Pokemon go buy a new phone - Niantic halts 32-bit development

[williamcll]

So anyone with a qualcomm 801 or most if not all phones before 2016 is going to have a hard time.

Quote

As of August 2020, Pokemon Go will stop supporting 32-bit Android devices, which means that older smartphone owners will not be able to access their accounts on devices at all. This might force you to upgrade your device if you are insistent on continuing to play your favorite Pokemon-catching game. Most devices released in or before 2015 will be affected by this.

Niantic has this to say:

Quote

Only Trainers with 32-bit Android devices are affected by this change. Android users on 64-bit devices and iOS users are not affected and do not need to take any action. If you're unsure whether your Android device is 32-bit or 64-bit, check with your device manufacturer. Most Android phones manufactured before 2015 are 32-bit. If your device has at least 4GB of RAM, it is highly likely that your device is a 64-bit model. 

Examples of devices on 32-bit Android (note that this list is not exhaustive):

• Samsung Galaxy S4, S5, Note 3, J2, J3
• Sony Xperia Z2, Z3
• Motorola Moto G (1st gen), Nexus 6
• LG Fortune, Tribute
• OnePlus One
• HTC One (M8)
• ZTE Overture 3

What do I need to do?

If you’re using a 32-bit Android device, you’ll need to obtain a compatible 64-bit Android device or iOS device to continue playing Pokémon GO. Before obtaining a new device, we also recommend saving your account login info (i.e. your login provider, email address, and password) so you can log back into your account on your new phone.

 

Why this change?

By removing support for 32-bit Android devices, we are able to streamline our development process and focus resources on supporting newer operating systems and technologies. 

Source: https://www.hk01.com/數碼生活/485501/pokemon-go-舊android機就快玩唔到-即睇邊部32bit舊機種受影響 (for image)

https://niantic.helpshift.com/a/pokemon-go/?p=web&s=troubleshooting&f=discontinued-support-for-32-bit-android-devices

https://9to5google.com/2020/06/12/pokemon-go-32-bit-android-support/

Thoughts: I know most people probably stopped playing PKMN GO for awhile already, but it's still one of the most active around google play. This looks like a regular cost saving measure but I know a few people who still uses phones from 5 years ago.

[Nena Trinity]

That sucks. 

[Haro]

People still play this game ?!

[williamcll]

2 minutes ago, TofuHaroto said:

People still play this game ?!

It's still more popular than Mario Kart tour and Identity V at least over here.

[Haro]

Just now, williamcll said:

It's still more popular than Mario Kart tour and Identity V at least over here.

Why ?! 

Didn't this game cause so much trouble 

[Drama Lama]

Sorry you pikashu does not support 32 bit

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, TofuHaroto said:

Why ?! 

Didn't this game cause so much trouble 

the pokemon industry is pretty big, takes a lot to make it lose something. Also it is banned in some countries (ex. Turkey)

[Craftyawesome]

A lot of budget phones seem to use 32 bit android to save memory. For example, the moto g5 plus and moto g7 play are 32 bit AFAIK.

[poochyena]

I'd be surprised any phone from 2015 or older can even still play the game. Maybe very high end 2015 phones. I doubt this affects very many people.

[TetraSky]

Well, this sucks. Kids with their parent's old phone won't be able to play the game anymore.

I hope they at least got hardware info of their players and determined that only a small minority would be affected, if not, they are shooting themselves in the foot.

[suicidalfranco]

meh dropped the game when they banned me 

[atxcyclist]

6 minutes ago, suicidalfranco said:

meh dropped the game when they banned me 

Just curious, what did you do in order to get banned from a Pokemon game?

[suicidalfranco]

3 minutes ago, atxcyclist said:

Just curious, what did you do in order to get banned from a Pokemon game?

used farm bots

[porina]

2 hours ago, williamcll said:

Thoughts: I know most people probably stopped playing PKMN GO for awhile already, but it's still one of the most active around google play. This looks like a regular cost saving measure but I know a few people who still uses phones from 5 years ago.

