Google tells Android app developers to cool it on memory use, or else

Key Facts

• Fact 1: by Allison Johnson Aug 27, 2026, 6:33 PM UTC Allison Johnson is a senior reviewer with over a decade of experience writing about consumer tech.
• Fact 2: The memory limitations were first introduced with Android 17, appearing first on Pixel phones.
• Fact 3: It’s probably no coincidence that the base configurations of the Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL come with less RAM than last year’s models.
• Fact 4: As Android 17 rolls out to the wider ecosystem, Google warns developers that they’ll need to play nice with a much bigger 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.” Google has a pretty clear directive if apps misbehave: “If your app exceeds these limits, it will be slowed down and may be terminated.” But yesterday’s post hints at even bigger… ramifications (I’m so sorry): “Apps and games that do not meet these thresholds may see reduced app visibility and publishing capabilities on Google Play.