Google Play is making a significant policy shift that directly impacts how developers approach app performance, quality metrics, and long-term App Store visibility. Android has begun beta testing excessive partial wake lock reporting, creating a new standard for identifying and addressing battery drain sources. Beginning March 1, 2026, apps that fail to meet defined quality thresholds may face reduced visibility in prominent discovery surfaces, and in some cases, may display warnings on their Google Play Store listing. This is a notable change in how Google evaluates app health, one that developers cannot ignore if they want to maintain or improve their organic performance.
Wake locks are a core system capability that allows apps to prevent a device from entering sleep mode, enabling them to perform important tasks in the background. However, when they are used improperly or excessively, they contribute heavily to battery drain. Google is now measuring this behavior at scale and penalizing apps that demonstrate poor performance. This update matters across both engineering and App Store Optimization (ASO) because visibility is increasingly tied not only to metadata quality and conversion performance, but also to technical stability and responsible background resource usage.
This week’s App Store News will break down the new excessive wake lock guidelines, explain how they intersect with your ASO strategy, and outline the steps developers need to take to ensure compliance before enforcement begins in 2026. By understanding these updates now, teams can avoid costly ranking losses and maintain a healthy presence on Google Play’s most valuable discovery surfaces.
Android is rolling out a more transparent and enforceable system for measuring excessive partial wake locks. This update is currently in beta testing and designed to help developers identify, diagnose, and correct wake lock overuse before penalties begin.
Wake locks allow apps to keep the device awake even when the screen is off. While this can be beneficial for certain use cases, such as streaming audio or processing a user-initiated data transfer, it can also lead to unintended battery drain. In an effort to drive better user experiences, Google is creating a defined quality standard that apps are expected to meet.
Android has now established a clear threshold for what constitutes excessive behavior. This represents a significant evolution from previous metrics, where developers could gain general performance insights but lacked a direct connection between wake lock usage and potential consequences for Store visibility. By defining explicit rules and enforcing them at the discovery level, Google promotes more responsible development practices and creates new incentives for teams to monitor and optimize background processes.
The core of this update is the formal introduction of a bad behavior threshold for excessive partial wake locks. Apps will be evaluated using the following definitions:
A user session is considered excessive if it holds more than two cumulative hours of non-exempt wake locks within a 24-hour period.
This is a strict measurement that reflects how aggressively an app is keeping a user’s device awake. Sessions that cross this threshold contribute significantly to battery drain, which directly impacts user satisfaction, uninstall rates, and long-term retention.
Some wake locks are exempt. These include system-held locks that provide a clear user benefit and cannot be reasonably optimized further. Examples include audio playback and user-initiated data transfers. While these behaviors are permitted, developers must ensure that any other wake locks are justified, efficient, and closely monitored.
The second part of the threshold is based on scale. It is not enough for a single user or isolated scenario to trigger an issue. Instead, Google has established that:
An app crosses the bad behavior threshold when at least 5 percent of its user sessions over a 28-day period are excessive.
This rolling window helps normalize the data, accounting for fluctuations while still capturing persistent behavioral issues. Once an app exceeds this threshold, developers will receive an alert directly on the Android Vitals overview page. This gives development teams a clear opportunity to identify the problem, analyze the cause, and implement corrective measures.
The most significant part of this update takes effect on March 1, 2026. If an app repeatedly exceeds the excessive wake lock threshold, Google Play may remove the title from its most valuable discovery surfaces. These include recommendation modules, category highlights, and other placements used to drive organic discovery for high-quality apps.
In some cases, Android may also apply a warning label on the app’s store listing. This is a strong user-facing signal that can reduce conversions, increase uninstall rates, and damage reputation. Combined with decreased visibility across recommendations, this can rapidly diminish an app’s ability to grow organically.
Google Play has long emphasized app performance as a core ranking factor. Metrics such as crash rate, ANR rate, startup times, and permission misuse already contribute to store visibility and placement within recommendation systems. Excessive wake lock usage is the latest addition to this quality ecosystem, meaning developers should treat it with the same level of importance as traditional performance metrics.
