Android 6.0 Marshmallow gave battery life a serious upgrade with a feature called Doze. The idea was simple and pretty brilliant: when your phone is sitting still, unplugged, and face-down in the quiet darkness like it is contemplating its life choices, Android slows background activity to save power. That means less syncing, fewer wake-ups, and a much better chance your battery will survive the night without dramatic suffering.
But there is one small catch. Sometimes Doze gets a little too enthusiastic. A messaging app may delay notifications. A work chat app may stop behaving like it has a job. A smart home companion app might decide your lights are now someone else’s problem. When that happens, you may need to exclude an app from battery optimization so Android 6.0 stops treating it like a nap-loving side character.
In this guide, you will learn exactly how to exclude apps from the Doze feature in Android 6.0, what this setting really does, when it is worth using, and what tradeoffs to expect. If you have been searching for answers about Android 6.0 Doze mode, battery optimization, or how to stop delayed notifications in Marshmallow, you are in the right place.
What Is Doze in Android 6.0?
Doze is one of the headline power-saving features in Android 6.0 Marshmallow. When your phone is not charging, the screen is off, and the device has been sitting still for a while, Android enters a low-power state. In that state, background network access is restricted, routine syncs and jobs are delayed, and standard alarms may be deferred. The goal is simple: protect battery life while the device is idle.
This is why Marshmallow felt smarter than some earlier Android versions. Instead of letting every app poke the system all night, Doze makes most apps wait their turn. From a battery-life point of view, that is excellent. From the point of view of an app that thinks every notification is urgent, it can be mildly dramatic.
It is also important to understand that Android 6.0 Doze is not the same as the later version of Doze introduced in Android 7.0. In Marshmallow, the phone usually needs to be truly still before Doze fully kicks in. So if your device is bouncing around in your pocket while you walk, Doze in Android 6.0 may not behave the way newer Android users expect.
Why Would You Exclude an App From Doze?
Excluding an app from Doze in Android 6.0 is basically telling the system, “Please stop putting this one in the sleepy corner.” In the Settings menu, this usually appears as changing an app from Optimized to Don’t optimize.
People usually do this for one reason: reliability. If an app is important enough that you want it to stay more active in the background, exempting it from battery optimization can help. Common examples include messaging apps, enterprise chat tools, VoIP apps, smartwatch companion apps, calendar reminder tools, automation apps, and certain email clients.
That said, this is not a magical “run forever and ignore physics” switch. Excluding an app can improve how it behaves in the background, but it may not remove every power-management restriction. In other words, it helps, but it does not turn your phone into a lawless frontier where every app can party until sunrise.
How To Exclude Apps From The Doze Feature In Android 6.0
Here is the standard method for stock or near-stock Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Some phone makers may use slightly different labels, such as Power instead of Battery, but the general path is usually similar.
Step 1: Open Settings
Start by opening the Settings app on your Android phone or tablet.
Step 2: Tap Battery
Scroll until you find Battery, then tap it. On some devices, this menu may appear under Power or Battery & power saving.
Step 3: Open the Battery Optimization Menu
Tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner. From there, choose Battery optimization. This is the control center for Android 6.0 battery optimization and Doze-related app behavior.
Step 4: Change the Filter
By default, you may only see apps that are Not optimized. Tap that dropdown or filter at the top and switch it to All apps. This shows the full list, including the apps that are currently being optimized by Doze.
Step 5: Select the App You Want to Exclude
Scroll through the list and tap the app you want to change. For example, maybe it is your work chat app, your smart alarm app, or the messaging app that apparently thinks “instant” means “whenever the moon is ready.”
Step 6: Tap “Don’t optimize”
A dialog box should appear. Choose Don’t optimize, then tap Done. That app is now excluded from the standard Doze battery optimization behavior.
Step 7: Repeat Only for Truly Important Apps
You can repeat the process for other apps, but restraint is your friend. If you exempt half your app drawer, Doze cannot do its job, and your battery may start dropping faster than your motivation on a Monday morning.
What Happens After You Exclude an App?
Once an app is set to Don’t optimize, Android treats it as exempt from standard battery optimization. In practical terms, that often means the app can behave more reliably in the background. Notifications may arrive more consistently, companion devices may stay connected more smoothly, and background communication may feel less delayed.
However, the result is not always dramatic. Some apps are designed well enough that they already work properly with Doze. Others have their own sync settings, notification permissions, or background-data limitations that still affect performance. So if you exclude an app and nothing changes, the problem may not be Doze alone.
The main downside is battery life. Marshmallow’s Doze feature exists for a reason, and exempted apps can use more power than optimized ones. That is why the smartest approach is not “turn everything off and hope for the best.” It is “pick the apps that matter most and leave the rest alone.”
Which Apps Should You Exclude From Doze?
Not every app deserves special treatment. In fact, most do not. A flashlight app does not need a VIP pass. Neither does a game you opened once in 2019 and forgot existed.
