Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR Google has issued new app quality guidelines to prevent apps from excessively draining your phone’s battery life.
Starting March 1, 2026, if an app is found to be holding wake locks excessively, it will be penalized on the Play Store.
Apps responsible for excessive battery drain will display a warning label on the Play Store and may lose visibility on prominent discovery pages, such as recommendations.
Google just took some welcome steps to address apps that are particularly harmful to your phone’s battery life. The company has announced a new Play Store policy that will identify and penalize apps that cause unnecessary battery drain.
As part of its technical quality directives for developers, Google is introducing new performance checks for Android apps. These checks focus on a behavior known as “wake locks.” Wake locks are what keep your phone awake even when the screen is off. They are useful for things like music playback or downloading files, but also one of the biggest culprits behind fast battery drain when implemented by apps carelessly.
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Starting March 1, 2026, if an app is found to be holding wake locks excessively, i.e., preventing your phone from resting for long stretches without a good reason, Google may penalize it on the Play Store. The company says such battery-draining apps could lose visibility in Play Store recommendations. They would also display a warning label on their app listing, informing users that the app may drain their phone battery more quickly.
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