OEMs are Required to Implement Android Oreo’s Strict Background App Limitations

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The Android Oreo changelogs are out, and there are some interesting additions which many already know about. There’s Project Treble, security changes and so on. One of the biggest changes is how background applications behave. They no longer have free reign over the device, and Android System will induce restrictions on anything abusing a background process. There was some speculation that OEMs may tweak this in an effort to control how apps behave on their own. Thankfully, it seems this won’t be happening, as Google is requiring OEMs to implement ALL of Android Oreo’s strict background app limitations made to improve battery life and memory usage.

In the Android Oreo Compatibility Definition Document, Google specifically states that OEMs are not to tamper with the background app limitations. I included a screenshot of the section mentioned below.

There is also a very stern warning against tampering with these settings on the Android Git. It seems Android Oreo is very much an upgrade for the consumers in terms of fighting bad practice from OEMs, rather than an upgrade with more features.

Google seems to realize that certain OEMs love to implement their own versions of background app management features, but in doing so it causes a massive headache for application developers who don’t know how their app might behave on certain devices.

Thus, this is a good change both for end users and developers alike. End users can rest assured that they will enjoy the battery life and memory usage improvements offered by Android Oreo’s background app limits, and developers won’t have to worry about their apps functioning too differently in the background on other devices.

By adding these requirements to the Compatibility Definition Document, if manufacturers break these rules then their devices will not receive Google Play Store certification, meaning the affected devices cannot come with the Google Play Store pre-installed. We’re happy Google is taking a stance against poorly coded apps and OEM modifications, and happy to see that these changes are being enforced across all Android 8.0 Oreo devices.