US EditionHow Google and Samsung Are Teaming up to Fix Android Battery Drain, Suggests Report
Google's new metric will warn users about apps causing battery drain, excluding those exceeding a 5% threshold of excessive wake locks from key Play Store features.
- On March 1, 2026, Google will begin enforcing a new bad-behavior threshold for excessive wake locks that is now generally available after a beta phase.
- Apps commonly use wake locks to keep devices awake for background tasks, and the Android vitals metric was co-developed with Samsung using OEM insights and Android data, exempting system-held wake locks with clear user benefits.
- A session is judged excessive when it holds more than 2 cumulative hours of non-exempt wake locks in 24 hours and 5% of user sessions over the last 28 days are excessive.
- Users could see warnings and reduced app visibility when Play Store listings display a red `This app may use more battery than expected due to high background activity` label and apps exceed thresholds.
- Developers will get new debugging tools and details via Google, which says this aims to reduce battery drain and steer end user choice by limiting app visibility.
28 Articles
28 Articles
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Google Play will warn Android users about apps that drain your battery
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How Google and Samsung are teaming up to fix Android battery drain, suggests report
Google is reportedly introducing a new “excessive partial wake locks” metric to flag Android apps that drain battery life through high background activity. Co-developed with Samsung, the policy could take effect on 1 March 2026 and may display battery drain warnings on Play Store listings.
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