Navigating Android’s New Challenge: How ROIBest PWA Offers Developers an Alternative

Recently, Google announced that all Android apps must complete 16KB memory page adaptation by May 1, 2026, otherwise they will no longer be able to publish updates on Google Play.

This requirement means that not only must an app’s own code be recompiled to support 16KB memory pages, but also every third-party SDK it relies on must update accordingly. Otherwise, apps may fail to launch on newer devices.

Starting with Android 15, the system can opt for 16KB memory pages to optimize device performance. While this configuration consumes slightly more memory, it delivers notable performance improvements:

• Average app startup time reduced by 3.16%, with some cases up to 30%

• Startup power consumption reduced by 4.56%

• Camera warm start speed improved by 4.48%, cold start by 6.6%

• System boot time shortened by about 8% (≈950 ms)

As a result, adapting to 16KB memory pages has become an unavoidable technical challenge for Android developers.

For most teams, the key difficulties in 16KB memory page adaptation lie in two areas:

1. Unadapted third-party SDKs – If an SDK is closed-source or not yet updated, developers must seek alternatives or negotiate with vendors.
2. Low-level build and compilation changes – NDK, CMake, and Gradle configurations may need modification to ensure ELF segments align correctly to 16KB.

While updating the NDK or adjusting packaging methods may provide technical fixes, for resource-constrained teams, this process remains time-consuming and high-risk.

Against this backdrop, Progressive Web Apps (PWA) are emerging as an option that developers are increasingly exploring.

ROIBest PWA offers a distribution pathway that bypasses traditional app store reviews and mitigates some hardware or system adaptation issues:

• Since PWAs primarily run on web technologies, developers do not need to adjust low-level ELF segment alignment for each Android kernel version.

• Updates and iterations can be delivered server-side, without resubmission to Google Play or other app stores.

• PWAs rely less heavily on third-party SDKs, reducing risks from SDKs that fail to adapt to 16KB memory pages.

It’s important to note that PWAs are not a universal solution to compatibility issues. However, when policy changes and hardware upgrades create distribution barriers, they provide a flexible and cost-efficient fallback.

• Audit dependencies early: Verify whether third-party SDKs and in-house code support 16KB memory pages.

• Test on key devices: Use emulators or physical devices to validate app performance under 16KB memory page environments.

• Explore alternative distribution: Consider PWA technology to lower adaptation costs while maintaining global reach.