Apps that are often worth excluding from Doze in Android 6.0 include:
- Messaging and chat apps that must deliver timely notifications
- VoIP and calling apps that need background connectivity
- Smartwatch or fitness band companion apps
- Task automation apps
- Calendar or reminder apps where missed alerts are a real problem
- Work tools used for urgent communication
- Certain smart home or security apps
Apps that usually do not need exemption include casual games, shopping apps, wallpaper apps, media apps you rarely use, and most utilities that do not need real-time background access.
A good rule is this: if a delay would annoy you but not matter, leave the app optimized. If a delay would make you miss a call, a work alert, an alarm, or something security-related, then excluding it may be worth it.
Troubleshooting: The App Still Is Not Behaving
If you excluded an app from Doze and it still acts like it is sending notifications by carrier pigeon, try these checks:
Check the app’s own notification settings
Some problems come from muted notifications, disabled sync, or restrictive in-app settings rather than Android 6.0 Doze itself.
Restart the phone
Yes, it is the classic advice. Yes, it still works embarrassingly often.
Look for manufacturer battery tools
Some phone makers add their own aggressive battery-saving systems on top of Android. If you are using a Samsung, LG, Sony, HTC, or another heavily customized Marshmallow device, you may need to check additional power settings.
Verify background data access
If mobile data restrictions are enabled for the app, Doze may not be the only reason it is underperforming.
Update the app
Older apps were not always designed well for Android 6.0 power management. An update may improve compatibility.
Do not confuse Battery Saver with Doze
Battery Saver mode is a separate feature. If Battery Saver is on, it may impose additional restrictions that make an app feel sluggish even after you exempt it from Doze.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The biggest mistake is excluding too many apps. That defeats the whole purpose of Doze and can make battery life noticeably worse. Another common mistake is expecting instant changes while the phone is actively in use. Doze is mainly about idle-time behavior, so the difference is usually most noticeable when the device has been sitting untouched for a while.
People also sometimes assume that “Don’t optimize” means “this app is now untouchable.” Not exactly. It means Android is being more lenient with that app, but it does not guarantee perfect background behavior in every situation.
Real-World Experiences With Excluding Apps From Doze in Android 6.0
One of the most common experiences with Android 6.0 Doze is the overnight miracle. You set your phone on the nightstand at 11 p.m., wake up at 7 a.m., and the battery has barely moved. It feels like magic, or at least like your charger finally got a day off. That is Doze doing exactly what it was built to do. For many Marshmallow users, it was the first time Android really felt disciplined about standby battery life.
Then the second experience shows up: that one app. There is always one. Maybe it is a messaging app that delivers every notification in a dramatic pile the second you unlock the phone. Maybe it is a work communication app that stays suspiciously silent until you open it manually, at which point it suddenly remembers you have coworkers. Or maybe it is a smartwatch companion app that behaves as if your wrist no longer exists. That is usually the moment people start digging through battery settings and discovering the Battery Optimization menu.
In practical use, excluding an app from Doze often feels less like flipping a giant switch and more like removing a speed bump. The app may not become wildly aggressive in the background, but it usually behaves more consistently. Notifications can come through faster. Connected accessories may stay synced more reliably. Reminder apps may stop acting like “important alert” means “surprise, three hours later.”
Another very real experience is overcorrecting. Some users find the optimization menu and immediately exempt every app that has ever caused even the tiniest inconvenience. At first, this feels empowering. You are the boss now. You are curating your digital kingdom. A day later, the battery starts draining faster, and suddenly Marshmallow is no longer a battery hero. It is just a very busy phone. That is why a selective approach works best.
There is also the confusion caused by manufacturer skins. On one Marshmallow phone, the path may be clean and obvious. On another, the same setting is buried under an extra menu with a title like Power manager, Battery usage, or something equally eager to waste your afternoon. Many users think Doze is missing when it is really just renamed, relocated, or hiding behind a three-dot menu like a tiny software goblin.
For work users, the most noticeable difference after excluding an app is peace of mind. If your job depends on Slack-style chat, email alerts, or a calling app that must stay reachable, battery optimization can feel less like a helpful feature and more like a passive-aggressive coworker. Exempting the right app or two can make the phone feel dependable again without destroying battery life across the board.
And for everyday users, the biggest lesson is simple: the best Android 6.0 Doze setup is usually a balanced one. Let Doze handle most apps. Exclude only the few that truly need background freedom. That way, you still get the excellent standby battery savings Marshmallow was known for, while keeping the apps you care about from falling asleep on the job. In other words, you want your phone to rest, not ghost you.
Final Thoughts
If you need to exclude apps from the Doze feature in Android 6.0, the process is straightforward once you know where to look. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery optimization, switch the view to All apps, choose the app, and select Don’t optimize. That is the heart of it.
The smarter part is deciding which apps deserve that exception. Doze is one of the best battery-saving features Android 6.0 introduced, so it is worth preserving whenever possible. Exempt the few apps that genuinely need timely background access, leave everything else optimized, and your Marshmallow phone should strike a much better balance between battery life and reliability.
