The new mobile game Minecraft Earth has just been released for players in the United States. It’s a fun game that might just be the next Pokemon Go. But will it work with your phone? Unfortunately, the AR requirement is causing a lot of issues for some people. Read on for details about iOS and Android compatibility updates. The first section will discuss iOS compatibility and the second section will discuss Android compatibility.
iOS Compatibility Details
According to the Apple App Store, an iOS device must have iOS 12.0 or later to work with the game. It’s compatible with the following phones and devices:
“iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPad Pro (12.9-inch), iPad Pro (12.9-inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (9.7‑inch), iPad Pro (9.7-inch) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad (5th generation), iPad (5th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (2nd generation), iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (2nd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (10.5‑inch), iPad Pro (10.5-inch) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad (6th generation), iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (6th generation), iPad Pro (11-inch), iPad Pro (11-inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (3rd generation), iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (5th generation), iPad mini (5th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad Air (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (7th generation), iPad (7th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, and iPod touch (7th generation).”
In addition, phones and devices must support AR. The following are listed as supporting AR and thus would be compatible with the game.
iPhones:
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone ten s
- iPhone ten s Max
- iPhone ten r
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone SE
iPads:
- iPad Pro (all models)
- iPad Air (3rd generation)
- iPad mini (5th generation)
- iPad (5th generation or later)
iPod:
- iPod touch (7th generation)
Android Compatibility Details
According to the Goole Play listing, the game is only compatible with phones that have Android 8.0 and up. The listing isn’t quite as helpful as Apple’s because it doesn’t list specific phones that do work. However, Minecraft does link to a list of Android phones that support AR (ARCore), which is a requirement for playing the game. In order to support ARCore, phones must have Android 7.0 or later (but Minecraft Earth requires Android 8.0 and up), the device must have originally shipped with Google Play Store, and it must have Internet access.
Here is Minecraft’s official list of phones that are NOT compatible, just recently updated:
- Blackshark Shark 1S
- Google Pixel
- Google Pixel XL
- Huawei Nexus 6P
- LGE Nexus 5X
- LGE LG G6
- LGE V30+
- LGE V30
- Motorola Moto X (4)
- Motorola one
- Motorola moto g(6)
- Samsung Galaxy TabS3
- Samsung Galaxy J5
- Samsung Galaxy A8+(2018)
- Samsung Galaxy J7
- Samsung Galaxy A30
- Samsung Galaxy J5 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy A70
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
Some of the phones listed above supported ARCore but were still not compatible because their performance was poor, according to Play Minecraft Earth.
Players have talked on discussion forums about also having issues with the following phones:
- Motorola G6 Play
- Galaxy A70
- Galaxy S8 Active
- Razer gaming phone
- LG K30
The following devices are listed on Google Developers as supporting ARCore, a requirement for the game. So the phones below should work unless they are in the earlier list above.
- Asus ROG Phone
- Asus ROG Phone II
- Asus Zenfone 6
- Asus Zenfone AR
- Asus Zenfone ARES
- General Mobile GM 9 Plus
- Google Nexus 5X Requires Android 8.0 or later
- Google Nexus 6P Requires Android 8.0 or later
- Google Pixel
- Google Pixel XL
- Google Pixel 2 – “Supports 60 fps camera capture frame rate on the rear-facing camera”
- Google Pixel 2 XL – “Supports 60 fps camera capture frame rate on the rear-facing camera”
- Google Pixel 3 – “Supports 60 fps camera capture frame rate on the rear-facing camera. When 60 fps camera capture mode is active, the camera uses fixed focus”
- Google Pixel 3 XL – “Supports 60 fps camera capture frame rate on the rear-facing camera
When 60 fps camera capture mode is active, the camera uses fixed focus” - Google Pixel 3a
- Google Pixel 3a XL
- Google Pixel 4
- Google Pixel 4 XL
- HMD Global Nokia 6 (2018) Also known as Nokia 6.1
- HMD Global Nokia 6.1 Plus
- HMD Global Nokia 7 Plus
- HMD Global Nokia 7.1
- HMD Global Nokia 8 Requires Android 8.0 or later
- HMD Global Nokia 8 Sirocco
- HMD Global Nokia 8.1
- Huawei Honor 8X
- Huawei Honor 10
- Huawei Honor View 10 Lite
- Huawei Honor V20
- Huawei Mate 20 Lite
- Huawei Mate 20
- Huawei Mate 20 Pro
- Huawei Mate 20 X
- Huawei Nova 3
- Huawei Nova 3i
- Huawei Nova 4
- Huawei P20
- Huawei P20 Pro
- Huawei P30
- Huawei P30 Pro
- Huawei Porsche Design Mate RS
- Huawei Porsche Design Mate 20 RS
- Huawei Y9 2019
- Infinix Mobile Note 6
