Google announced today that the future versions of Android Studio and its Android emulators will only support 64-bit OSes. This change mostly impacts Windows.
“We will only support 64-bit operating systems going forward,” Google’s Sam Lin announced. “Using Android Studio with a 64-bit operating system enables efficient access to memory for both the IDE and the Android Emulator, and overall leads to a better development experience. While this change will not affect most Android Studio users, this change does have an impact if you use 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows.”
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The transition to a 64-bit only future is part of Google’s Project Marble initiative, by which it is focusing on fundamental performance and reliability improvements in a product that, frankly, has never been marked by good performance or reliability. But the move to a 64-bit only code base is, if anything, overdue. Most developers are using 64-bit OSes already.
For those hardy few still using 32-bit OSes, mostly Windows, Google will move to 64-bit fully over time. Android Studio 3.6 will be available in deprecated form on 32-bit OSes starting December 31, 2019, and will be supported for one year after that. The late 32-bit version of the Android Emulator, version 28.0.25, will likewise be deprecated starting on June 30, 2019, and will be supported until December 31, 2020.
“During the depreciation phase, both Android Studio and the Android Emulator will continue to work but the products will not receive new feature updates,” Lin continues. “During this transition period, you can still download the product from the Android Studio web site. After one year, we will officially end product support and will remove the 32-bit product version download links.”’
Time to move to 64-bit, folks.
skane2600
<p>Sounds like Google is still avoiding the more important issues with Android Studio in favor of implementing the easy and the flashy. I would love to see it rewritten in a non-Java language.</p>
Lateef Alabi-Oki
<blockquote><em><a href="#434730">In reply to skane2600:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>That's insane.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#435024">In reply to curtisspendlove:</a></em></blockquote><p>So what's Google's current IDE for developing Flutter apps? It's quite possible that java-based Android Studio will continue to be the IDE even as Fuscia becomes a real commercial thing. </p>
dontbe evil
<blockquote><em><a href="#434734">In reply to glenn8878:</a></em></blockquote><p>People complained about uwp, imagine what happens if you ditch 32bit </p>
skane2600
<blockquote><em><a href="#434734">In reply to glenn8878:</a></em></blockquote><p>I doubt that maintaining 32 bit Windows is all that much of a burden. </p>