Google just made an announcement that could mark the death of many Android phones.
Google says that starting with Android 15, the minimum storage for devices will skyrocket, making some devices obsolete.
The new requirements mean that phones and tablets will need at least 32GB of storage to run the Android OS.
In reality, you will need much more capacity, as 75% of the 32GB must be allocated to the data partition.
Add to this the fact that Android 15 will take up close to the full 16GB, and it makes sense that Google has moved the minimum requirements to this new threshold.
Google has tried to keep its mobile OS as minimal as possible, but it has grown to a point where devices with at least 16GB of storage are left with little room for apps or anything else.
This means that the cheaper end of the Android smartphone market can no longer save money by offering smaller capacity devices.
Considering that Android 13, released in 2022, required at least a jump from 8GB to 16GB, the growth rate is pretty fast. Now, in just a few years, it has doubled in size.
Can Google implement new capacity?
Technically, Google can’t force manufacturers not to produce smaller capacity phones as long as they use the open source version of Android (AOSP).
What Google can do is enforce this rule on companies that want to ship phones with Google Mobile Services (GMS) included as part of the package. To obtain a GMS license, devices must meet some of the directive’s minimum requirements, including a new capacity of at least 32GB of storage.
It may seem circumventable, but without a GMS license, your device won’t be able to access core Google services like the Google Play Store or Google Play Services.
On the plus side
This can be a good thing as it means budget phones will run more smoothly while providing a better user experience.
This also means greater capacity for apps and games on your device, which is never a bad thing.