As Intel drifts away from smartphones and tablets, users with Android devices are starting to feel the pinch.
The hot Pokemon Go app won’t work on Android devices with Intel Atom processors, and that’s an issue for some users.
A petition to make the popular augmented reality game compatible with Atom chips attracted close to 22,000 signers by Monday. The app isn’t working on devices like Asus’ Zenfone 2, which runs on an Atom CPU. Pokemon Go maker Niantic Labs didn’t respond to questions about whether they would release an Atom-compatible version of the game.
The issue arises as Intel pulls back from the smartphone chip market, after failing to catch up with ARM, whose processor designs are in most handsets. Atom chips for mobile devices are already being phased out.
Meanwhile, Dell has stopped selling its Android-based Venue devices that ran on Intel chips. It also won’t deliver Android OS upgrades to its existing Venue tablet users.
If you have an Android tablet or smartphone with an Intel Atom chip, things may not get better. Other issues will likely arise with as the number of apps and OS upgrades for Android on Intel Atom decline. Device makers usually work on Android upgrades with Intel, which is scaling back Android development.
There may be exceptions. While Dell has suspended OS updates, Asus has said it will deliver upgrades to Android 6.0 for its Zenfone 2 handsets. But it’s not known whether devices will get upgrades to Android 7.0, code-named Nougat.
