Pokemon Go now a go on Android smartphones with Intel chips

01.08.2016
It took a while, but the hot Pokemon Go mobile game is now working on smartphones with Intel chips.

Initially, the app wasn't compatible with Intel-based smartphones. Concerned users put up a petition, which had 42,606 supporters, requesting Niantic Labs -- the developer -- to make the game compatible with x86 smartphone chips.

In response to the user backlash, Niantic Labs and Intel worked together to make the app compatible with x86 smartphones.

Pokemon Go has been a sensation since it launched about a month ago, and the Android app has been downloaded close to 2 million times.

The Pokemon Go notes have been updated on the Google Play store to say the game is "compatible with Android devices that have 2GB RAM or more and have Android Version 4.4 - 6.0 installed."

The original notes published on July 5 said it wouldn't be compatible with Intel-based smartphones.

Users have reported the game working on phones like Zenfone 2, which has an Intel chip. Most smartphones have ARM processors, while Intel's x86 processors are in a few handsets.

But the fact that Pokemon Go didn't initially support Intel chips is a sign of things to come for x86 smartphone owners. Intel has cut back development of Android for handsets as it exits the smartphone processor market, and app compatibility issues will only grow.

Dell has discontinued selling Android tablets, which contained Intel chips. It won't update the Android OS for existing customers, leaving them stuck with Android 5.0.

Agam Shah