A forthcoming Play Store notice will say alert users to battery-draining apps. The tag, scheduled for 1 March 2026, will shove affected Android apps down store rankings and remove them from discovery modules until developers curb the drain.
Google based the rule on an automated monitoring system it built with Samsung, Android Central reported. Using telemetry from across Android and years of data from Samsung devices, the companies introduced the Excessive Partial Wake Lock metric, now visible in the Android Vitals console. The figure shows how long an app keeps a phone awake after the screen turns off.
Developers already see the metric, first tested in beta in April 2025. If a title exceeds the limit for 28 straight days, it lands on what Origo called the shame list, losing storefront visibility until corrected.
Music playback, user-initiated downloads, and similar functions that offer user benefits do not count toward the total. Google also noted that individual habits influence battery drain, yet apps that keep a device awake without cause will still face sanctions.
The enforcement path starts with private alerts in each developer’s Android Vitals dashboard, including P90 and P99 wake-lock statistics, Mashable reported. If no changes follow, a public badge reading “This app may drain your phone’s battery faster” will appear beside the download button. The label will help users spot power-hungry software, and repeat offenders will drop in search rankings.
Years of complaints about midday shutdowns prompted the crackdown. Analystspredicted the rules would spur a broader push for energy efficiency across Android. Android Central added that as more studios curb wake-lock abuse, older phones should last longer between charges.
Developers largely accepted the move. Many teams already track crash rates and startup times, so the new battery metric becomes another requirement to stay in Google’s favor. “Each optimization counts to prolong the life of older devices,” Google advised.
Produced with the assistance of a news-analysis system.