Pokémon Go is ending support for some older Android phones

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In the eight years since Pokémon To go first appeared on the global scene, the app has undergone many changes. While most of these are beneficial updates, Niantic recently delivered some unfortunate news: PokemonGo will lose support for 32-bit Android devices.

If you’re using an iPhone or 64-bit Android device, don’t worry; nothing will change for you. However, gamers using the Galaxy S5, OnePlus One, Sony Xperia Z3 and other devices of similar age should consider upgrading their phone. PokemonGo will no longer be available on these devices once the update is available. Your account will still be there, but you won’t be able to play or participate in events until you load the app onto a compatible device.

In 2020, Niantic proposed taking the same action, but player backlash put an end to it. It seems that the company has decided to take another look at this issue. In most cases, dropping support for older devices has more to do with security concerns; after a while, mobile devices stop receiving security updates and become much more vulnerable to attacks by bad actors and malware.

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Trainers, we previously announced that we were phasing out 32-bit Android devices. However, in order to investigate player concerns, we are postponing this recall to a (to be determined) future date.

— Niantic Support (@NianticLend a hand) June 15, 2020

Without security updates, every part of your device becomes more vulnerable to attacks. Many developers drop support once a device reaches the end of its life, and virtually no contemporary phone is still 32-bit. Most Android phones manufactured before 2015 have a 32-bit architecture, so if you haven’t purchased a phone in the last eight years, it may be time to consider an upgrade.

Niantic has also discontinued support for 32-bit Android devices Ingress a few days ago. While the loss of support for these devices is unfortunate, it frees up more of Niantic’s resources to focus on future development of the game.

If you’re not sure if you’re using a 32-bit device, here’s how to find out. Open PokemonGo and tap the Pokéball icon. Select Settings and scroll to the bottom of the page where it says Version. The last two digits of this string will indicate the version type; if it ends in -32 you will need to update your phone. If it ends at -64, you have nothing to worry about.






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