How to Find Out Your Android Device Architecture

Knowing your Android device’s processor architecture can be helpful in various situations, such as when installing specific applications or games that require optimization for a particular architecture, or when installing custom ROMs and developer tools. There are several easy ways to find out the architecture of your Android device.

Ways to Find Out Your Android Device Architecture:

Why is it important to know?

Before we get to the methods, it’s worth understanding why you might need to know your device’s architecture in the first place. The processor architecture (e.g., ARM64-v8a, ARMv7, x86) determines how the processor handles data and what instruction sets it supports. This is important for:

Application Compatibility: Some applications and games are optimized for specific architectures. Knowing your architecture ensures you download the correct version from third-party sources (not from Google Play, which usually selects the right version automatically).
Performance: Applications compiled for your processor’s architecture can run more efficiently.
Development and Debugging: Developers need to know the architecture to build and test applications.
Custom ROM and Kernel Installation: When installing alternative operating systems or kernels, it is crucial to choose versions compatible with your processor architecture.

Here are several methods to find out your Android device’s architecture:

Method 1: Through Device Settings (Easiest)

This method is the simplest and does not require installing additional applications.

Open the « Settings » app on your Android device (usually a gear icon on the home screen or in the notification panel).
Scroll down the settings list and find the section « About phone » or « About tablet » (the name may vary slightly depending on the manufacturer and Android version).
In the « About phone » section, look for « Hardware information », « Device information », « Processor », or something similar. The exact wording may vary.
In this section, you should find information about the processor or processor architecture. Sometimes the architecture is explicitly stated (e.g., « ARM64-v8a »), sometimes you will see the processor name (e.g., « Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 »), which you can Google to find out its architecture.

Note: This information is not explicitly displayed in the settings on all devices. If so, try other methods.

Method 2: Using Special Applications (Recommended for Clarity)

The Google Play Store has many free applications that provide detailed information about your device, including the processor architecture. Here are some popular and reliable applications:

DevCheck Device & System Info: One of the most popular applications, providing very detailed device information, including processor architecture, sensor information, battery, and much more.
Droid Hardware Info: Another powerful application for obtaining information about the hardware and software of the device. It also displays the processor architecture in the « Processor » section.
CPU-Z: A well-known utility for PC, also available on Android. Provides information about the processor, RAM, system, and more. The processor architecture is displayed in the « CPU » section.

How to use applications:

Install any of these applications from the Google Play Store.
Open the application.
Find the « CPU », « Processor », or « System » section (the section name may vary depending on the application).
In this section, you will find information about the processor architecture (usually listed as « Architecture », « Instruction Set », or simply the architecture name, e.g., « aarch64 », « ARMv7 », « x86 »).

Method 3: Through System Codes (Quick, but may not work on all devices)

This method uses a hidden code to access the device’s engineering menu, which may contain architecture information.

Open the « Phone » application (dialer app).
On the dial screen, enter the following code: *#*#4636#*#*
- Important: As soon as you enter the last character *, the engineering menu may open automatically. On some devices, you may need to press the call button.
In the menu that appears, find « Device Information », « Phone Information », or something similar.
In the device information section, look for an item containing information about ABI (Application Binary Interface). ABI indirectly indicates the processor architecture. For example:
- arm64-v8a means 64-bit ARMv8-A architecture (modern architecture for most flagship and mid-range devices).
- armeabi-v7a means 32-bit ARMv7 architecture (older architecture, but still common).
- x86 or x86_64 means Intel/AMD architecture (less common in phones, more common in tablets).

Note: This method may not work on all devices, as access to the engineering menu may be blocked by the manufacturer.

Method 4: Through ADB (Android Debug Bridge) – For Advanced Users

This method requires using a computer and Android Debug Bridge (ADB) developer tools. It is the most reliable but requires some preparation.

Enable « Developer options » and « USB debugging » on your Android device.
- This is usually done in the « About phone » section of settings by repeatedly tapping on the « Build number » item. Then, the « USB debugging » option appears in the « Developer options » section. Instructions may vary slightly depending on the device.
Install ADB on your computer. ADB is part of the Android SDK Platform-Tools, which can be downloaded from the Android developer website. You will need to add the ADB paths to the system PATH variable so that ADB commands work from any folder in the command prompt/terminal.
Connect your Android device to your computer via a USB cable.
Open a command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) on your computer.
Enter the command adb devices and press Enter. If ADB is configured correctly and the device is connected, you should see the serial number of your device in the list.
Enter the following command and press Enter:
```
adb shell getprop ro.product.cpu.abi
```
The result of the command will be printed in the command prompt/terminal. This is your processor architecture. For example, the output arm64-v8a means your device has a 64-bit ARMv8-A architecture.

Example command output:

arm64-v8a

How to interpret the result:

The most common architectures for Android devices are:

arm64-v8a (aarch64): 64-bit ARMv8-A architecture. Used in most modern mid-range and high-end devices. Provides better performance and support for 64-bit applications.
armeabi-v7a (armv7): 32-bit ARMv7 architecture. Still found in older and budget devices.
armeabi: Very old 32-bit ARM architecture. Almost never used in modern devices.
x86, x86_64: Intel/AMD architectures. Used in some tablets and very rarely in Android phones.

If you are unsure which version of an application or software to choose when asked about the architecture, it is recommended to choose the Universal version (if available), as it usually contains code for multiple architectures. If a Universal version is not available, then for most modern devices, the ARM64-v8a version will be suitable. If you have an older device, try ARMv7 or ARM. For Intel-based devices (very rare for phones), choose x86 or x86_64.

We hope this article has helped you understand how to find out the architecture of your Android device!