Google and Samsung are reportedly joining forces to address one of Android’s persistent problems: apps quietly draining battery in the background. According to a recent report, the two companies have co-developed a new metric called “excessive partial wake locks”, designed to flag apps that are keeping the device awake for undue periods.
In Android, wake locks are used to prevent devices from entering sleep mode when an app needs to do work in the background. While many wake locks are legitimate (e.g., for audio playback or user-initiated downloads), when misused, they can dramatically reduce battery life. Google will likely exempt certain wake locks that serve clear user benefits.
How the new metric will change app behaviour
According to reports, under the new system, a “user session” will be considered excessive if an app holds more than two cumulative hours of non-exempt wake locks within a 24-hour period. Further, if more than 5% of an app’s sessions over the prior 28 days violate this threshold, it may be flagged.
Once flagged, an app could face consequences: reduced visibility in the Play Store, warnings on its listing, such as “This app may use more battery than expected,” or possibly removal from recommendation surfaces. These measures are slated for enforcement as early as 1 March 2026, giving developers time to adapt. The beta of this scheme has reportedly been in testing since April 2025.
Why this move matters for Android users
Most Android battery complaints aren’t about one monster app but a multitude of smaller processes chipping away at runtime. By publicly holding apps to stricter standards around background activity, Google and Samsung are signalling a shift: battery efficiency is becoming a first-class metric rather than an afterthought.
For end users in India and globally, where many phones rely on high-capacity batteries but still struggle to last a full day under heavy use, this could translate into tangible gains. Better app behaviour means less surprise drain and more predictable battery life.
Enterprise users, too, will benefit — businesses deploying Android devices can have more confidence in background activity and battery endurance, which matters for field devices or always-on use cases.
What to watch out for and what you should do no
While the horizon looks promising, several questions remain. For one, what will count as a non-exempt wake lock in different device contexts? Apps that legitimately run in the background (say, messaging apps, navigation, streaming) might find themselves impacted if the metric is too aggressive. Compatibility and regional variant behaviour will matter.
If you’re an Android user today, you can take proactive steps: review apps that consume unusually high battery (via Settings → Battery → App usage), update apps frequently (developers will have motivation to comply), and monitor your device’s battery health more closely. Developers will need to review background tasks, app sleep states, and wake-lock usage ahead of the enforcement date.
Implications for the Android ecosystem
This partnership between Google and Samsung could raise the bar for the entire Android ecosystem. Smaller OEMs and app developers will be under pressure to adopt similar battery-efficiency metrics; we may soon see battery behaviour as a point of differentiation in phone specs and marketing.
For app developers, the message is clear: optimising background operations isn’t optional. Poor optimisation could impact not only user experience but also app store visibility. For users, we could be approaching a period where Android devices offer more consistent battery performance — not just via bigger batteries but smarter software.
As these changes roll in, the focus shifts from bigger battery capacity to smarter battery usage. The real benefit will be seen when devices outlast a full usage day without surprises, and apps behave responsibly behind the scenes.
Source: Live Mint
