Android 17 expands per-app memory limits as Google targets RAM-hungry software

Google is expanding Android 17's per-app memory limits beyond Pixel devices over the coming year, asking manufacturers and developers to prepare for stricter control of applications that consume excessive RAM. When an app reaches its allocation, Android can move memory pages into compressed zRAM, which keeps the process alive but may slow it down. If memory consumption continues climbing, the operating system can terminate the offending process before it degrades the entire device.

Google says the goal is to prevent one badly behaved application or memory leak from causing broader UI stutter, battery drain and the termination of otherwise healthy background apps. Manufacturers are expected to adopt the system across devices ranging from 4GB to more than 16GB of RAM. The change is relevant to gaming because modern titles, emulators and AI-heavy applications can have large memory footprints.

Well-optimised games should continue functioning normally, but poorly managed workloads may experience throttling or closure. Google is providing new profiling and optimisation tools so developers can identify memory leaks before users encounter them.