According to Xda-developers reports, although Google has been working hard to drop support for 32-bit applications on Android in the past few years, it may take some time before 32-bit applications become the past. To speed up the process, though, Google may soon bring a new change to Android that warns users when running 32-bit apps on 64-bit systems.
A code change submitted to AOSP Gerrit highlights a new warning that pops up whenever a user runs a 32-bit app on a 64-bit system. Screenshots show that a warning message will tell users that the application needs to be updated by the developer to improve compatibility and urge them to check for updates or contact the developer.
It’ll take a few years for Android to drop 32-bit app support, as even current flagship SoCs still have some 32-bit capable cores. Though Google Play required devs to upload 64-bit versions of apps way back in Aug 2019, 32-bit apps and games are still reportedly popular in China.
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) April 4, 2022
The idea behind the move is to push developers to build 64-bit versions of their apps, but it’s unclear when Google will implement the change. It’s important to note that Android already shows a similar warning when the user tries to run an app that doesn’t meet the minimum target SDK requirements. Google implemented this change in Android 10, and the company now plans to update the minimum supported target SDK level to 28.
As required by the update, Android will start warning users when they try to run an app targeting Android 8.1 Oreo or earlier. However, this change has also not been applied to the current Android 13 version.