Google has only recently released Android 13 but is already hard at work on the next iteration of its mobile system. According to the latest data, Android 14 will make the AV1 codec mandatory for all devices, since this method of video encoding is much more efficient, it will offload bandwidth and maintain quality. Moreover, apparently, some devices running Android 14 will be forced to support only 64-bit applications.
According to Esper’s Mishaal Rahman, the new requirement for AV1 is in the AOSP code. It says that portable and tablet devices must support AV1 decoding in accordance with the CDD section, which lists all the certification requirements for Android gadgets to receive system updates. This will make a big difference as it will reduce the load on the web services. In particular, YouTube is already using the AV1 codec to reduce bandwidth requirements.
Another major change is related to devices based on Armv9 chipsets, which will be forced to support only 64-bit applications. All the latest processors will definitely make this transition. For example, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 already has Armv9 architecture. It looks like Google is finally thinking seriously about ditching 32-bit apps. By the way, Apple did it back in 2017. Most modern applications have already been updated to work with 64-bit architectures, so this change should not affect anything significantly. However, several older games or programs will no longer run.
At the beginning of 2023, more information about the Android 14 operating system will appear, which will be released in beta in April.