Apple stopped the support of 32-bit apps back in 2017. Now, it seems things are changing on the Android side too. The newly launched Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro appear to be the first set of Android phones that only support 64-bit apps.
Mishaal Rahman revealed on Twitter that the Google Pixel 7 series might be the first 64-bit-only Android smartphone. In addition, several users reported that their new Pixel phones were unable to sideload certain apps, likely the 32-bit ones. However, the new Pixels are not running on a 64-bit-only version of Android. If users try to install 32-bit apps, Google blocks them by displaying the message “app not installed as the app isn’t compatible with your phone”.
This change will not impact your experience because, over the past decade, Google has spent a significant amount of time building up support for 64-bit in Android. The Google Play Store has required all apps to have 64-bit support since August 2019, and it also stopped serving 32-bit apps without 64-bit support.
You won’t easily find a 32-bit app these days. We can think of just one 32-bit-only app: Flappy Bird, which was a fad for a short period of time. What are the benefits of 64-bit apps? Well, nothing noticeable on the users’ end. However, 64-bit apps are more secure, offer better performance, and reduce processing costs.
In related news, the upcoming Pixel tablet is reported to debut with a 64-bit-only version of Android 13. Google has not confirmed it yet, but if the tablet actually ships with a 64-bit-only architecture, it will be among the first Android devices to do so.
RELATED:
