Android supports 64-bit apps after Lollipop arrives in 2015, but they are not necessary. But now, Google has stepped up the law … or rather, it will. As of August 2019, Android apps will have to support 64-bit code. They will not have to ditch 32-bit compatibility, but they can not cling exclusively to the past, either. Finally, there are Android devices that support only 64-bit code, Google noted. So it is important that developers make the leap.
There are requirements coming sooner than that. In August 2018, new apps will have to target Android Oreo’s programming interface. They will not need oreo, but they will not get away with skimping on newer features, either. Updated apps will have to make the advancement in Nov. Google also will step the requirement forward with each New Year, preventing devs from getting too comfortable.
A security upgrade is coming in early 2018, although coders will not have to worry about those. The company is sprinkling a “little amount” of security metadata in early 2018 to prove that apps by the Play Store. Think of it as a “badge of authenticity,” Google said.
Google is not exactly on the cutting edge of the mobile 64-bit support. Apple started demanding 64-bit code for iOS apps in Feb 2015, and iOS 11 dropped 32-bit apps in Sep. However, this is bound to have a significant impact on the smartphone world. Currently, that Android app developers have no choice but to step up their game, you should see the overall feature support improve. The 64-bit requirement won’t magically lead to faster or more powerful apps, but it could encourage developers to fine-tune their apps if they have been overly cozy with 32-bit software.
