The Silent Battery Killer: How Android Vitals Is Cracking Down on Wake Locks

 

Android Vitals Will Track Wake Locks to Measure Battery Usage

Battery drain remains one of the most frustrating issues for Android users, and Google is taking decisive action to address it. In a significant update to its Android Vitals platform, Google has introduced a new metric that tracks excessive partial wake lock usage, helping developers identify and eliminate apps that unnecessarily drain device batteries.

What are Wake Locks?

Wake locks are mechanisms that allow apps to keep a device's CPU running even when the screen is off. While this feature serves legitimate purposes such as playing music, tracking location during exercise, or downloading files improper implementation can cause significant battery drain. When apps hold wake locks longer than necessary, they prevent devices from entering low-power sleep states, resulting in rapid battery depletion.

The New Metric in Action

Google's refined excessive partial wake lock metric, developed in collaboration with Samsung, monitors how long apps hold wake locks during user sessions. The system flags an app's behaviour as excessive when it accumulates more than two hours of non-exempt wake locks within a 24-hour period. This threshold applies specifically to wake locks held while the screen is off and the app is running in the background or operating a foreground service.

The Android Vitals dashboard now provides developers with detailed insights into their app's wake lock behaviour. It includes an expanded wake lock names table showing P90 and P99 duration values, helping developers pinpoint specific wake locks that keep devices awake for extended periods. Google recommends investigating any wake lock exceeding 60 minutes in these percentile measurements.

Consequences for Non-Compliant Apps

Starting March 1, 2026, Google will enforce strict quality standards based on this metric. Apps that exceed the bad behaviour threshold defined as more than 5% of user sessions showing excessive wake lock usage over a 28-day period face serious consequences. These apps may be excluded from prominent discovery surfaces and recommendations on the Google Play Store. Additionally, Google may display a battery drain warning on the app's store listing, alerting users that the application "may use more battery than expected due to high background activity."

Exemptions and Smart Tracking

Not all wake locks count against an app. The system exempts wake locks that provide clear user benefits and cannot be optimized further, such as those used for audio playback or user-initiated data transfers. This intelligent approach ensures that apps providing valuable background services aren't unfairly penalized.

What This Means for Users and Developers

For Android users, this initiative promises longer battery life and greater transparency about which apps consume excessive power. The warning labels will empower users to make informed decisions about app installations and usage.

For developers, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity. They now have until March 2026 to audit their apps, optimize wake lock usage and ensure compliance with the new standards. The Android Vitals dashboard provides comprehensive debugging tools, including system traces and Profiling Manager API for capturing wake lock behaviour in real-world conditions.

Conclusion

Google's wake lock tracking metric represents a significant step toward improving Android's battery performance. By combining platform data with real-world insights and providing developers with powerful diagnostic tools, this initiative aims to eliminate excessive battery drain while maintaining the functionality users expect from their favourite apps.