Anyone who understands a bit of programming or is simply curious about the world of applications (or even programs, if we are talking about a computer) will know that there are 32-bit APK e 64-bit APK. We will see between poco what is the difference between the two. Xiaomi, Oppo e live announced today they have decided to end support for 32-bit APKs to focus solely on 64-bit support. A drastic decision that provides, gradually, the abandonment of the first category in favor of the second. Developers, therefore, will have to start adapting.
Xiaomi, Oppo and vivo say goodbye to support for 32-bit apps. Starting this year, systems will only support 64-bit
In accordance to announced on the official website Chinese, Xiaomi together with Oppo and vivo jointly promoted the domestic Android ecosystem to upgrade support for 64-bit architecture. This means that both official app developers (those that are installed from official stores) and unofficial (APKs that do not go through official stores) must start adapting. There is one scaletta according to which this change will take note:
- end of August 2022: Android smartphone hardware will support 64-bit systems and will only receive 64-bit APK packages. however, the 32 bits will work (like, we'll see later)
- end of 2023: Hardware will only support 64-bit APK and 32-bit apps will not work on devices
Consequently the transition phase it will last throughout 2022 at least for Xiaomi, Oppo and vivo. Xiaomi also released a tutorial on its official Chinese site which will help developers create apps with the new architecture.
It should be remembered that the new core Cortex-X2 and the core Cortex-A51, which we find on the most recent processors, have completely abandoned support for 32-bit architecture. At present, only the core Cortex-A710 is still compatible with 32-bit architecture. This means that on all ARM v9-based flagship SoCs (such as the Snapdragon 8 series, Dimensity 9000, Exynos 2200) will only make 64-bit apps work.
But what's the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit apps?
For more information and insights we recommend this article: 32 bit vs 64 bit: What is the difference?
The number of bits in a processor refers to the size of the data types it handles and the size of its register. Simply put, an a 64-bit is more powerful than a 32-bit processor, because it can handle multiple data at once.
Until a few years ago, the main advantage of 64-bit apps wasn't all that visible. In fact, only smartphones with RAM greater than or equal to 4 GB they could see the difference. Compared to a SoC that supports 32-bit architecture, the 64-bit one has the ability to process multimedia content much faster thanks to the ability to manage much more information at the same time.
But is 64-bit better than 32-bit? It depends, like all things. If we use a 32-bit application on a 64-bit system, the app will travel at a lower speed as it does not support the amount of data in the system. So how do you know if an app works at 32 or 64 bit? An easy way is to use the APK AnTuTu Benchmark. By tapping Info in the lower bar we will be able to understand if the tested app is 32 or 64 bit. We remember that the official application has been withdrawn from the Play Store therefore it can be installed on our smartphone only through third-party portals.
