Android 13 could help you save phone battery life with a smart new feature

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Android 13's will warn you about excessive background battery drain

android 13 logo on a pixel 4a
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Good battery life is one of the most important features any phone can offer, but all it takes is one rogue app to cause serious problems. Thankfully, it sounds like Android 13 is coming with a feature that will warn you anytime an app uses excessive power in the background.

The Android 13 Developer Preview has revealed a number of new features designed to keep your phone running for longer. Among them is a system notification that shows when an app is draining your battery while not in direct use.

Notifications won’t appear more than once every 24 hours. In other words, you better get in the habit of not absentmindedly dismissing notifications. It’s something I’ve been guilty of in the past, and I’m probably not the only one who does it.

However, some apps will be exempt from the rules including system apps, companion device apps, VPNs, apps with a Dialler role, device and profile owner apps, as well as apps the user has specifically set to offer “unrestricted” functionality in the settings.

Android 13’s first two developer previews are already available, while Google’s roadmap suggests beta versions of the software will launch just after April. The stable final version of the app is set to arrive later this year, likely in the fall.

Tom Pritchard
Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.