Google Raises Minimum RAM and Memory Specifications for Android Smartphones

Google has raised the minimum specifications for smartphones that run on Android and offer the company's Google Mobile Services (GMS). The search giant has increased the minimum amount of RAM and storage that must be available on a smartphone in order for it to ship with the Play Store and Play Services. The minimum specifications are still considerably lower than most entry-level smartphones today, that offer a usable experience at a relatively lower price. New devices must also offer support for sharing emergency contact information while contacting emergency services.

Smartphones to Require at Least 6GB of RAM With Android 16

Android Authority spotted the updated minimum specifications for smartphones that ship with Android 15 and Google's apps and services. If manufacturers want to ship new smartphones with Android 15, they will need to include at least 32GB of built-in storage. Google previously increased the requirement from 8GB of inbuilt storage to 16GB, after the release of Android 13.

Google has also specified that smartphone makers will need to allocate 75 percent of the built-in storage must be reserved for user data. Most entry-level smartphones today ship with 64GB (or more) inbuilt storage, and this has become a necessity due to the increasing size of applications.

The minimum amount of RAM available on a smartphone running Android is now 4GB, which means that handsets with 3GB of RAM must run on Android Go, which is optimised for less capable handsets. Google will once again  increase the minimum amount of RAM to 6GB when Android 16 comes out, so phones with 4GB of RAM will also need to use Android Go in the future.

Phones shipping with Android 15 must be equipped with chips that support the Vulkan 1.3 (or newer) 3D graphics and compute API, according to Google. These handsets must also support emergency contact sharing with emergency services.

Besides these changes, Google has also strongly recommended the inclusion of hearing aid support over Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) with the Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) protocol on Android 15 smartphones. This will eventually become mandatory for handsets launching with Bluetooth 5.0 and Android 16.