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Google to Flag Android Apps with Excessive Battery Drain

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1 unique sources, 1 articles

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Google will begin flagging Android apps on the Play Store that exhibit excessive battery consumption due to high background activity. Developers must comply with new Android Vitals metrics by March 1, 2026, to avoid reduced visibility. The policy targets apps with excessive partial wake locks, which prevent devices from entering sleep mode. Google collaborated with Samsung to develop the algorithm, which measures non-exempt wake locks over a 28-day window. Apps exceeding the bad behavior threshold may be excluded from prominent discovery surfaces. This initiative aims to improve battery performance and technical quality, though it is not primarily designed to detect malware.

Timeline

  1. 16.11.2025 17:15 1 articles · 23h ago

    Google Introduces New Android Vitals Metric for Battery Drain

    Google will begin flagging Android apps with excessive battery consumption due to high background activity. The new Android Vitals metric, 'excessive partial wake locks,' will measure non-exempt wake locks over a 28-day window. Developers must comply by March 1, 2026, or face reduced visibility on the Play Store. The policy aims to improve battery performance and technical quality.

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