Apps that quietly suck the life out of your battery are about to get called out. Google is rolling out a new warning system on Google Play that targets Android apps abusing partial wake locks a major culprit behind unexpected battery drain.

Google Play targets excessive battery use with wake lock metric

Wake locks keep a device awake in the background, often for legitimate reasons. But when abused, they can leave your phone warm and dead by noon. Google’s new metric, developed alongside Samsung, will now track and penalize apps that overuse them.

The rule is clear: if an app holds more than 2 cumulative hours of wake locks in a 24-hour window and it happens in more than 5% of user sessions over 28 days it crosses the line.

What happens if an app exceeds the threshold?

Apps that hit the new Google Play battery abuse threshold won’t just face quiet reprimands. Instead, they’ll be:

• Excluded from major discovery areas like personalized recommendations
• Labeled with a warning badge on their Play Store listing:
  “This app may use more battery than expected due to high background activity”

This kind of public flag could impact downloads and developers know it.

Developers get tools to clean up their act

Since April, Google has tested this metric with feedback from app creators, and the final version comes with tools to diagnose and fix wake lock issues. It’s not a blind punishment system it’s designed to encourage cleaner, more battery-friendly code.

Google Play sets a clearer standard

The message is simple: if your app keeps phones awake when it shouldn’t, it won’t stay hidden. Google Play is turning the spotlight on battery hogs, and for Android users, that means fewer unexpected shutoffs and more control over what drains their devices.

Finally, the Play Store isn’t just curating content it’s curating power.