A new battery drain alert system will be implemented on the Google Play Store starting March 1, 2026. This system will notify users about apps that may drain their phone's battery faster due to excessive background activity.
Google, in collaboration with Samsung, has introduced a new metric called "excessive partial wake lock" to address battery drain issues. This metric is now available to all Android app developers and will help identify apps that keep devices awake for too long through excessive wake locks.
Apps that do not meet the new "bad behavior threshold" established by Google may be excluded from Play Store recommendations. Users may also see a warning on an app's listing indicating potential battery drain if it exceeds the threshold.
According to Google, an app will be flagged if it holds more than two hours of "non-exempt wake locks" within 24 hours. Essential wake locks, such as those for audio playback or data transfer, will not be included in this count. An app will be considered to have crossed the threshold if 5% or more of its user sessions display excessive wake locks within a 28-day period.
