Google Flags Android Apps That Secretly Consume Too Much Battery

The Google Play Store may soon show new notifications to Android users regarding the battery consumption of their apps. The tech giant is behind the installation of a new system that identifies such apps with its new metric co-developed with Samsung.

The Android Vitals platform will monitor wake locks which keep apps runnable even at the standby state, hence tracking partial wake locks. While wake locks are necessary for some operations, such as audio streaming and file transfers, their improper use can result in battery drain. Google’s new measure allows detecting apps that hold more than two cumulative hours of non-exempt locks in a day.

These applications will be marked as high battery consumers if they surpass the set limit in at least 5% of their user sessions over the previous 28 days. The tech giant has spent months testing the system and gathering feedback from developers before finalizing the threshold.

Starting March 1, 2026, battery-draining apps will be punished in the Play Store. Developers can look forward to decreased visibility through the app being excluded from the main recommendation categories. Moreover, a red alert badge will be placed on the app listing to notify users of possible high background activity and brisk battery usage.

This disclosure offers Android users a better understanding of how an application affects battery life prior to its installation. It also motivates developers to fine-tune their background processes and hence, reduce energy consumption.

The negative impact of wake lock misuse on battery drain has always been an Android device problem. By making apps with high background activity public, Google wants to enhance battery life across the platform. Users receive a useful tool to spot and refrain from using apps that might secretly consume battery power, and on the other hand, developers get a reason to work on their apps' power-consumption issues.