Google announces new performance thresholds for Android apps including memory-use limits, citing the AI-induced memory crunch (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)

Google has announced fresh performance benchmarks for Android applications, prompted by a memory crunch attributable to the AI-driven surge in data center demand for memory chips. The tech behemoth revealed two new app quality requirements, one of which targets app memory usage reduction and code optimization. Google notes the mobile sector is grappling with "significant hardware supply constraints" that alter device memory availability, impacting users' device experience.

To tackle this issue, Google is setting new performance thresholds across various parameters, including dynamic memory and bitmap usage. Moreover, Google is introducing code optimization mandates to avert app slowness or crashes caused by performance issues. To assist developers, Google will launch new alert tools notifying them when their apps breach the new thresholds, enabling them to optimize their code.

Additional diagnostic tools, including a Memory Limiter feature, will be released later this year to monitor apps that consume excessive device memory. The new requirements aim to ensure a seamless Android app and game experience while adapting to a market with potentially limited memory availability, especially for budget-friendly devices.

Developers have until February 2027 to comply with the new thresholds, as per Google's Android Developer site. Furthermore, Google plans to enforce the Zero Tap Sign-In requirement for Play Store apps during device migrations by April 2027. This stipulation mandates that apps with sign-ins, be they optional or mandatory, automatically restore the user's sign-in state when transitioning between Android devices using the Android Restore Credentials API.