It's a long-standing problem where overly aggressive power management tweaks break functionality in plenty of apps, resulting in a headache for developers and frustration for users.

That's one of the platform's benefits, but it's also a drawback, because it means manufacturers can come up with their own methods for things like power and memory management, sometimes in ways that kill the default behaviors developers expect and rely on.

Google could impose a strict limit, benchmark, or test for expected background and notification delivery behaviors via its Google Mobile Services licensing agreements — which are required for manufacturers to get access to the Play Store, Play Services, and other Google apps — but according to today's answer, the company won't go quite that far (though I believe it should).

Instead, it will be updating its compatibility definition document for Android 11 "to make sure device manufacturers are alerting users of app restrictions in a timely manner," — in other words, to let customers know if and when their apps are interfered with as a result of power management, and let them override that action if it happens, probably via a notification.

Google further reiterates that it doesn't allow manufacturers to create "allow lists" for apps that circumvent these behaviors, since it hinders competition — though we're pretty sure manufacturers like OnePlus are doing it anyway, given the inconsistency in delayed notifications on messaging services on that company's phones.

Developers can also take advantage of that new crash reasons API to see how and why their app crashed — not that it really matters for customers, and not that developers can actually do anything about it, if it's a result of overly aggressive power management on the part of manufacturers.

Google should have its developers' back on this issue, and the company can and should do more here to fix this problem, and I see this as passing the buck