Google is forcing Android apps to use less memory, and AI chip shortages are why
A global shortage of memory chips, driven by AI data centres gobbling up supply, is about to change the rules for every app on your Android phone.
Key points
- Google announced two new Android app quality requirements in 2025, both tied to tighter limits on memory use.
- Developers have until February 2027 to meet the new memory thresholds or risk removal from the Play Store.
- A separate rule, due April 2027, will require apps to restore your sign-in automatically when you switch Android phones.
- The shortages are hitting low-cost Android phones hardest, where less memory is already the norm.
The chips that power AI data centres and the chips inside your Android phone come from the same global supply chain. Right now, that supply chain is under serious strain, and Google says the knock-on effect is that new phones, especially budget ones, are shipping with less memory than they otherwise would.
To stop apps from making that problem worse, Google is setting new rules for every developer who wants their software in the Play Store.
What is Google actually changing?
Two new requirements kick in over the next two years. The first, and more significant, limits how much memory an app can consume while running and tightens how it handles images stored in memory (called bitmaps, blocks of data that represent pictures on screen). The second requires cleaner, better-optimised code to cut down on slowdowns and crashes caused by sloppy performance.
Developers who cross the new thresholds will get alerts from updated tools Google is rolling out now. A feature called Memory Limiter, arriving later in 2025, will give deeper diagnostics and physically prevent an app from consuming more than its allowed share of device memory.
All apps must comply by February 2027, per Google's Android Developer documentation. That deadline gives studios building large games, which tend to be the heaviest memory users, time to rewrite significant chunks of their code.
Why does this affect ordinary phone users?
If developers ignore the rules, their apps get pulled. If they comply, your apps should crash less and run faster, particularly on mid-range and budget phones where memory is tightest.
The people most likely to notice a real difference are those who own phones in the 150 to 300 dollar range. High-end flagship phones carry enough memory that one greedy app rarely causes visible problems. On cheaper handsets, it absolutely does.
| Requirement | What it covers | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Memory and bitmap limits | How much RAM an app can use while running | February 2027 |
| Code optimisation | Preventing crashes and slowdowns from inefficient code | February 2027 |
| Zero Tap Sign-In | Auto-restoring your login when you switch Android phones | April 2027 |
What is the sign-in change about?
The third requirement is unrelated to memory but lands around the same time. By April 2027, any app that asks you to sign in must automatically restore your account when you move to a new Android phone using the built-in migration tool. Google calls this the Android Restore Credentials API, a standard interface developers can plug into their apps.
In practice it means less time hunting for old passwords after a phone upgrade. The change applies to apps where sign-in is optional as well as those where it is mandatory.
The story was first reported by TechCrunch AI.
Common questions
Do I need to do anything as a phone user?
No action needed. These are rules for app developers, not users. If your apps are in the Play Store after the deadlines pass, they will already meet the new standards.
Will older Android phones be affected?
The requirements apply to new app updates submitted to the Play Store, so existing installs will update naturally over time. Phones that are no longer supported and cannot receive app updates will not benefit directly.
