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Google Starts Flagging Battery-Draining Android Apps in Play Store

A new Android Vitals metric developed with Samsung triggers warnings for apps that keep phones awake in the background.

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Google kennzeichnet Apps im Play Store, die den Smartphone-Akku übermäßig belasten.
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Overview

  • Google activated the warnings on March 1, 2026, with a phased rollout to more apps over the coming weeks.
  • Apps are flagged if they log at least two hours of background wake locks in more than 5% of user sessions over the previous 28 days.
  • Offending titles may receive a badge on their Play Store page and can be removed from recommendation surfaces to reduce visibility.
  • Legitimate background uses such as audio playback and turn-by-turn navigation are exempt from the warning policy.
  • The metric is part of Core Vitals, and Google urges developers to use tools like WorkManager, citing early fixes and a Whoop case study that cut wake-lock impact by over 90%.