Starting March 1, 2026, Google Play will implement a new policy targeting apps that secretly and unnecessarily drain smartphone batteries.
According to Google, these changes are prompted by a new metric regarding excessive "wake locks." Wake locks are features that allow apps, like Spotify, to play music in the background even when the smartphone's screen is off. However, if implemented carelessly, they can significantly impact battery life.
As defined by the company, a session is considered "excessive" if it entails more than 2 hours of total wake lock usage within a 24-hour period.
"These excessive sessions greatly deplete the battery. A wake lock is considered legitimate if it is a system wake lock after sleep that offers clear user benefits that cannot be further optimized, such as audio playback or user-initiated data transfer," the Google blog states.
Apps that exceed the harmful behavior threshold for wake locks will face penalties. Specifically, they will be less promoted in recommendations, and users will receive warnings about the risk of rapid battery drain when downloading these apps.