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Google Android Programming

Google's Transition To 64-Bit Apps Begins in August, 32-Bit Support To End in 2021 (ndtv.com) 93

Posted by msmash from the for-the-record dept.
In a bid to deliver better software experience on devices powered by 64-bit processors in the coming years, Google aims to shift Android towards a 64-bit app ecosystem. From a report: The company has now shed more light on the transition and has announced that developers will have to submit a 64-bit version of their Android apps starting August this year. This move will eventually culminate in a universal implementation of the 64-bit app policy that will be enforced in 2021, after which, Google will no longer host 32-bit apps on the Play Store accessed on a device based on 64-bit hardware. Google announced the move towards 64-bit apps in 2017, claiming that apps with 64-bit code offer significantly better performance. However, the search giant did not provide any details regarding the exceptions to the new rule or when the Play Store will cease to serve 32-bit apps. Google has now revealed that starting August 1 this year, developers must submit 64-bit versions of all new apps and app updates, alongside the old 32-bit versions prior to their publishing from the Play Store.
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Google's Transition To 64-Bit Apps Begins in August, 32-Bit Support To End in 2021 More

Google's Transition To 64-Bit Apps Begins in August, 32-Bit Support To End in 2021

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  • Wither x32 ABI (not x86) :/ (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Etcetera ( 14711 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2019 @02:03PM (#57973358) Homepage

    If there was ever a case for actual use of the x32 ABI, performance and memory restricted devices with 64bit processors in a controlled ecosystem would definitely be it.

    Most people aren't going to be needing 64bits for memory on an Android device any time soon -- rather than letting it be pulled from the kernel [slashdot.org], the why not push for performance and efficiency in the areas where it still actually counts?

    • Re:Wither x32 ABI (not x86) :/ (Score:4, Informative)

      by Desler ( 1608317 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2019 @02:10PM (#57973380)

      64-bit for ARM has very little to do with memory in most cases. It's for the improved AArch64 instruction set.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by bobby ( 109046 )

        64-bit for ARM has very little to do with memory in most cases. It's for the improved AArch64 instruction set.

        Yeah, thanks for that. Either I'm confused, or most people are. AFAIK, 64-bit refers to the data word size, NOT address bits. I'm not aware of any CPU with 64 hardware I/O bits of address.

    • How about neither x32 nor x64. These are ARM devices.

  • Here, new ideas. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    For desktops and servers: AMD64, AArch64 and RISC-V 64-bit.

    For mobiles and embedded systems: AArch64, ARM, RISC-V 32-bit and RISC-V 64-bit.

    The architecture i386 is dead, nobody wants it.

  • I have a Samsung Galaxy S3, which has a 32-bit processor. In fact, the first 64-bit CPU in the series was with the S6. The S5 is still a very nice phone. It would be a shame if something happened to it's apps. It's particularly annoying if I want to install something that I know I had on it once, but it says it's no longer compatible, and the older compatible version is long gone.

    I fully understand wanting to have everything work in a 64-bit only world, but at the same time, they should strive to avoid

    • Yeah, it was bloody annoying and inconvenient when Apple did this with iOS 11 a while back, and I'm pretty sure it'll be annoying and inconvenient for you Android users as well.

      People like to gloss over this with "well, the developers just need to check a box" - but there is a fair bit of software out there that is still useful but unmaintained. Lots of studios have gone tits up over the past 5-10 years; and lots of software has been abandoned after bigger studios bought out smaller developers.

      I didn't thi

    • Fortunately, Android users aren't as hamstrung as iOS users. You can convert your existing 32-bit Android apps to raw APK files [google.com]. Save those on your computer and install them onto your older device by side-loading. Actually, I suspect when Google drops 32-bit-only apps from the Play store (making it impossible for 32-bit devices to use the Play store), other Android app repositories will take up the slack and continue to offer them. Depending on how many 32-bit devices are still in use in 2021, it might

    • The galaxy S3 was launched in 2012. They are planning on pulling support in 2021 -- that seems like they have supported it above and beyond the expectation of 5-6 years.

      • Its not about when a phone first ships, its about when a phone stops being sold. Recently I bought a dirty cheap Galaxy S4 pay as you go. I wanted Android 4.4 for development testing. You can't quite trust the emulator. I expect S3 were sold until quite recently.
        • Did you buy a new Galaxy S4 recently? Where? That's a pretty old phone, I didn't expect it being sold as of 2019.
          • Summer 2018, Walmart, S4 Mini w/ 4.4. It was a dirt cheap prepaid phone. Never enabled the prepay, the wifi was all I needed for development testing.
          • FWIW a Sprint Prepaid phone. Seems new. Maybe Sprint offers it elsewhere or from them directly.
  • We have to get rid of 32 bit support to prepare for the future 128 bit systems.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Kjella ( 173770 )

      We have to get rid of 32 bit support to prepare for the future 128 bit systems.

      CERN probably thinks so... they're up to 230 PB stored now, that's 58 bits and the limit is 16384 PB for a 64 bit address space. If they keep up the exponential growth they need 128 bit in a little over a decade. Well either that or use the D: drive...

  • Like it or not, there will be systems using 32 bit by then. Being embedded systems and legacy apps. It's time to fix the problem now instead of just "dropping support" but making 32 bits work in the future.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • For desktop PCs, support for 32-bit has been winding down for some time now, so it's no surprise that mobile computing would do the same. It has taken me a couple years, but I've completely transitioned all of our home desktop and laptop PCs to 64-bit hardware and operating systems. The only 32-bit desktop PC I have is an old 80486-based system that runs Windows 3.1 just for nostalgia (my first PC). 32-bit has had a good long run, but everybody knew the age of 32-bit computing would eventually come to an en

    • With respect, the 8-bit era is still alive today with people repairing and creating peripherals for home computers from the early 1980s. Just go to Ebay and see the trade in Sinclair ZX Spectrums (Z80) and the other home computers such as the Commodore 64 (6502). Remember the Z80 vs 6502 CPU wars ?

      It is still possible to purchase brand new 40-pin Z80 CPUs https://uk.farnell.com/zilog/z... [farnell.com] so 8-bit is not yet fully dead... long live the Z80 !

      • You're absolutely right, no "obsolete" technology ever really dies. Kerosene lanterns, muskets, and tintype cameras are still being used, but only as curiosities and not for day-to-day use in the 21st century. Similarly, 8-bit computing will never die as long as there are hobbyists and nostalgic techies who enjoy a simpler time or want to push old technology to its limits. But for common modern computing usage (such as web surfing, multimedia, graphic design, desktop publishing, video editing, servers, etc.

        • Well, my ZX Spectrum has a SD card reader for game storage and works with LCD monitors. The designer used 3D printing to make a suitable case for the SD card adaptor. Now games load instantly, no need to wait 5 to 10 minutes for the games to load off tape! 8-bit is still alive and kicking in the 21st century.

          And consider that the amount of available RAM was 48KB, games had to be designed well, no room for bloatware.

  • Only 19 years to go until Y2038 hits on 19th January 2038.

    See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

    Note 64-bit systems greatly help to avoid Y2038 failures but anything using 32-bit time may fail or may have limitations.

    Ever noticed that you can't set Android's date past 2036 ? I guess this is to ensure that Y2038 issues are not hit. I wonder whether 64-bit Android removes this limitation ?

  • Claiming 64 bit code is faster than 32 bit? False, it is slower for many common operations.

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