ARM or ARM64: determining the processor architecture on Android

The modern mobile device market is oversaturated with a variety of hardware, and users increasingly have to deal with technical terms that were previously the prerogative of developers. One of these concepts is processor architecture, which determines the compatibility of installed applications and the stability of the system. In most cases, Android itself hides these details, optimizing the work, but when installing specific software, custom firmware or emulators, the question “how to determine arm or arm64 on Android” becomes critically important.

An incorrect understanding of the architecture can lead to the installation of incompatible versions of apps, which will cause constant crashes or a complete failure of the application to launch. The difference between the 32-bit (armeabi-v7a) and 64-bit (arm64-v8a) versions is not only in performance, but also in the amount of addressable memory. If you are planning in-depth customization of your gadget, you need to know exactly what type of cores are installed in your device in order to avoid fatal errors when modifying the system.

Why is it important to distinguish between ARM and ARM64 architectures

The architecture ARM dominates in the world of mobile devices due to its energy efficiency and optimal performance-to-performance ratio energy consumption. However, the evolution of computing technology has led to a transition from 32-bit instructions to 64-bit ones. Devices with the ARM64 architecture (also known as AArch64) are able to process more data per clock and address significantly more RAM than their 32-bit predecessors.

For the average user, the difference may not be noticeable in everyday tasks such as social networking or watching videos. But the situation changes dramatically when it comes to heavy games, console emulators or professional software. Many modern applications are distributed as APKs labeled universal, but inside they contain sets of libraries (abis) for different architectures. If the system tries to run a 64-bit library on a 32-bit processor, the application will simply not install or crash.

⚠️ Attention: An attempt to force install an APK built exclusively for arm64 on a device with the armeabi-v7a architecture will result in a package parsing error. The system will not be able to extract the native libraries necessary for the code to work.

In addition, Google Play and other application stores automatically select the app version for your device using information about the processor. However, when manually installing files (sideloading), this automation is disabled, and the responsibility for choosing the correct version falls on the user. Understanding whether your Snapdragon, MediaTek or Exynos 64-bit mode allows you to download optimized versions of games that run faster and more stable.

Using specialized applications for diagnostics

The easiest and most reliable way to get comprehensive information about hardware is to use specialized utilities from Google Play. These applications read data directly from the system core and output it in a human-readable form. The leader in this category is the app CPU-Z, which has become the de facto standard for quick diagnostics.

After installation and launch CPU-Z you need to go to the “System” or “SoC” tab. The "Kernel Architecture" or "Instruction Sets" field will indicate the exact architecture type. If you see the line arm64-v8athere, then your processor supports 64-bit instructions. If only armeabi-v7ais specified, the device operates in 32-bit mode. It is important to pay attention to the list of supported instructions: the presence of flags like asimd often indicates support for 64-bit computing.

Another powerful tool is the application AIDA64. It provides more detailed information, including core temperatures, frequencies and the exact chipset model. The “CPU” section displays the “Instruction Set” field, which lists all available instruction sets. Presence in the list AArch64 is a direct confirmation that you are dealing with a 64-bit architecture.

You should not ignore such utilities as well. as Device Info HW or DevCheck. They often show information in a more structured way, separating kernel-level and user-space support. This is useful in rare cases when the device's firmware limits the use of 64-bit mode, despite the presence of the corresponding hardware.

Defining the architecture through the developer settings

If you do not want to install third-party software, you can use the built-in Android tools, although this method requires enabling hidden menus. First you need to activate developer mode. Go to Settings → About phone and quickly click 7 times on the “Build number” item.

After the notification “You are now a developer” appears, return to the main settings menu. A new section will appear at the very bottom of the list For developers. Inside it, scroll down the list to the Applications or Debugging section. We are interested in an item that may be called “Selected application for debugging” or ABI-related settings. However, in pure Android, information about the architecture is often hidden here.

The section related to emulation or compatibility is more informative. In some shells (for example, MIUI or OneUI) in the developer menu there is an item “Emulation of secondary displays” or graphics driver settings, where the type of architecture is indirectly indicated. But this method is less reliable than using specialized software, since the settings interface is highly dependent on the version of Android and the manufacturer.

⚠️ Attention: Do not change the settings in the “For Developers” menu if you are not sure of their purpose. Enabling options like “Do not save actions” or “Limit background processes” may disrupt the normal operation of the system.

Also in some versions of Android, information about supported ABIs is available through the menu “About phone” → “General information” → “Kernel” or similar sections that list technical characteristics. Look for lines containing the words ABI or Architecture.

Using the ADB command line for accurate data

For advanced users with access to a computer, the most accurate method is to use the debug bridge ADB (Android Debug Bridge). This method allows you to get “raw” data directly from the system, which cannot be faked or hidden by the shell interface.

