We’ve all been there before. Your phone battery is at 20% at lunchtime and you have no idea why. In most cases, a faulty app running in the background is responsible.
Previously, there was no way to identify such apps without first installing and using them and checking their battery usage metrics in the Settings app. Google is now taking steps to fix the problem.
Starting March 1, 2026, the Google Play Store began adopting “technical quality wake-lock” procedures to identify battery-draining apps. In plain English, Google will start flagging apps in the background that are excessively draining your battery, and these flags will appear directly in the app’s Play Store listing.
If an app consistently exceeds Google’s Excessive Partial Wake Lock threshold, it may even be removed from the Play Store’s recommendation lists. This means fewer people will stumble over it, which provides a strong incentive for developers to clean up their ways.
What is a wakelock and why should you care?
Partial wake lock is a tool developers use to keep your phone’s CPU running even when the screen is off. It’s fine if used responsibly. If used carelessly, it will silently eat up your battery while your phone is in your pocket.
The problem is that many developers use wakelocks unnecessarily, not because they are malicious, but because the alternatives are poorly understood or their app code is not optimized. Google wants to fix this by publicly holding apps accountable and giving them the feedback they need.
What this means for you
Next time you download an app, pay attention to battery warnings on the Play Store page. This is a quick and easy signal that the app may not be doing well with battery life.
For people suffering from mysterious battery drain, this update won’t fix the problem overnight. The rollout will be gradual, but in the coming weeks the Play Store is expected to become more transparent so battery-hungry apps have nowhere to hide.
