The choice of the Android 7.1 kernel had long-term implications for software compatibility. During its peak popularity, Nougat supported the transition to modern Vulkan graphics APIs and offered broad compatibility with the Google Play Store ecosystem. However, the 32-bit nature eventually became a limitation. As the tech industry moved toward 64-bit app standards (mandated by Google for Play Store apps starting in 2019), the utility of 32-bit operating systems began to wane.