Update (Thu 18th Jun, 2020 01:30 BST): It looks like Niantic has had second thoughts about dropping support for older Android devices in its next update. This will now be postponed until it's collected more data. Here's the important post it made on its support page:
Important update (June 15, 2020): To investigate player concerns, we are now postponing this deprecation to a (TBD) future date. We'll be using this additional time to collect more data on impacted devices. We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion caused, and will update in advance when we move forward with the deprecation.
Original Story (Fri 12th Jun, 2020 01:30 BST): Niantic has revealed the August update for its augmented reality mobile game Pokémon GO will end support for 32-bit Android devices. The reason behind this is so that it can "streamline" development and focus resources on newer operating systems.
64-bit Android devices and iOS users will not be affected, and won't have to take any action. Here are some examples of Android phones that will no longer be able to run GO:
- 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
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.
Obviously, once this update is released, affected trainers will no longer be able to access the game, their accounts, their PokéCoins, or items in their Item Bag. For more information about this, visit the official GO help page.
Will you require a phone upgrade this August to continue playing Pokémon GO? Leave a comment below.
[source pokemongolive.com]
Comments 38
Makes sense. Everyone knew all apps would go 64 bit only at some point. This isn’t windows lol
This will put the nail in the coffin for the misadventures of trainer Costaldo and his current buddy "My futuer" The Machamp. Hopefully he can at least rev up Genesect before the 32-bit doomsday!
It's not surprising but this is another aspect of the mobile market I really dislike. I used my Galaxy S5 up until only a couple years ago, and my S8 is only a couple years old but I'm already being pressured to upgrade it. They push you hard as apps are no longer supported, even if you've been able to use them just fine for years on the device.
Phone companies hate people like me, because from my point of view phones have not improved significantly in years. We went from just cell phones to camera phones - real upgrade. Then we added in MP3 players - real upgrade. Then we got "smart phones" with apps - real upgrade. And since then all they have done is "improve" smartphones. A little faster, a slightly nicer screen, every time. But that's really it.
....I don't even care for this game anymore and I still checked to see what phone I had. lol
@Heavyarms55 Ha, literally same for me, went from an S5 to my current S8. For me, it's a simple matter of usability. Most of my phone usage is just for internet browsing, music, or the odd mobile game, and as long as my S8 can do that stuff at snappy speeds, I see no reason to drop several hundred bucks on another phone. Just bananas to me that people would rather buy a marginally upgraded new phone every year!
@SwitchVogel Right? I only even replaced my S5 cause the battery was going and they make it harder to replace a phone battery than the phone itself! And though I have no proof, I very much think that is deliberate.
Apparently, I have a Sony Xperia XZ, so I should be okay. I couldn't remember what it was exactly... I had to check in the settings! 🤭
@nintendolife the last part of the article is a bit misleading.. its true that people using the older mobile phones cant access their game, items, pokecoins etc.. but once they log in to their Pokemon Go account with another supported phone, they can access their Pokemon Go data once again.
@Heavyarms55 oh? I miss my s5 BECAUSE the battery was so easy to replace
@RhiannonRune I don't mean that it was hard to actually physically replace it. I mean finding a compatible replacement.
Rip my phone. I just happened to have a Note 3.
@Heavyarms55 I take it you dont own a Switch as you're still happy with your Wii U?
Only kidding, kinda, but game development should not be held back by people not having current phone models. 64bit phones launched in 2014 so they have been around longer than the Switch and Pokemon Go itself.
To be honest, Pokemon Go is a pretty demanding app in its Android version, I honestly wouldn't have ever recommended running it on a 32bit phone anyway as it would very likely overheat your phone
@Heavyarms55 it was like 20 bucks on amazon for a super high capacity replacement. Like 8000MaH
@YorkshireNed oh yes on my old phone it would get extremely hot, and just slurp the battery life away.
Most of the time I couldn't use mobile data to play the game because the heat somehow affected that too.
@Strictlystyles Microsoft actually announced it's ending support for 32-bit OSes, but the backwards compatibility will likely remain
@STiger exactly what I mean, in windows there’s so many essential 32 but apps that it still needs to be supported , but not so much In the phone app world.
@SwitchVogel I do color guard, so those “marginal” camera and performance improvements have me upgrading my iPhone every year. You only get one chance to take an amazing photo or video, and I don’t exactly want it to look like 2015 smartphone.