- LG G6 Requires Android 8.0 or later
- LG G7 Fit
- LG G7 One
- LG G7 ThinQ – “ARCore uses the wide angle fixed focus rear facing camera for AR tracking”
- LG G8 ThinQ
- LG G8S ThinQ
- LG G8X ThinQ
- LG Q6
- LG Q70
- LG Q8
- LG style2 – “ARCore uses the wide angle fixed focus rear facing camera for AR tracking”
- LG Stylo 5
- LG V30 Requires Android 8.0 or later
“ARCore uses the wide angle fixed focus rear facing camera for AR tracking” - LG V30+ Requires Android 8.0 or later
“ARCore uses the wide angle fixed focus rear facing camera for AR tracking” - LG V30+ JOJO Requires Android 8.0 or later
“ARCore uses the wide angle fixed focus rear facing camera for AR tracking” - LG LG Signature Edition 2017 Requires Android 8.0 or later
“ARCore uses the wide angle fixed focus rear facing camera for AR tracking” - LG V35 ThinQ – “ARCore uses the wide angle fixed focus rear facing camera for AR tracking”
- LG Signature Edition 2018 – “ARCore uses the wide angle fixed focus rear facing camera for AR tracking”
- LG V40 ThinQ – “ARCore uses the wide angle fixed focus rear facing camera for AR tracking”
- LG V50 ThinQ
- Motorola moto g⁵ˢ plus
- Motorola moto g⁶
- Motorola moto g⁶ plus
- Motorola moto g⁷
- Motorola moto g⁷ plus
- Motorola moto g⁷ power
- Motorola moto g⁷ play
- Motorola one
- Motorola one action
- Motorola one power
- Motorola one vision
- Motorola one zoom
- Motorola moto x⁴ Requires Android 8.0 or later
- Motorola moto z² force Requires Android 8.0 or later
- Motorola moto z³
- Motorola moto z³ play
- Motorola moto z⁴
- OnePlus OnePlus 3T Requires Android 8.0 or later
- OnePlus OnePlus 5
- OnePlus OnePlus 5T
- OnePlus OnePlus 6
- OnePlus OnePlus 6T
- OnePlus OnePlus 7
- OnePlus OnePlus 7 Pro
- OnePlus OnePlus 7 Pro 5G
- OnePlus OnePlus 7T
- OnePlus OnePlus 7T Pro
- Oppo F11 Pro
- Oppo K5
- Oppo R17 Pro
- Oppo realme 5
- Oppo realme 5 Pro
- Oppo realme Q
- Oppo realme X
- Oppo realme X Lite
- Oppo realme XT
- Oppo realme X2
- Oppo realme X2 Pro
- Oppo Reno
- Oppo Reno2
- Oppo Reno2 Z
- Oppo Reno 10x Zoom
- Oppo Reno A
- Oppo Reno Z
- Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) “Requires Android 8.0 or later ARCore always runs with auto focus mode enabled on the rear facing camera”
- Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
- Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
- Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
- Samsung A7 (2018) Requires Android 9.0 or later
- Samsung Galaxy A8
- Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018)
- Samsung Galaxy A30
- Samsung Galaxy A40
- Samsung Galaxy A50
- Samsung Galaxy A50s
- Samsung Galaxy A60
- Samsung Galaxy A70
- Samsung Galaxy A80
- Samsung Galaxy A90 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Fold
- Samsung Galaxy J5 (2017) SM-J530 models
- Samsung Galaxy J5 Pro SM-J530 models
- Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017) SM-J730 models
- Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro SM-J730 models
- Samsung Galaxy Note8
- Samsung Galaxy Note9
- Samsung Galaxy Note10
- Samsung Galaxy Note10+
- Samsung Galaxy S7
- Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
- Samsung Galaxy S8
- Samsung Galaxy S8+
- Samsung Galaxy S9
- Samsung Galaxy S9+
- Samsung Galaxy S10e
- Samsung Galaxy S10
- Samsung Galaxy S10+
- Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
- Samsung Galaxy Tab Active Pro
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 – “ARCore always runs with auto focus mode enabled on the rear facing camera”
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S4
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
- Sharp AQUOS R3
- Sony Xperia XZ Premium Requires Android 8.0 or later
- Sony Xperia XZ1 Requires Android 8.0 or later
- Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact Requires Android 8.0 or later
- Sony Xperia XZ2 Requires Android 8.0 or later with software update after Aug 2018 (security patch level 2018-08-05 or later)
- Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact Requires Android 8.0 or later with software update after Aug 2018 (security patch level 2018-08-05 or later)
- Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium Requires Android 8.0 or later with software update after Aug 2018 (security patch level 2018-08-05 or later)
- Sony Xperia XZ3
- Sony Xperia 1
- Sony Xperia 5
- Tecno Camon 12 Pro
- Tecno Phantom 9
- Vivo NEX S
- Vivo NEX Dual Display Edition
- Wiko View 3 Pro
- Xiaomi Mi 8
- Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
- Xiaomi Mi 9
- Xiaomi Mi 9 SE
- Xiaomi Mi A3
- Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
- Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
- Xiaomi Pocophone F1
- Xiaomi Redmi K20
- Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro
- Zebra TC52 WLAN Touch Computer
- Zebra TC57 WWAN Touch Computer
- Zebra TC72 WLAN Touch Computer
- Zebra TC77 WWAN Touch Computer
In addition, this is an early release of the game, so bugs are still going to happen from time to time. If you’re getting a bug, it doesn’t mean your phone isn’t compatible. It might just mean that the app is still working on some issues.