Google is cracking down on Android apps that use too much memory

Google is now getting tougher on Android apps that use a lot of memory.

In a blog post, the company says Android 17’s per-app memory limits will expand to more devices over the coming year, ranging from devices with 4GB to over 16GB of RAM.

Essentially, if the app reaches its allocated limit, the system will move some of the app’s data into compressed memory (also known as zRAM). This can help keep the app running, but it might make it feel a bit slower, since the device has to use extra processing power to do so. From there, if the app continues using too much memory, Android can even terminate it altogether.

As Android Authority pointed out, this could mean fewer instances of a phone becoming sluggish due to one particular app demanding more and more of the device’s RAM. The tech giant now wants devs to optimize their apps to stay within the new limits and advises them to “audit [their] memory footprint.”

Google is also offering devs new tools, resources, and references to help them identify and fix problems that could cause apps to use a lot of memory.

Honestly, this will be really useful for people who tend to keep their devices longer. With apps now forced to optimize, users on devices with limited memory might see fewer slowdowns. The only trade-off, though, is that apps that do need a lot of memory could slow down or close if the developer doesn’t optimize them.

Source: Google Via: Android Authority