected to internet, dose is of no use. While on the other hand,greenify " force stops" them. What does this mean?
    This means that your application is completely stopped and is not preying on your phone's resources, i.e no cpu wakelocks. There is an app which minics Dose and is available for devices below marshmalow, I have used it and battery impact is minimal while greenify has made my phone smooth and saves battery by preventing wakelocks.

    Scott Adam Gordon


    • Scott Adam Gordon 31
      Scott Adam Gordon Feb 3, 2016 Link to comment

      Thanks for the comment! What's the name of the app you're using? I'd like to check it out :)

      Also, I understand your point and I tried to make it clear in the article: 'hibernated apps are completely inactive, so they won't retrieve any background data at all. That's not the case with Doze – you'll still get notifications from certain "important" apps.' -- I hope others found this more useful!!


    • 1
      FirstAndLast Name Aug 23, 2016 Link to comment

      6 months, and still waiting for your reply to mention the glorious app you use?
      We believed you are very informative?

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