Did you also receive the pesky email from Google Play, asking you to create 64-bit version of your fleet of apps? You received instructions to fix the issue, but you realize you don’t use Android Studio for development. So here’s a quick guide for the business analysts, testers and developers, on all you need to know:

Problem Summary

Deadline

You obviously don’t want to wait until August 1, 2019 when your app can’t be updated for the store, so it’s definitely smart to start now.

By August 1, 2019, all apps that use native code must provide a 64-bit version in addition to the 32-bit version in order to publish an update.

But the Email says “apps that use native code”?

You read that right, the change is only needed for native code. Since Xamarin Forms and Xamarin Native both compile down to native code, so this applies to all the Xamarin apps you have published, or are going to publish.

But Why?

To keep up with the times

64-bit CPUs deliver faster, richer experiences for your users. Adding a 64-bit version of your app provides performance improvements, makes way for future innovation, and sets you up for devices with 64-bit only hardware.

Qualifications Required

You really don’t need to know how to code. Although there are many ways of doing this, I will walk you through the simplest one, which will basically involve a couple of clicks and scrolls.

Software Needed

You can use either a Mac or a PC. You need to install the latest version of MS Visual Studio, available for Mac and PC, and ensure that you also install the Xamarin Framework. You will also need the Keystore used for the published app, and the associated keystore alias and keystore password. For more information on the keystore, read the “Problems you can run into” section.