A 7A max charge current on a single-cell charger is above the range of typical linear chargers. That rating tells you this is a switching charger, not a linear one — it needs an external inductor and a pair of FETs to step down the input voltage efficiently at that current. The I²C interface lets the host controller adjust the charge current and termination voltage on the fly.
No end-of-life notice or last-time-buy has been issued, so it is safe to qualify into a new design. No direct pin-compatible second source is listed in the family, but the BQ25872 base number shares the same package and interface across variants; if you need a different charge current or feature set, check the BQ25872 family siblings for a drop-in footprint match.