Google has announced a new measure aimed at tackling one of the most common user complaints: apps that quietly keep the phone awake in the background, draining battery and degrading performance. From 1 March 2026, Google will introduce warning labels for apps on the Google Play Store that exceed thresholds for excessive background activity. According to Google’s blog post, the change centres on a metric called “excessive partial wake locks,” which tracks how long an app keeps a device’s CPU active even when the screen is off.
How the new metric works and what triggers a warning
Apps will be flagged if they hold non-exempt wake locks for more than two cumulative hours in a 24-hour period, and if at least 5 percent of an app’s sessions over the last 28 days hit that threshold. Once that limit is breached, the app could appear with a red warning label like: “This app may use more battery than expected due to high background activity.” The blog post clarifies that the warning is not the only outcome, apps may also lose visibility in key Play Store discovery surfaces.
Why this matters for Android users and developers
For users the update promises greater transparency. Until now, many of those mysterious overnight battery drains came from apps with little visible indication of their behaviour. With this change, potential battery-hungry apps will be flagged before you install them or in their listing itself, empowering you to make an informed choice. For developers the rule sends a very clear signal: background efficiency and power-management matter as much as features or graphics. Apps that misuse resources risk reputational damage and reduced reach in the store.
The broader ecosystem implications
This is not just about battery life. It signals a shift in how Google holds apps accountable for resource usage, moving from purely permission-based controls to behavioural metrics. By collaborating with Samsung Electronics, Google developed more accurate real-world metrics for background activity. Apps that ignore optimization may find themselves both hidden from users and buried in search and recommendation algorithms.
What to watch ahead of March rollout
Between now and March 2026 developers are being advised to check their Android Vitals dashboard for the newly promoted “excessive partial wake locks” metric. Google’s blog suggests developers identify long-duration tags and reduce wake-lock use in background code. From the user side keep an eye out for apps that display battery-drain warnings on the Play Store, the label will likely be the first visible impact of the new policy. Then there’s the question of enforcement: whether Google will strictly remove apps, throttle downloads, or simply rely on the label and reduced visibility to drive behaviour change.
Implications
For Android users this change means fewer surprises when your phone goes from 100 percent to 40 percent overnight. For developers it raises the bar: building great apps now means building power-efficient ones too. And for the Android ecosystem as a whole it marks a move toward more enforceable quality standards, resource use, not just whether the app works. As March approaches apps that drag your battery may not just frustrate you, they may also find themselves penalised on the world’s largest app store.
Source: Google Blog
