Google to introduce new restrictions for Android apps due to memory shortage

Google will introduce new requirements for apps and games in Google Play starting February 2027 to limit excessive RAM usage. Apps that systematically exceed set thresholds may lose rankings in the store and face restrictions on publishing updates.

The company explained the decision by rising memory costs and a shortage of hardware components, due to which smartphone manufacturers cannot endlessly increase RAM capacity in new devices.

According to Google, the market situation is such that some new smartphones retain the same amount of RAM or even receive less physical memory, while app requirements continue to grow.

Google will monitor memory consumption

The new requirements will apply to apps and games published through Google Play. The company is adding several metrics to Android Vitals to assess resource usage.

In particular, Google will start tracking dynamic memory usage by apps, including active and compressed memory, as well as RAM occupied by graphic bitmap images.

Consumption will be assessed separately for different app states: when it is open by the user, running as a service, in the background, or cached.

Google will use data from the last 28 days, focusing primarily on the 90th percentile. This should help distinguish single spikes in memory usage from a systematic problem.

Limits will depend on the smartphone's RAM size

Google will set different thresholds depending on the device's physical memory and the type of app.

For example, for a regular app running in the foreground on a device with about 4 GB of RAM, the threshold will be 2 GB. On devices with 6 and 8 GB RAM, it will be 2.25 GB, with 12 GB — 3.25 GB, and with 16 GB — 4.25 GB.

Restrictions for background operation will be much stricter. On a smartphone with 4 GB of memory, an app will be limited to 1 GB, with 8 GB — up to 1.5 GB, and with 16 GB — up to 2 GB.

Separate thresholds are set for games, as they typically require significantly more resources.

Apps may lose visibility in Google Play

The new rules will take effect in February 2027. If an app or game regularly exceeds the specified metrics, the developer will receive warnings through Play Console.

Subsequently, such apps may face reduced visibility in Google Play and publishing restrictions.

Google emphasizes that high RAM usage affects not only the specific app. A poorly optimized app can slow down the entire smartphone, lead to the closure of other background apps, and degrade multitasking.

In Android 17, the company has already started implementing system-level memory restrictions for individual apps. Initially, the mechanism appeared on Pixel devices, but over the next year, other Android smartphone manufacturers are also expected to adopt it.

If an app exceeds its allocated memory, Android will first begin moving data more aggressively into the compressed zRAM area, increasing CPU load. If consumption continues to grow, the system may terminate the app's process.

Google also requires optimizing software code

Alongside RAM restrictions, Google is introducing a new minimum optimization level for DEX code.

Starting February 2027, developers will need to ensure at least 25% coverage of optimization, code shrinking, and obfuscation using R8 or similar tools.

This requirement will apply to regular apps with DEX code larger than 10 MB and to games where it exceeds 50 MB.

According to Google's estimates, optimization should simultaneously reduce memory consumption, speed up app launches, and decrease the number of freezes.

Another new rule will take effect in April

Starting April 2027, Google Play will also require apps with a login system to support Zero-Tap Sign-In when users switch to a new Android smartphone.

The app must automatically restore authorization data via the Restore Credentials API so that after transferring to a new phone, users do not have to enter login and password again.

Games will be exempt from this requirement initially.

Thus, Google is simultaneously tightening requirements for RAM usage, code optimization, and the procedures for transferring apps between devices. Most of the new rules will come into force in Google Play in February 2027.

Sources: Android Developers, Google Play Console Help