Google is cracking down on apps that secretly drain your battery

TL;DR

• Google has issued new app quality guidelines to prevent apps from excessively draining your phone’s battery life.
• Starting March 1, 2026, if an app is found to be holding wake locks excessively, it will be penalized on the Play Store.
• Apps responsible for excessive battery drain will display a warning label on the Play Store and may lose visibility on prominent discovery pages, such as recommendations.