Use Tasker to throttle your processor, root required - Android customization

Taking Android customization to the max, use this Tasker project to adjust CPU speeds on your rooted device. Throttle to save battery or speed up for games.

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May 19, 2016

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I hope you are as excited as we are to continue with Tasker and root on our Android customization series. This week we are going the ultimate distance to save some battery life, let’s look at throttling your processor.

Before we begin

Tasker - Google Play Store

It should go without saying that you’ll need a fairly modern Android device to follow along today, it will have to be rooted and then you’ll need to install Tasker. Tasker is $2.99 in the Google Play Store.

Disclaimer: Please take note that messing the frequencies of your processor is a bit of a risky move. While we plan to throttle down, it is possible to overclock your CPU as well, which can cause overheating, which may result in a permanent physical failure of your chipset. Basically, a lack of care can easily brick your device, be careful.

Disclaimer part 2: The process looks a little funny sometimes and will have different results for most Kernels (and ROMs) out there. In our case, our rooted stock Android is a quad core device, while Tasker appears to give controls for each core individually, the option for ‘Core 0’ actually controls all of the cores together. You will need to play around to see if your device will even work, never mind how it works.

Throttle your processor to save battery

I fully admit that more than half of you that arrive here will be more interested in overclocking than reducing the clock speed of your processor, I’ll say that the process is pretty much the same, but I will not promote overclocking (today,) you’re on your own.

There are actually two aspects we are about to take control of, the first will be how your processor operates, then we’ll dive into actual frequencies. Let’s explore before we dive in.

Most Kernels support a handful of CPU powering settings, Tasker will walk you through a half dozen or so, ranging from battery saver up to performance modes. Let me explain these in general terms, save the actual technical info for another day. Each setting controls how active the cores of your CPU are, and when they go to sleep – Performance mode generally keeps the cores up and active at all times while Battery Saver puts as many to sleep as possible and nearly refuses to wake them until it absolutely must.