Google Play Store announces 64-bit app support and other features

Google announced new security guidelines and performance changes for developers on Google Play. The new updates include compulsory 64-bit app versions by 2019, the addition of security metadata to each APK, requiring recent Android API level. Each year, the API level will advance requiring new apps and app updates to target the corresponding API level or higher.

Starting from August 2018, all applications submitted to the Google Play Store will need to target API level 26 (for Android 8.0 Oreo) or higher. From November 2018, updates to existing applications will need to target the same. Additionally, and more importantly, the Play Store is dropping support for 32-bit applications from August 2019 onward.

From August 2019, all applications in the Google Play Store will be 64-bit compliant. Google claims that over 40 percent of Android devices online already have 64-bit support. Apple has already ditched 32-bit with iOS 11 which only supports 64-bit applications.

In early 2018, Google Play Store will be adding a small amount of security metadata on top of each application's APK in order to verify its authenticity.

Google claims these changes are aimed at making the applications on the Play Store more secure than before. They are also meant to improve app performance and stability.