First, connect your smartphone to your PC via a USB cable and make sure that USB debugging is enabled on your phone. Open a command prompt or terminal on your computer in the ADB tools folder. Enter the following command to get a list of supported architectures:

adb shell getprop ro.product.cpu.abi

This command will list the main architecture of the device. If the answer is arm64-v8a, then the device is 64-bit. The answer armeabi-v7a indicates a 32-bit system. To see a complete list of all supported architectures (including secondary ones), use the command:

adb shell getprop ro.product.cpu.abilist

The result will be presented as a comma-separated list, for example: arm64-v8a,armeabi-v7a,armeabi. This means the processor is 64-bit, but for compatibility with older applications it also supports 32-bit mode. This is the most common configuration in modern smartphones.

What to do if ADB does not see the device?

Make sure that ADB drivers for your OS are installed. When connecting, the phone will ask you “Allow debugging?”, click “OK”. Try replacing the USB cable or port, as some cables only support charging.

You can also use the command adb shell cat /proc/cpuinfowhich will display detailed information about the processor. In the section Features you can find a mention of flags indicating support for 64-bit instructions (for example, the presence of flag fp and asimd in the context of ARMv8).

Analysis of APK files to check compatibility

Sometimes you need to determine not the architecture of the phone itself, but to understand which version of the application is suitable for it. Installation package files APK contain a folder libin which native libraries are stored. The structure of this folder clearly indicates the target architecture.

You can rename the file .apk to .zip and open it with any archiver. Inside, find the folder lib. If you see a subfolder there arm64-v8a, then it is a 64-bit version. Folder availability armeabi-v7a talks about the 32-bit version. Universal APKs often contain both folders, which increases their size but ensures they will run on any device.

There are online services and APK analyzer apps that show this information without the need for unpacking. Just upload the file to such an analyzer, and it will display a list of supported native-code. This is especially useful when downloading mods or beta versions of games from forums, where authors often post separate files for different architectures.

Architecture type	APK designation	Processor type	Limitations
32-bit ARM	armeabi-v7a	Old budget models	Up to 4 GB of RAM, lower performance
64-bit ARM	arm64-v8a	Modern smartphones	Requires 64-bit Android 5.0+
x86 (emulation)	x86 or x86_64	Tablets, emulators	Problems with some games
MIPS (rarely)	mips	Very old devices	Almost not supported by new APKs

Frequent errors and definition nuances

One of the common mistakes is confusion between the bitness of the operating system and the bitness of the processor. The device may have a powerful 64-bit processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but run custom 32-bit firmware. In this case, commands like getprop ro.product.cpu.abi will be returned armeabi-v7a, although the hardware is capable of more.

It is also worth considering that some manufacturers of budget devices use marketing tricks, indicating the number of cores in the characteristics, but keeping silent about the architecture. There are devices with 8 cores that are still 32-bit (for example, the old MediaTek MT65xx). Therefore, you should trust only software diagnostics, and not the phone box.

⚠️ Attention: Settings interfaces and menu item names may differ depending on the version of Android and the manufacturer’s shell (MIUI, OneUI, ColorOS). If you do not find the described item, use the search in the settings.

Another nuance concerns Android emulators on PC (BlueStacks, Nox). They often emulate a 64-bit environment even on 32-bit systems, or vice versa, depending on engine settings. When determining the architecture inside the emulator, you will receive data from a virtual device, not from your roaring Intel or AMD processor.

The impact of architecture on the performance and future of Android

Google is actively promoting the transition to 64-bit architecture. Starting with certain versions of Android, support for 32-bit applications becomes limited or completely removed in new releases. This is done to improve security (protection against buffer overflows) and performance.

Applications compiled under arm64-v8ause more processor registers, which allows complex calculations to be performed faster. In games, this means more stable FPS and the ability to use high-resolution textures. For the user, this means that buying a device with 32-bit architecture in 2026-2026 is not a worthwhile investment.

In the future, we will see a complete abandonment of 32-bit libraries in the Android ecosystem. Already, many new games require exclusively a 64-bit environment. Therefore, the question “arm or arm64” will soon lose its relevance in favor of the uncontested arm64, but for now, knowing the differences remains an important skill for a competent user.

What is the main difference between armeabi-v7a and arm64-v8a?

The main difference is in the width of the processor registers and the amount of addressable memory. arm64-v8a uses 64-bit registers, which allows it to process more data per clock cycle and address more than 4 GB of RAM, while armeabi-v7a is limited to 32 bits and 4 GB of memory.

Is it possible to run a 64-bit application on a 32-bit Android?

No, it is not possible at the physical level. The processor will not be able to execute 64-bit machine instructions. However, 64-bit devices can run 32-bit applications due to backward compatibility.

How to find the architecture without installing applications?

The most reliable way without installing applications is to use the ADB command adb shell getprop ro.product.cpu.abi via a computer. Android's built-in settings menus often do not display this information explicitly.

Why is there an armeabi-v7a folder on my 64-bit phone?

This is for backward compatibility. Many older applications are written only for 32-bit architecture. The presence of this folder allows your modern phone to run legacy software without problems.

Does architecture affect battery life?

Indirectly yes. 64-bit processors perform complex tasks more efficiently, completing them faster and returning to idle mode faster. However, 64-bit instructions can take up a little more space in memory, which theoretically can slightly increase energy consumption when working intensively with code, but in practice the difference is offset by optimization.