Even when Power Saving is off, Android applies a per-app battery limit to most apps by default. The default is "Optimized" (sometimes called Adaptive), which puts apps to sleep when you're not actively using them.

Because GoCarma needs to detect your commute trips in the background — even when your phone is in your pocket and the app isn't open — we recommend setting GoCarma to Unrestricted.

This is the single most important setting to get right for accurate trip detection on Android.

How to do this depends on your phone's manufacturer.

1. Open Settings → Apps

2. Find GoCarma in the list and tap it

3. Tap Battery

4. Tap Unrestricted

⚠️ Samsung note: One UI has two places that control background battery — please also check the second:

Once you set GoCarma to Unrestricted in step 4, it should not appear in the "Never sleeping apps" list — that's expected and means it's working correctly.

1. Open Settings → Apps

2. Tap App battery usage (you may need to scroll or tap "See all apps")

3. Find and tap GoCarma

4. Make sure Allow background usage is on

5. Tap Allow background usage again to expand the options

6. Choose Unrestricted

Note: On Android 14 QPR2 and later, this screen was redesigned. The new layout shows Optimized and Unrestricted as the two choices; pick Unrestricted.

1. Open Settings → Apps → See all apps

2. Find and tap GoCarma

3. Tap App battery usage

4. Tap the option with the toggle, then choose Unrestricted

There are two places to check; please do both:

1. Open Settings → Apps → App management

2. Find and tap GoCarma

3. Tap Battery usage

4. Choose Unrestricted

1. Open Settings → Apps → tap the gear icon (top-right) → Special access → Battery optimization

2. Switch the dropdown at top from "Not optimized" to All apps

3. Find GoCarma and choose Don't optimize

⚠️ OnePlus note: this setting can revert by itself on some OxygenOS versions. If your trips start dropping out, please re-check this.

If you have a TCL, Nokia, ASUS, Sony, or other Android phone, the path is usually:

Settings → Apps → GoCarma → Battery → Unrestricted (or "Don't optimize" / "No restrictions").