Which Android version introduced background execution limits?

Android 8.0 introduced background execution limits.

Released in 2017 as Oreo, Android 8.0 introduced background execution limits to reduce battery drain and improve performance. The system placed tighter controls on apps that were not actively visible, particularly their ability to run background services and receive certain implicit broadcasts.

Before Oreo, an app could often keep a service running in the background with relatively little user awareness. Android 8.0 made that model more restrictive: background apps could be stopped from freely launching services, and many manifest-registered implicit broadcast receivers were no longer allowed. Developers were encouraged to use scheduled work, such as JobScheduler, or visible foreground services when immediate activity was necessary.

A common mix-up is crediting Android 7.0, which introduced some earlier broadcast restrictions. Oreo made those restrictions more comprehensive and added the major background-service limits usually meant by the phrase “background execution limits.” The rules initially focused especially on apps targeting API level 26 and higher, although users could enable many restrictions for older-targeting apps as well.