In a significant move aimed at enhancing user experience, Google has introduced a new beta vitals metric for Android app developers that will visibly label battery-draining applications in the Google Play Store. This initiative, developed in collaboration with Samsung, seeks to inform users about apps that may lead to excessive battery consumption.
Understanding Excessive Wake Locks
The metric, known as “excessive partial wake locks,” addresses a common issue where third-party applications prevent smartphones from entering sleep mode. This practice is often employed to run background processes while the screen is off, but it can significantly drain battery life. Google has identified excessive wake locks as a major contributor to rapid battery depletion and has established a threshold to distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable app behavior.
According to Google, an app is considered to have excessive wake locks if it holds more than two cumulative hours of non-exempt wake locks within a 24-hour period. However, there are exceptions for applications that provide clear user benefits, such as those facilitating audio playback or user-initiated data transfers.
- Threshold for Excessive Behavior: An app crosses the bad behavior threshold when 5% of its user sessions over the past 28 days are deemed excessive.
- Developer Notifications: When this threshold is reached, developers will receive a warning in their Android vitals overview dashboard.
For developers who fail to address the excessive wake lock issue, the repercussions extend to how their apps are perceived by users. Google will implement a warning label in the Play Store for apps that exceed the bad behavior threshold. The label reads, “This app may use more battery than expected due to high background activity.”
Additionally, these apps may find themselves less visible to users, as Google will restrict their eligibility for certain discovery sections within the Play Store. This strategic update not only encourages developers to enhance their applications but also plays a crucial role in preserving the battery life of Android devices.
