Battery anxiety is something that plagues most smartphone users. While brands have realized that users want bigger batteries and phones that last more than one day, Google is ready to improve the experience for its users.
New Bad Behavior Alert Will Alert Users on the Play Store About Apps That Drain Battery Faster
The search giant has already implemented various battery optimization tools in its ecosystem over the past years. Now, it will take another step to ensure users know which apps are draining their batteries the most. Google announced that starting March 1, 2026, the Play Store will display alerts for apps that may drain your phone’s battery faster due to excessive background activity.
In a blog post, Google has explained its new “excessive partial wale lock” metric. It was first introduced in beta earlier this year to address battery-drain issues. Developed in collaboration with Samsung, the metric is now available to all Android app developers.
Google is introducing a new “bad behavior threshold” to identify apps that keep devices awake for too long with excessive wake locks. If an app does not meet the criteria, it will be out from the Play Store recommendations. Moreover, Google will even display a warning on its listing that will show the app has a potential battery drain issue. In other words, Google will basically say if an app is a battery-eater or not.
As per Google, an app will cross the limit if it holds more than two hours of “non-exempt wake locks” in 24 hours. Essential wake locks, for audio playback or data transfer, will not count. Notably, an app crosses the bad behavior threshold if 5% or more of its user sessions have excessive wake locks within 28 days.
Quick Highlights:
- Google will introduce Play Store alerts for apps that drain battery excessively.
- The system uses a new “excessive partial wake lock” metric, developed with Samsung.
- Starting March 1, 2026, apps exceeding the “bad behavior threshold” will get flagged.
- Apps holding over 2 hours of non-exempt wake locks in 24 hours or affecting 5%+ of sessions in 28 days will be marked.
- This move aims to push developers to optimize battery usage and enhance Android efficiency.
Google takes an Important Step in Android’s Battery Optimization
We are seeing a substantial increase in the battery size of smartphones. With new devices landing with 7,000mAh and more, it’s just a matter of time until it becomes a standard. It’s great to have more capacity – sure. However, it’s also great to see software taking on a direction that improves the overall efficiency. For that reason, we appreciate Google’s new approach. It may force some developers to optimize their apps and reduce unnecessary battery consumption.