Google has started introducing new measures to address Android apps that consume excessive battery power. The company has begun adding warning labels on certain apps in the Google Play Store that are known to cause higher battery usage on smartphones.
According to the company, these warning messages are aimed at helping users identify apps that may negatively impact battery life. Apps that receive these warnings will also be removed from Play Store recommendation sections.
In a recent blog post, Google confirmed that the Google Play Store started rolling out new wake lock technical quality treatments from March 1. The rollout will happen gradually over the coming weeks for apps that are found to exceed the acceptable battery usage threshold.
The company explained that apps that consistently cross the “Excessive Partial Wake Lock” limit in Android vitals will receive warning labels on the Play Store. These apps will also be excluded from discovery features such as app recommendations.
An example of the warning message shown by the company reads: “This app may use more battery than expected due to high background activity”.
The issue is linked to Android’s partial wake lock feature. This feature allows apps to keep a smartphone’s CPU active even when the screen is turned off. While this function can be useful in some cases, it can also lead to increased battery consumption if used improperly.
Google defines an app as crossing the “bad behaviour threshold” when it keeps a partial wake lock active for an average of 2 hours or more while the screen remains off in over 5 percent of user sessions during the past 28 days.
However, the company clarified that some wake lock usage is allowed if it provides clear benefits to users and cannot be optimised further. Examples include activities such as audio playback, location services, or when a user initiates a data transfer.
Google has also suggested several solutions for developers to reduce unnecessary wake lock usage. These recommendations apply to features such as background synchronisation, location tracking, sensor monitoring, and network communication.
The company noted that some developers have already started making improvements. For example, the app Whoop has reportedly begun implementing Google’s suggestions to optimise its background activity and reduce unnecessary battery usage.
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