You’re probably here reading this article because you tried sideloading (installing APK directly rather than downloading from the Google Play Store) and you don’t know which architecture your phone has. There are usually multiple versions of the same app designed for devices with different specs. This article will teach you how you can see Android device info, find the architecture, and download the correct APK. After reading this article you will know if your Android is ARM64, ARM, and such.
How to See Android Device Info
When you try to download an app’s APK from some 3rd party market to sideload it to your Android, you will often have a couple of variants of the same APK to choose from. If you install an app from the Google Play Store, it will automatically determine which variant of the app your device will run by reading the system info. This is why you never have a problem running a compatible app. But that is not the case when you’re trying to sideload an app. You have to know what variant your device supports.
There are 3 primary classifications you have to know of when downloading an APK:
Architecture: This is the type of processor your device is running on. The common architectures are ARM, ARM64, x86, and x86-64. While ARM, ARM 64, and x86_64 are 64-bit processors, ARM and x86 are 32-bit processors.
Android Version: This is the version of Android your device is running on.
DPI: Dots Per Inch. This is the pixel density of your device. A full HD screen has a DPI of ~367.
You do not need to go into detail about these if you just want to download the correct APK that will run on your device. Now that you know the basics, let’s get right on to it.
Using App to Find Android Device Info
You’ll be relieved to know that finding your device info is a piece of cake. You will need a free app called Droid Hardware Info and it will show everything you need to know about your Android Device.
Step 1: Download and install Droid Hardware Info from the Google Play Store.
Step 2: Open the app. Allow permissions if prompted.
Step 3: Go to the Device tap. Note down the following info: Software Density and OS version. Software Density entry shows the screen’s DPI.
Step 4: Go to the System tab. Note down the CPU Architecture entry. This is the most important thing to know when downloading an APK. If you do not know what you’re looking at, scan through the line a bit, you will probably see arm64, arm, x86. See if the variant of the app you’re trying to download has the same text listed beside it. In short, note down CPU architecture and Instruction sets.
Note: If you do not find x86 or x64 listed on the System tab, it is safe to assume that it is a 32-bit processor.
Note: If the APK says “nodpi” this means it contains all the variants of the DPI so you do not have to worry about it.
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