Sony is getting back one of its signature features - the STAMINA mode. The battery-saving option will soon be rolled out for devices that are part of the Marshmallow beta program, though the exact date is still unknown.
Only select Sony smartphones have received the update so far - Xperia Z5, Z4 tablet, and Z3+ last March, and the Xperia Z2, Z3, and Z3 Compact early April.
Following the upgrade to Android Marshmallow, the Sony phone makers had removed the STAMINA mode that set the Sony handsets apart with its "two-day battery life" claim. This mode saved precious battery life by stopping unauthorized applications running in the background. The users were astounded when Sony dropped this feature, and were very vocal about their displeasure.
The reason was Google Doze, a similar feature that came as a package deal when the Xperia devices got upgraded to Android Marshmallow. However, this feature was not as good as the STAMINA mode as it would work only when the smartphones were in a state of rest for some time.
"Great news. One of the most requested features is coming back to your Xperia running Marshmallow: Stamina mode. We don't have a release schedule yet, but the feature will be definitely available for members of the Xperia Beta Program in the near future," confirmed Sony.
It remains to be seen, once back in action, how STAMINA mode works alongside Google Doze as Google has made it quite clear that it won't let the OEMs interfere with how its battery-saving feature works. Sony will have to probably tweak its own feature to make sure the two modes don't clash. For now, as a first step, Sony is rolling out the Marshmallow beta program on select handsets, but it might only be a matter of time when it incorporates all the devices into the program.
