v147 · device memory api · privacy · shipped
Update Device Memory API limits
Chrome 147 updates the memory buckets reported by the Device Memory API (navigator.deviceMemory and the Device-Memory client hint), expanding the upper range on desktop and removing low-end Android buckets to better reflect today's device landscape. Ships in Chrome 147 on all platforms.
at a glance
| Shipped in | Chrome 147 (desktop, Android, WebView) |
|---|---|
| Status | Enabled by default |
| Finch flag | kUpdatedDeviceMemoryLimitsFor2026 |
| ChromeStatus | 6330376953921536 — Update Device Memory API limits |
what changed
The Device Memory API reports RAM in privacy-preserving buckets rather than the exact amount. Chrome 147 updates these buckets to reflect current hardware in 2026:
| Platform | Before Chrome 147 | Chrome 147+ |
|---|---|---|
| Android | 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8 | 1, 2, 4, 8 |
| Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux) | 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8 | 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 |
The low-end buckets (0.25 GB and 0.5 GB) are removed on Android — virtually no current Android device ships with less than 1 GB RAM. The upper range on desktop expands to 16 GB and 32 GB to accommodate high-end workstations.
Source: blink-dev Intent to Ship: Update Device Memory API limits (mail-archive msg15601), Chrome 147.reading device memory
// navigator.deviceMemory returns one of the new bucket values
console.log(navigator.deviceMemory);
// Android: 1, 2, 4, or 8
// Desktop: 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32
// Code that relied on values below 1 will never match on Android in Chrome 147+
if (navigator.deviceMemory < 1) {
// This branch is now unreachable on Android
showLowMemoryMode();
}browser support
| Chrome / Edge | 147 (all platforms) |
|---|---|
| Firefox | Not supported |
| Safari | Not supported |