A new statistic that will assist app developers in identifying problems with misbehaving Android apps that result in needless battery drain is being beta tested by Google, the company stated. As part of a new beta, app developers may now identify excessive wake locks, one of the main causes of battery depletion when a smartphone is idle, using a new Android Vitals measure. According to the business, optimized Android apps on the Google Play store may eventually be highlighted using the new criteria.
New Android Vitals Metric Identifies Battery Drain Caused by Excessive Wake Locks
In a blog post detailing the newest addition to the Android Vitals metrics, Google says that it now allows developers to see a new metric that identifies excessive wake locks. A wake lock is a feature used by an app that allows it to use the phone’s CPU in the background, even when the screen is locked. Wake locks prevent the handset from going into a low-power state, which means that the device’s idle battery drain will increase.
While developers can make use of partial wake locks to complete certain tasks like syncing photos or downloading content after the display is turned off, apps that use wake locks too often can cause heavy battery drain on a smartphone.
According to Google, the purpose of the new Android Vitals measure is to assist developers in monitoring “excessive wake locks”. According to the corporation, an app would be considered to have “excessive” usage if it maintains partial wake locks for three hours in a 24-hour period. The freshly released material on excessive wake locks is available to developers.
Additionally, as part of the continuous effort to address excessive wake locks, OEMs will share “user experience insights” with Google. According to Google, this is a “multi-year plan” to assist developers in creating Android smartphone apps that use fewer resources.
“Samsung is thrilled to work with Google Play and Android on these new performance measures. We hope to assist developers in creating really optimized apps that provide outstanding speed and battery life throughout the ecosystem by sharing our user experience insights. According to a prepared statement from the South Korean corporation, “We think this partnership will result in a more consistent and satisfying experience for all Android users.”
Google also states that it will think about including information in the Google Play store that could alert customers to apps that are optimized if the excessive wake locks measure is generally available. In the upcoming months, the business may also implement other measures to monitor other crucial performance concerns.
