Google is changing its Android app requirements as memory constraints ripple from the AI infrastructure buildout into the mobile supply chain, according to TechCrunch. The company announced two new app quality requirements this week, including one aimed at reducing app memory use and improving code optimization. The new rules target app performance across areas including dynamic memory usage and bitmap usage, TechCrunch reports. Google is also adding code optimization requirements intended to reduce performance-related slowdowns and crashes. The rationale is supply-side as much as software-side. TechCrunch reports that Google pointed to significant hardware supply constraints that are changing how much memory may be available in devices. The pressure matters most at the lower end of the Android market, where price-sensitive phones may have less room to absorb higher memory costs or tighter component availability. Google is also giving developers tools to adapt. According to TechCrunch, the company is rolling out alerts that tell developers when their apps exceed the new thresholds, so teams can take action by optimizing code. More diagnostics are expected later in the year, including deeper visibility from a Memory Limiter feature that prevents apps from using too much device memory. The compliance window is not immediate, but it is now on the calendar. TechCrunch reports that developers have until February 2027 to meet the new memory and performance thresholds, which are documented on Google’s Android Developer site. Google is pairing the performance changes with a separate Play Store migration requirement. By April 2027, TechCrunch reports, all Play Store apps with user sign-ins — whether optional or required — must meet the Zero Tap Sign-In standard during device migrations. That means restoring a user’s signed-in state when they move between Android devices using the Android Restore Credentials API. The broader signal is that Android app quality rules are beginning to reflect hardware scarcity, not just software best practice. If memory availability tightens for some devices, especially lower-cost phones, Google’s answer is to push developers toward leaner apps and more predictable behavior before users feel the constraint as lag, crashes, or broken migration flows. Who benefits: Users of lower-cost Android devices could benefit if apps are forced to run within tighter memory budgets. Developers that already profile memory use and optimize code should face less remediation work before the 2027 deadlines. Who's exposed: App and game makers with memory-heavy Android builds are exposed to new compliance work before February 2027. Apps with user sign-ins also need to prepare for the April 2027 Zero Tap Sign-In requirement during device migrations.