Android 16 KB page-size support: how to tell if native .so libraries affect your app

Android’s 16 KB memory page-size requirement is separate from the target API requirement. An app can target the correct API level and still need additional native-code work.

What is the Google Play requirement?

Google’s current Android guidance says that apps targeting Android 15 / API 35 or higher must support 16 KB memory page sizes on 64-bit devices. Starting November 1, 2025, new apps and updates submitted to Google Play that target Android 15 / API 35 or higher must support 16 KB page sizes on compatible devices.

This matters most when an app contains native code, either written by the app developer or bundled indirectly by a third-party SDK.

What does a .so file mean?

Android native shared libraries normally appear as files ending in .so, often under ABI folders such as arm64-v8a. If your APK or AAB contains these libraries, the artifact deserves a deeper compatibility check.

A .so file does not automatically mean the app is incompatible. It means you should verify how those libraries were built and aligned rather than assuming a pass.

What if the app is Java/Kotlin only?

Google’s Android documentation states that apps using only Java or Kotlin code, including their libraries and SDKs, already support 16 KB devices in this respect. Google still recommends testing the app in a 16 KB environment for regressions.

Why target SDK alone cannot prove 16 KB readiness

targetSdk describes the Android platform behaviour the app targets. Native page-size compatibility is about compiled native binaries and packaging/alignment. They are different checks.

That is why Creator Quest Studio treats native libraries as a deep-check signal. If none are packaged, the checker can report that no native .so libraries were detected. If they are present, it does not display a fake green compatibility result.

What normally needs checking when native libraries are present?

• Which ABIs and .so files are packaged.
• Whether they come from your source or a third-party SDK.
• The Android Gradle Plugin and NDK versions used to build/package them.
• ZIP alignment of uncompressed native libraries.
• ELF segment alignment inside each native library.
• Whether prebuilt third-party libraries have newer compatible releases.
• Runtime testing on a 16 KB environment.

Tooling matters

Android’s current guidance recommends Android Gradle Plugin 8.5.1 or higher for correctly packaging uncompressed shared libraries on 16 KB boundaries. NDK r28 and higher build 16 KB-aligned native libraries by default; older NDK versions can require explicit linker configuration.

Those are source/build-system facts, so they cannot be proven from a simple target-SDK badge.

Check whether your artifact contains native code

Run the free APK/AAB check →

If native libraries are detected, treat the result as the beginning of the investigation rather than the end.

Last verified: 17 August 2026

Official references

• Android 16 KB page-size guidance
• APK Analyzer