PDF Tech

Google Requires 64-bit Apps – Here’s What it Means for Foxit Customers

by Conor Smith | April 25, 2019

Google recently announced that its official app store for the Android operating system, Google Play, will require 64-bit apps from August 1st, 2019 onward. Many Foxit customers wonder where this leaves them. Read on as we look at the changes Google is implementing and how it affects you.

 

Google’s reason for the big switch is to deliver superior experiences for users with faster rendering and better security, and to help with future innovation. Play will require that new apps and app updates with native libraries provide 64-bit versions in addition to their 32-bit versions.

Google encourages developers to do what they can to make apps backward compatible. It’s also important for developers to understand that they are forcing apps to be optimized for the latest version, not necessarily to run only on this version. Apps can still be made to run on older versions of Android (which is also promoted by Google).

 


Google’s new requirements

 

The main news is that for any customers using Foxit MobilePDF SDK version 5.x and previous, you will have to upgrade to PDF SDK 6.x if you want to keep your app in the Google Play store. It follows that system requirements for developing 64-bit apps with Foxit PDF SDK will be 64-bit ARM (arm64-v8a).

Foxit’s Android PDF library is fully compliant with Google’s policy for app developers that utilize third-party software. The benefits of this are it ensures your newly developed apps will be approved in the Play Store much faster.

 

Simplify your PDF Development Journey

 

For non-Foxit customers out there that are thinking of switching to Foxit PDF SDK for Android, you can code using Android Studio in Java, Kotlin or C++. With JavaScript, you can use Foxit with Cordova or React Native plugins for more native development. Creating, viewing and editing PDF files on Android devices has never been easier. Alongside Foxit’s powerful Core API, the built-in UIExtension component helps to ship products quickly, even if your dev team has limited knowledge of PDF.

Foxit is committed to helping our customers conform to Google’s latest app standards. Get in touch with our team below for further information about upgrading your Foxit PDF SDK and stay on the right side of Google Play’s policy.