Google will warn about Android apps that excessively drain the battery
Google has announced new rules for Android apps that excessively drain the battery. From now on, special warnings will appear on Google Play for users if the app violates energy efficiency standards.
What is known
This concerns situations when apps remain active in the background even when the screen is off. This phenomenon is called wake locks, and it is one of the main causes of excessive battery drainage.
According to the new rules, an app will be considered "greedy" if it holds wake locks for more than two hours a day without substantial benefit to the user. Exceptions are only provided for functions such as audio playback or user-initiated data transmission.
If the developer does not resolve the issue, the app will receive a noticeable label: "this app may use more battery than expected due to high background activity".
The new policy goes into effect on March 1, 2026. Therefore, developers have several months to optimize their products, and users will gain a tool to better control their device's power consumption.
Source: Android
