I blocked background data for my apps with Athena; I got 3 hours of battery back

12 Nov 2026, 12:00 by Akshay Bhalla · Android Police

Saving battery life on my phone is perhaps the most important exercise I do each month.

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I've found everything from simple gestures that drain battery life to tweaks to Chrome's settings that have made a big difference.

But one unknown culprit that always manages to get away is background activity from apps, especially when they have no business doing it.

Fortunately, I found an app that lets me track and manage that with ease.

I changed a few hidden Google Pixel settings to stop my phone's daily battery drain

My phone's battery when from 20% at noon to all-day power

Posts 4
By Parth Shah

Athena lets me track and manage apps that use background network activity

A firewall app that is actually useful

I like to track outgoing connections on my desktop PC, and since Android uses a lot of background data, I wanted an app that let me do the same on my phone.

Many apps keep the network running even when you're not using them, which drains the battery.

Since the phone's radio antennas are either kept on constantly or repeatedly fired when an app wants to track you, they often drain the battery more than they should.

That's when I realized reducing background data, especially on 5G, can make all the difference in gaining some battery life back.

I came across Athena, a firewall and DNS app that lets me manage every app's data controls on my phone and alerts me to any background data activity that wakes my phone's radio.

It lets me track outgoing network connections in real time and in logs, similar to Wi-Fi apps that track data consumption by devices at home.

To track real-time data connections, you must buy Premium access, which costs $5.60 for a lifetime license.

After analyzing several apps on Athena, I realized many games, social media, and utility apps used background network access unnecessarily, all for tracking, loading ads, and analytics pings.

Apps like Calculator, File Manager, and other OEM apps had no business tracking me. These apps needed a connection for trackers and caused wake-ups that drained the battery without my noticing.

I went through the full list and started applying rules to each one to get some battery life back.

How does Athena work, and did I save any battery life?

It all started to make sense

After downloading Athena from the Play Store, I granted it the necessary permissions: network access, ignore battery optimizations, and notifications (for real-time alerts).

While you can use it with full root access or via Shizuku, I chose the simple VPN method to keep it simple.

Since I use Aloha Browser's VPN service, my VPN slot was empty, and Athena was the right app to fill it.

I set it up with a solid DNS blocklist that auto-updates for ad tracking and telemetry, but that was only the start.

I started revoking data connection access for games and other apps that would consume background network connections for tracking.

What's neat is that I could apply a rule for Wi-Fi, mobile data, or both depending on the app.

The best way to find apps that consume data for no reason is to use the real-time logs and connection history.

I did not block network access to critical apps such as texting apps, maps, banking, and email since they work best with full data access.

When I needed battery backup most, Athena's Kill Switch feature blocks data to all apps except those on the allowlist. I spent about 20 to 30 minutes applying these rules to apps, but after that, it ran in auto-mode.

I noticed the difference in battery within the first week, as I was charging my phone later than usual.

I estimate I gained about three to four hours of battery life each day by blocking background network activity for apps that didn't need it.

If I want to use apps that got the kill switch treatment, I can turn on data access from Athena with a tap.

The bonus is DNS filtering, which blocks ads and tracking domains, reducing CPU load and constant wake-ups.

You don't have to use Athena's DNS filtering; third-party services like AdGuard and NextDNS can do the same and offer better allowlist features.

But using Athena's per-app network management with DNS ad-blocking is the way to go. I instantly noticed that my phone was much cooler and had longer standby and screen-on time than before.

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Posts By Jon Gilbert

Athena lets me save battery and data when it matters most

My main reason for blocking background usage and network activity was to conserve battery. But I also saved data, which was an added plus I cannot ignore.

Gaining anywhere from three to four hours of battery life can make all the difference on a busy day.

It became my most-used app for a reason, and I recommend trying Athena alongside DNS ad-blocking to see how much battery life you can gain each day and whether you notice any difference.