Here’s a surprise: we knew Android was about to drop 32-bit app support soon, with the upcoming Pixel Tablet getting code check-ins to prepare it for a 64-bit version of Android . What no one noticed was that the Pixel 7 is also dropping 64-bit app support, so its release yesterday takes a big step towards the future with only 64-bit from Android. Esper Senior Technical Editor Mishal Rahman figured out the ins and outs of how this will work.
It sounds like the Pixel Tablet will still be the first with a 64-bit version of Android, and the Pixel 7 is only half a step toward that milestone. Thirty-two-bit apps are disabled via a software flag, but it doesn’t run a 64-bit version of Android yet. If you try to install a 32-bit app, you’ll see an error message saying “App not installed as app is not compatible with your phone.”
It sounds like the OS isn’t quite ready for 64-bit builds yet, since some system libraries are still 32-bit, but Google is getting there. In addition, starting with an artificial software flag is a good test case. Google can see exactly how much trouble 64-bit alone will cause and can easily disable the flag in a software update if it gets too bad.
But really, most consumers won’t notice the loss of 32-bit apps. Java apps are compiled by Android RunTime (ART), and the runtime can just create 64-bit binaries! The only concern is non-Java apps (usually games), which require the developer to create 64-bit builds. However, the Play Store has mandated 64-bit support for all update apps in 2019, so the only issues should be with leaveware apps that are several years old. The big hit of 2013 Flappy Bird seems to be the best example.
Ron Amadeo
The 64-bit-only mode will soon be a reality for new Android devices. While the Pixel 7’s Tensor 2 still has 32-bit support on every core, it’s probably the only 2022 flagship phone that can say that. This year’s flagship Qualcomm and Samsung SoCs both only support 32-bit on three of their eight cores, and Arm’s proposed X3 SoC design for 2023 has no 32-bit support at all. In view of the Chinese market, Qualcomm would reportedly be hesitant to drop 32-bit support so soon and may not follow Arm’s guidelines.
Once the full 64-bit Android builds kick in, we’ll presumably see better performance and better security by removing all that 32-bit cruft. rahman says: an internal Google study showed a 5-10 percent improvement in performance and power efficiency, and lower RAM and storage requirements.
