With the --string_literal_pools option, where there are string literals in source code, the compiler usually places the character data in a literal pool:

** Section #1 '.text' (SHT_PROGBITS) [SHF_ALLOC + SHF_EXECINSTR]
    Size   : 32 bytes (alignment 4)
    Address: 0x00000000
				
    $a
    .text
    main
        0x00000000:    e92d4010    .@-.    PUSH     {r4,lr}
        0x00000004:    e28f0008    ....    ADR      r0,{pc}+0x10 ; 0x14
        0x00000008:    ebfffffe    ....    BL       puts
        0x0000000c:    e3a00000    ....    MOV      r0,#0
        0x00000010:    e8bd8010    ....    POP      {r4,pc}
    $d
        0x00000014:    6c6c6548    Hell    DCD    1819043144
        0x00000018:    6f77206f    o wo    DCD    1870078063
        0x0000001c:    00646c72    rld.    DCD    6581362

The --no_string_literal_pools option instructs the compiler to place string constants in a separate .conststring or .constdata section, and load the address of the character data from an integer literal pool, as follows:

** Section #1 '.text' (SHT_PROGBITS) [SHF_ALLOC + SHF_EXECINSTR]
    Size   : 24 bytes (alignment 4)
    Address: 0x00000000
			
    $a
    .text
    main
        0x00000000:    e59f000c    ....    LDR      r0,[pc,#12] ; [0x14] = 0
        0x00000004:    e92d4010    .@-.    PUSH     {r4,lr}
        0x00000008:    ebfffffe    ....    BL       puts
        0x0000000c:    e3a00000    ....    MOV      r0,#0
        0x00000010:    e8bd8010    ....    POP      {r4,pc}
    $d
        0x00000014:    00000000    ....    DCD    0
			
** Section #4 '.conststring' (SHT_PROGBITS) [SHF_ALLOC + SHF_MERGE + SHF_STRINGS]
    Size   : 12 bytes (alignment 4)
    Address: 0x00000000
			
    0x000000:   48 65 6c 6c 6f 20 77 6f 72 6c 64 00                Hello world.

If you also specify the --no_integer_literal_pools option, the compiler constructs the address of the character data with a pair of MOVW/MOVT instructions.

Default

The default is --string_literal_pools.

--execute_only implies --no_string_literal_pools, unless --string_literal_pools is explicitly specified.