This change reinforces a broader trend in App Store governance. Search optimization alone is no longer enough. Developers must ensure their apps perform reliably, efficiently, and without unnecessary resource consumption. Performance quality is ASO. As these metrics begin to influence ranking algorithms, high-performing apps will have a competitive advantage, while non-compliant apps risk losing visibility, despite having strong metadata or creative optimization.
The new wake lock monitoring and enforcement timeline gives developers a significant lead time to diagnose and resolve issues. The beta testing phase is already underway, which means developers can view early metrics, identify patterns, and begin making adjustments immediately.
Waiting until 2026 to address excessive wake lock behavior is risky. The longer an app holds problematic patterns, the more likely those patterns will compound with new features, updates, or background processes. By the time enforcement begins, teams may face substantial technical debt that requires urgent optimization.
Because the bad behavior threshold is session-based, teams must evaluate not only the existence of wake locks but also how often they are triggered, how long they remain active, and how they interact with user behavior.
Technical optimization is only one piece of the puzzle. Developers must also recognize that Store visibility and organic discoverability are influenced by multiple layers. A healthy technical foundation supports ASO effectiveness. Apps penalized for performance issues will struggle to benefit from metadata improvements, creative testing, or keyword expansion, as visibility loss limits their impact.
While performance metrics such as excessive wake locks are essential for maintaining baseline visibility, developers must continue to strengthen their ASO strategy to stay competitive. App Store Optimization works in conjunction with performance improvements to ensure users can find the app, understand its value, and convert successfully.
Keyword research remains one of the most important components of Google Play ASO. Developers should be targeting relevant, high-volume, and high-intent keywords that align with their core functionality. Titles, short descriptions, and long descriptions must all be optimized to ensure they are ranking efficiently.
A strong app metadata strategy includes:
Developers should also conduct A/B testing on their store listing. Google Play experiments allow teams to compare icons, screenshots, videos, and descriptive content to determine which variations drive the strongest conversion rates. Data-driven creative decisions ensure that the store listing is optimized for both performance and user engagement.
As Google’s ranking algorithms continue to evolve, the relationship between performance metrics and ASO will become even more interconnected. Strong metadata can increase search visibility, but only strong app quality can sustain it. If an app violates excessive wake lock thresholds, visibility will drop regardless of how strong its keyword or creative strategy is. For this reason, both engineering and marketing teams must collaborate closely to protect long-term discoverability.
The best preparation strategy includes three core actions.
First, monitor wake lock behavior early and often. Developers should treat the beta period as an opportunity for diagnostic work. Reviewing wake lock distribution, session length, and exempt versus non-exempt behavior will provide insight into where optimizations are needed.
Second, invest in backend and system-level improvements. Many issues stem from background services that remain active longer than intended. Developers should refine scheduling logic, minimize unnecessary background activity, and carefully evaluate the behavior of third-party SDKs.
Third, strengthen ASO foundations. While performance optimization helps maintain visibility, strategic metadata, search optimization, and creative testing help grow it. As developers improve wake lock performance, they should also improve keyword research, increase metadata relevance, and test new creative strategies.
Combining performance quality with ASO optimization ensures an app remains competitive across both ranking systems and user conversion funnels.
Android’s new excessive wake lock threshold represents a major shift in how Google Play evaluates app quality. With the enforcement date set for March 1, 2026, developers have a limited but valuable window to identify wake lock issues, strengthen their technical performance, and protect their long-term visibility. Apps that fail to meet the threshold risk losing access to prominent discovery surfaces and may display warnings on their store listings, both of which can significantly reduce organic reach and user acquisition.
At the same time, developers cannot overlook the importance of strong ASO practices. Data-driven metadata, strategic keyword research, and focused A/B testing work in tandem to drive performance improvements, ensuring maximum visibility and optimal conversion. Google Play continues to reward apps that offer both technical excellence and clear, compelling value.
By taking a proactive approach today, teams can safeguard their ranking potential, maintain user trust, and build a more resilient ASO strategy for the future.
If you want to strengthen your ASO strategy, refine your metadata, improve your Google Play performance, or prepare your app for the upcoming wake lock changes, our ASO services can help. Reach out, and let’s chat about how we can support your next steps.
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