The Pixel 7 Has Finally Paved a Way for 64-Bit Only Devices to be More Common
Esper editor Mishal Rahman revealed on Reddit that the Pixel 7 series could be the first 64-bit-only Android phone. The reason behind that is simple, a lot of users are unable to install 32-bit apps on their phones. Rahman asked an XDA-Developers writer to sideload Flappy Bird, but the writer got a message saying that the game “isn’t compatible with your phone.” The game will still run on other powerhouse phones like the Galaxy S22 Ultra and even on the more affordable Galaxy A52s, and Galaxy A32. Rahman also mentioned that the Android 13 build for Pixel 7 still includes the 32-bit system libraries but with a “64-bit-only zygote," meaning that you will not be able to run 32-bit apps. However, all of this is even more interesting knowing the fact that the Tensor G2 found in the Pixel 7 phones still offers CPU cores with 32-bit support. This should not come as a surprise since Google has directed since 2019 that all new apps need to offer 64-bit versions instead of just 32-bit, and developers are slowly working towards that. Not just that, Google has also stopped giving apps without 64-bit versions to 64-bit capable Android devices since August 2021. This means that a lot of users will not even run into issues such as app compatibility.