Do any of these phones still get security updates? 5 years is practically forever in phone terms. 

 

2 hours ago, TofuHaroto said:

People still play this game ?!

I do, almost daily. I'm not the most hardcore, but if I'm on a walk, I'll usually have it running.

[Loote]

I wonder if it's just cost saving measure or some features are just really hard  to make to work on 32 bit SOC. Since I destroyed my OPO, every device in my home is compatible anyway, but Redmi Note 4X(which is still compatible)  worked much worse than Oneplus One(which will become incompatible soon), so I'd be pissed if those still were the devices I had.

[Zodiark1593]

3 hours ago, Loote said:

I wonder if it's just cost saving measure or some features are just really hard  to make to work on 32 bit SOC. Since I destroyed my OPO, every device in my home is compatible anyway, but Redmi Note 4X(which is still compatible)  worked much worse than Oneplus One(which will become incompatible soon), so I'd be pissed if those still were the devices I had.

It probably isn’t the 32-bit vs 64-bit itself, but rather, ARMv-7 vs ARMv-8. If a developer wants to use features exclusive to ARMv-8, they’d require a separate build for ARMv-7 if they wish to support that as well. 

[Fred Castellum]

I can confirm the OnePlus One can no longer run the game. 

 

7 hours ago, TofuHaroto said:

People still play this game ?!

I play every single day when I go out for my daily walk. 

[Andreas Lilja]

Out of the loop.

 

32 bit phones are how old?

 

Saw the S5, that's six years old...

[Spotty]

6 hours ago, poochyena said:

I'd be surprised any phone from 2015 or older can even still play the game. Maybe very high end 2015 phones. I doubt this affects very many people.

The game game out in early 2016. Most people playing it when it came out were likely on 2015 or older phones.

When it came out there were local Facebook groups for it and they were sharing tips on which older/cheap phones could run the game (so people's kids could play without spending hundreds on a new phone). You definitely did not need a "high end 2015" device to play the game, at least not for the first year or so. I'm unsure if anything has changed since then. When it came out I played it on a nexus 5 which was from 2013 and not even a flagship device. 

 

I'm sure Niantic has statistics on what percentage of players are using 32bit devices and they must feel that it's low enough that continuing to support it isn't worth it, and going forward that number is only going to drop further... However, I'm sure there are still a lot of people who play this on their old phone (or their parents old phone) who won't be able to continue playing without buying a new(er) phone. 

[Dabombinable]

Huh. I just upgraded from the 2018 J2 Pro (ARM Cortex A53 based though 64bit), and my Mum just upgraded from her S5 (had it for 6 years). For us at least - not an issue.

[DrMacintosh]

Hmm, Apple introduced the worlds first consumer ARM processor with the A7 in 2013. 
 

There is no excuse or valid reason for 32Bit handsets to still be in use after this long. 

[ImAlsoRan]

1 minute ago, DrMacintosh said:

Hmm, Apple introduced the worlds first consumer ARM processor with the A7 in 2013. 
 

There is no excuse or valid reason for 32Bit handsets to still be in use after this long. 

100% agree. Developing for different versions of ARM is a pain and a half.

[poochyena]

12 minutes ago, Spotty said:

The game game out in early 2016.

yea, and there have been many updates since then. I think around 2018 the ram requirement double. My low end phone from early 2016 could barely play the game in 2016. It would freeze if too many pokemon were on the screen. It wasn't an easy game to run, and today with the extra updates, its even harder.

[Spotty]

1 minute ago, poochyena said:

yea, and there have been many updates since then. I think around 2018 the ram requirement double. My low end phone from early 2016 could barely play the game in 2016. It would freeze if too many pokemon were on the screen. It wasn't an easy game to run, and today with the extra updates, its even harder.

I haven't played in years. What did they change/add that made it more difficult to run?

[poochyena]

20 minutes ago, Spotty said:

I haven't played in years. What did they change/add that made it more difficult to run?

idk when or what it was specifically, I just know requirements went up ~2 years ago. Might have been raids, upgraded buddy system, pvp battling, or any number of things.