Overview
- Google officially announced the new requirements on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, and said enforcement begins in early 2027 with memory thresholds starting in February and Zero‑Tap Sign‑In required in April.
- The memory policy sets measurable limits on dynamic memory (anonymous RSS plus swap), bitmap memory, and DEX code efficiency and requires at least 25% optimization coverage from shrinking tools such as R8.
- Google has begun adding Play Console and Android Vitals tools that report dynamic memory metrics, bitmap use, DEX optimization insights, and a new filter for out‑of‑memory terminations to help developers diagnose problems.
- Android 17’s per‑app memory limiter, which uses zRAM compression and can throttle or terminate processes that exceed budgets, is being rolled out beyond Pixel devices and underpins Play’s new enforcement model.
- Apps that miss thresholds may face reduced store visibility or publishing limits, games are temporarily exempt from Zero‑Tap Sign‑In, and developers are urged to audit heaps and bitmaps now to avoid disruptions in February and April 2027.