@Heavyarms55 Have you ever taken a photo with a modern smartphone? The quality difference alone makes upgrading worth it. And I think dumping phones from 2014 is pretty reasonable. At this point you can get a good phone for $300 outright, so it’s not like it’s that big of an expense to just upgrade every now and then.
@echoedvoez THIS! Excellent point: Apple, Samsung and Google all are putting out affordable new phones this year.
@echoedvoez Naw, I don't agree at all. If it ain't broken I shouldn't be pressured to fix it. My S5 and S8 take pictures just fine.
@Heavyarms55 I’d argue they take bad pictures just fine, but 5 years is an acceptable time to drop support for a device. No developer want to support some decrepit phone that can barely run the things they envision. Especially something like Pokémon GO that uses AR and 3D heavy graphics. I’d happily let them axe older devices if I get a better experience and new features.
@echoedvoez Must be nice to be made of money.
@RhiannonRune Not when I needed one. Couldn't find one anywhere.
@Heavyarms55 literally all over amazon, ebay, etc
@Heavyarms55 An iPhone SE is like 8 bucks a month and most carriers regularly have either free with porting a number promotions or buy one get one. It’s not like it’s that expensive to upgrade your phone every now and then.
@Heavyarms55 This, absolutely this. I like to take care of my stuff and keep using it for years, this planned obsolecence just infuriates me.
My iPod touch, which at this point I only use for music, is absolutely creaking and barely manages to do that basic function anymore. I understand the economic arguements for encouraging upgrades and that developers will not want to be limited on new features and all that, but hampering an offline function that used to work seamlessly on the same device so that now it's a slow glitchy mess? That's really put me off buying anything Apple in the future.
@NathanTheAsian Look for a Pixel 3a!
@Strictlystyles Microsoft has already announced they are ending 32 bit.
@Raw_Dawg Microsoft isn’t ending support for 32 bit as it can’t even emulate 64 bit at the moment(windows 10s for arm processors)they aren’t even ending support for 32 but windows.
All they are doing is ending dostribution of 32 bit version of windows for oems. 32 bit apps are fully emulated and will continue to be supported, admittedly to the detriment of windows, but for the moment 32 bit apps are needed.
@Strictlystyles I'm lost on what your point is. You were comparing an app to an OS. Which is like comparing apples to oranges. The article is about the app ending support for 32 bit hardware. You laughed like Microsoft is still supporting 32 bit hardware.
@Raw_Dawg more like devs not supporting 32 bit versions of thier app and going 64bit only. and i said this is android, not windows, where supporting 32 bit apps are still essential. your comment didnt really matter because Microsoft is still supporting 32 bit apps and hardware, they just arent giving 32bit windows 10 out to OEMS and havent officially declared an official end support for 32bit windows at all. Which was my point. Windows still has to support 32bit, but phone OS'es and devs have no good reason to.
@Strictlystyles My comment matters more than yours. You are still comparing an Operating System to an Application. I'm sure there is plenty good reason to still support it. The world isn't just America and Europe.
This is one of the worst aspects of any kind of mobile or tablet usage you are forced to upgrade after a few years unless you use it for the simplest of uses. Even one of my older Samsung tablets that I just use for reading books now recently stopped being compatible with Netflix. That is why I tend not to spend any money on any software for any mobile device incase it becomes incompatible because of an os update that the device I use doesn't support.
I'm still using my old S5, which will be affected by this. Admittedly I lost interest in Go again at the start of this year, but I always seem to come back to it eventually.
It's baffling in the day and age of cloud gaming app and game developers are still looking for high end devices
I use some HTC phones and the app doesn't work anymore
@graysoncharles Clearly you don't remember Y2K. Nothing happened. It was a huge scare over computers thinking it was 1900 instead of 2000 because of the way the date was formatted. I didn't realize "third world" countries would no longer exist as of 2034. As long as they exist this technology is needed. Maybe you need a lesson on who makes up the majority of the globe.
I see a lot of people complaining about not being able to use older phones for play Go. I have a Moto 6 I bought last year and a Moto 7 I bought a month ago. Both have 64-bit processors, but run a 32-bit kernel. And Niantic is telling me I can't play their game? With a brand new phone? They're nuts! And I suspect that the delay was because in the Android market, not everyone wants to spend $$$ on an expensive phone just to play a game. If Niantic would have gone through with their threat they would have effectively stated that only rich people (or people who like to throw money away) are welcome to play their game.
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