Why is Google labeling battery-draining Android apps? A news analysis of Google’s new Play Store initiative to highlight apps with poor battery performance.
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| Google will soon label Android apps with excessive battery use; here’s how the new Android Vitals rules will work and what changes users can expect. Image: CH |
Tech Desk — November 21, 2025:
Google is preparing a major shift in how Android users understand battery consumption, launching a new initiative to identify apps that drain power excessively. The move responds to a growing challenge in the smartphone ecosystem: apps performing extensive background operations that quietly deplete battery life without offering any meaningful user benefit. The result, Google says, will be clearer transparency for users and stronger accountability for developers.
Under this initiative, Android apps that exceed certain battery-usage limits will be explicitly flagged in the Google Play Store as having poor battery performance. These labels will be visible to users browsing or downloading apps, offering a straightforward warning about potential power consumption issues. Google also notes that apps with chronic battery problems may appear less frequently in recommended sections of the Play Store, subtly reducing their visibility.
At the center of this shift is Android Vitals, Google’s long-standing monitoring framework that tracks app quality and performance metrics. The new battery assessment relies on understanding how long apps continue running in the background when a phone’s screen is off. If an app uses more battery than the defined threshold in more than 5 percent of a user’s sessions over a 28-day period, it will be considered “over limit.” Developers will then receive alerts on the Android Vitals dashboard, signaling that their apps need optimization.
Google emphasizes that the initiative is aimed at improving user experience—not at policing malicious behavior. Whether an app is harmful or not is not part of the evaluation. Instead, Google is targeting apps that consume system resources unnecessarily, draining battery life without clear value to the user. This is not a malware detection tool, but a performance and quality-control measure.
Developers now face a firm deadline. By March 1, 2026, all apps must meet the updated Android Vitals requirement known as “Excessive Partial Wake Lock.” Wake locks allow apps to keep the device awake even when the screen is off—one of the most common sources of hidden battery drain. Google wants developers to refine how and when these wake locks are used, ensuring that only essential tasks run in the background.
The changes represent a broader trend in mobile ecosystems: users increasingly demand transparency, efficiency, and longer battery life. By publicly flagging problematic apps, Google is positioning itself as both regulator and advocate, pushing the Android ecosystem toward better standards. For users, the new indicators promise clearer insights into which apps are responsible for rapid battery decline. For developers, the coming months will require adjustments to maintain visibility and credibility on the Play Store.
As Google builds out these diagnostic tools, Android users may soon find it easier than ever to identify which apps support—rather than sabotage—their device’s battery health.