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Guide · AndroidUpdated October 9, 2026

Android 16 KB page size: the Google Play requirement and how to check it

Google Play requires apps targeting Android 15 (API level 35) or higher to support 16 KB memory page sizes on 64-bit devices. Starting February 1, 2027, if your updates do not support 16 KB pages, you cannot release them. Apps with native code need a rebuild. Apps in pure Kotlin or Java do not.

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01

The rule

From Android Developers, “Support 16 KB page sizes” (last updated 2026-09-16 UTC), fetched October 9, 2026.

Requirement
“All apps targeting Android 15 (API level 35) and higher must support 16 KB memory page sizes on 64-bit devices on Google Play.” Android Developers: Support 16 KB page sizes
Date
“Starting February 1, 2027, if your app updates don’t support 16 KB memory page sizes, you won’t be able to release these updates.” Android Developers: Support 16 KB page sizes
Pure Kotlin or Java
“If your app only uses code written in the Java programming language or in Kotlin, including all libraries or SDKs, then your app already supports 16 KB devices.” Google still recommends testing in a 16 KB environment. Android Developers: Support 16 KB page sizes
Other dates
The page gives only one date, February 1, 2027. It states no separate date for new apps. Android Developers: Support 16 KB page sizes
02

Does your app use native code

Google says your app uses native code if any of the following apply.

  • Your app uses any C/C++ (native) code. If it uses the Android NDK, it uses native code.
  • Your app links with third-party native libraries or dependencies (such as SDKs) that use them.
  • Your app is built by a third-party app builder that uses native libraries on device.
03

How to check your build

Five checks from the same page.

  1. 1. APK Analyzer

    In Android Studio choose Build > Analyze APK and look in the lib folder for .so files. If there are none, the app does not use native code.

  2. 2. Alignment script

    On Linux or macOS run check_elf_alignment.sh APK_NAME.apk. It prints ALIGNED or UNALIGNED for each arm64-v8a library.

  3. 3. zipalign

    Run zipalign -v -c -P 16 4 APK_NAME.apk. A successful result ends with “Verification successful.”

  4. 4. llvm-objdump

    Run llvm-objdump -p on each shared object and confirm that no load segment is aligned below 2**14.

  5. 5. RELRO segment

    Use llvm-readelf -Wl to find the GNU_RELRO segment and verify (VirtAddr + MemSiz) % 0x4000 == 0.

04

Questions about 16 KB page sizes

When does the 16 KB requirement start?

February 1, 2027: after that date Google Play will not let you release updates that do not support 16 KB memory page sizes.

Which apps are affected?

Apps targeting Android 15 (API level 35) or higher that use native code, including native code from third-party SDKs.

Does a Kotlin-only app need changes?

Google says an app written only in Java or Kotlin, with libraries and SDKs that are too, already supports 16 KB devices. It still recommends testing.

Is there a separate date for new apps?

The Android Developers page names no separate date for new apps. It gives February 1, 2027 for app updates.

05

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Sources

  1. Android Developers: Support 16 KB page sizes

Checked October 9, 2026.