April 15, 2025, 2:32 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Google is the leading developer of the Android operating system, but it can only impose limited requirements on smartphone manufacturers. However, new minimum standards are intended to ensure that users do not receive low-quality technology.
Android 15 has been available since September 2024. While most flagship smartphones have received the update, many owners of more affordable models are still waiting. Whether it will actually arrive is questionable, as Google has now raised the installation requirements, challenging budget smartphones.
Google Sets New Minimum for Smartphone Storage
For the installation of Android 15, a minimum of 32 gigabytes (GB) of internal storage is now required, as reported by “Android Authority.” Seventy-five percent of this must be available for the so-called data partition. This is the storage where, in addition to pre-installed system apps and data, all user files and apps are stored.
Devices with less than 32 GB of internal storage are, therefore, not compatible with Android 15. This affects both new devices and those that are supposed to receive the update. Google last increased the minimum requirement with Android 13 in 2022 from 8 to 16 GB.
Requirement Applies to Smartphones with Google Apps
As a fundamentally open-source operating system, Google cannot prevent smartphone manufacturers from using the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) for their devices. This is beneficial, as otherwise many devices could not be equipped with the OS—such as coffee and kitchen machines, printers, or refrigerators. Many “dumb phones,” classic keypad phones without touchscreens, also often run on Android.
These devices, however, do not need to access Google’s Mobile Services (GMS). These form the actual foundation for Android as we know it: Google Play Store and Google Play Services. Google only provides its Mobile Services to licensed partners—and they must meet the requirements. So, anyone who wants to pre-install the Play Store and classic Google apps (Gmail, Chrome, Photos) on an Android smartphone must now necessarily include 32 GB of storage.
Google hopes this measure will improve the user experience on budget devices. While almost all smartphones already have more than 32 GB of storage, some budget tablets still have models with 32 GB or less.
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Further Changes for Android 15
In addition to the new storage requirement, Google is also introducing a security-related update for GMS usage. Smartphones must have the option to transmit emergency contacts to rescue services along with the location during emergency calls. The goal is for emergency responders to quickly contact relatives or friends to obtain additional information in critical situations. Users must actively consent to this data sharing.
There is also a slight adjustment regarding RAM. Since Android 14 in the Go Edition (a special version for budget devices), smartphones with 2 GB of RAM must support low-memory optimization. With Android 15, this also applies to devices with 3 GB of RAM. In the future, this requirement could even apply to 4 GB of RAM, further enhancing the user experience.