Google to punish Android apps that use too much memory
What's the story
Google has announced a crackdown on memory-hungry Android apps, in response to the ongoing RAM crisis. The company recently issued a memo highlighting its role in enforcing new memory-usage restrictions on the Play Store. The guidelines stress the need for developers to adhere to these limits "to help developers navigate industry-wide hardware constraints and Android's broader memory limits."
Policy implementation
Wider range of devices
The new memory limits were first seen with Android 17 on Pixel phones. As the update spreads across devices, Google warns developers to be mindful of a wider range of devices.
"Over the coming year, an increasing number of manufacturers will leverage the Android per-app memory limits across their portfolio of device RAM configurations from 4GB to 16GB+ devices," it said.
Enforcement measures
Reduced visibility on Google Play
Google has made it clear that apps that exceed the new memory limits will be slowed down or even terminated.
The company also hinted at more serious consequences, saying, "Apps and games that do not meet these thresholds may see reduced app visibility and publishing capabilities on Google Play."
These measures will come into effect from February 2027, giving developers some time to adapt.
Developer support
New performance thresholds
In light of the changing hardware landscape, Google is introducing new performance thresholds for dynamic memory usage and bitmap usage.
The company is also adding code optimization requirements to prevent unintentional app slowdowns or crashes.
To help developers adjust to these new standards, Google will introduce diagnostic tools later this year, including a memory limiter feature that offers deeper insights into device memory consumption by apps.
User experience
Zero tap sign-in requirement for all Play Store apps
Along with the performance and memory requirements, Google has also mandated all Play Store apps to comply with the Zero Tap sign-in requirement during device migrations by April 2027.
The standard requires apps to maintain users' sign-in state when they switch between Android devices using the Android Restore Credentials API.
This move is aimed at improving user experience across different devices.