Google is introducing new Android app quality requirements aimed at reducing memory usage and improving performance as hardware supply constraints affect the amount of memory available in some devices. The company says the changes are intended to help apps remain stable, particularly on lower-cost Android phones where memory capacity may be more limited.
In its official developer announcement, Google said developers will need to meet new thresholds covering areas such as dynamic memory and bitmap usage. The company is also adding code optimization requirements intended to reduce slowdowns, crashes, and other performance problems.
Google Adds New Memory Performance Thresholds
The new rules respond to what Google describes as significant hardware supply constraints affecting device memory availability. Those constraints come as demand for memory chips rises across AI data centers and other computing infrastructure.
Google is giving developers new tools that can identify when an app exceeds the required memory thresholds. Developers can then use those warnings to adjust code and reduce resource consumption before the requirements begin affecting app quality assessments.
More diagnostic tools are scheduled to arrive later this year. These include additional information from Android’s Memory Limiter, which is designed to prevent apps from consuming excessive device memory.
Developers have until February 2027 to comply with the new Android app quality requirements.
Play Store Apps Will Also Need Zero Tap Sign-In
Google is introducing a separate requirement for apps that include user accounts. By April 2027, Play Store apps with optional or mandatory sign-in will need to support Zero Tap Sign-In Restoration when users move to a new Android device.
The requirement uses Google’s Restore Credentials API to automatically restore a user’s authenticated state during device migration. The goal is to let users continue using an app on a new device without manually signing in again.
The requirement applies to apps distributed through Google Play that use account-based sign-in. Developers will need to implement the restoration process alongside the new memory and performance standards over the coming months.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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