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The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7Pro are the first Android smartphones in history to only support 64-bit apps: sorry, incurable Flappy Bird fans, but you’ll have to choose another smartphone! Google has not made official announcements, but the community of geeks and super enthusiasts including Mishaal Rahman of Esper.
This switch-off has been in the works for years: SoC CPUs have been 64-bit for some time now, and must include specific hardware for 32-bit compatibility. Also, the Play Store only allows 64-bit apps (both new and updated) since 2019. By the way, even outdated apps that have never been updated to 64-bit are no longer available in the Play Store since last year.
Apparently, the two new Google smartphones are based on a still “hybrid” build of Android 13, which still contains traces of the 32 bits; specifically, both 32 and 64-bit userspace, while Zygote, the Android process responsible for launching applications, is 64-bit only. Interestingly, the Pixel 7’s SoC, the Google Tensor G2, is theoretically capable of running 32-bit apps: all three of its core classes support AArch32 instructions.
Recently, rumors have emerged that the Pixel Tablet, scheduled for release next year, will take another step forward and mount a build of the entire Android 13 64-bit only. Android 14 will complete the journey and will only be 64-bit by default, so the news will extend to devices from all manufacturers.
Therefore, advantages and disadvantages on the user side? In reality, very few will notice it in a concrete way: as we said, by now 32-bit apps have practically disappeared from the scene for some time, so it is extremely unlikely that you will find yourself unable to use usual software. Flappy Bird himself, however viral he was at the time, is now forgotten – not to mention the fact that you can find all the clones you want. The “intangible” benefits include greater security, better performance and responsiveness – and in the future, chipmakers may stop implementing 32-bit instructions in their microprocessors, freeing up valuable space to fill with more modern hardware, for the benefit of power. .
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