AI’s memory crunch is coming for Android apps

Google is making changes to its requirements for Android apps as developers face industrywide memory chip shortages driven by the AI data center boom. This week, the tech giant announced two new app quality requirements, one of which is focused on reducing apps’ memory usage and optimizing its code.

By AI NewsroomPublished about 11 hours agoUpdated about 3 hours ago2 views

AI’s memory crunch is coming for Android apps

Why It Matters

This story touches on google, memory, android — topics readers are actively tracking. Review and add editorial context before publishing.

Key Facts

Fact 1: Developers have until February 2027 to meet the new thresholds, documented on Google’s Android Developer site.
Fact 2: In addition, the company will require all Play Store apps to meet the Zero Tap Sign-In requirement during device migrations by April 2027.
Fact 3: Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011.
Fact 4: You can contact or verify outreach from Sarah by emailing sarahp@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at sarahperez.01 on Signal.

The company explains that the mobile industry is now facing “significant hardware supply constraints that are altering device memory availability,” which can then, in turn, affect the consumer’s experience with their devices. To address this, Google is now establishing new performance thresholds across several areas, like dynamic memory usage and bitmap usage. In addition, Google is adding code optimization requirements designed to prevent things like app slowdowns and crashes related to performance.

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