Google said it will be launching its Android Oreo (Go edition) for low-end devices on 6 December, when it releases Android 8.1. The edition was unveiled at the Google I/O event this year and also comes with a range of lighter Google apps for first-time mobile internet users.
The Go system was developed for Android Oreo devices with 512 MB to 1 GB and is made up of three key components. Google has improved the performance and storage of the operating system with data management features and security benefits built-in. The system will also include a new set of Google apps, designed to be lighter and relevant to the needs of people coming online for the first time. Finally, the Google Play Store version on the OS will be adjusted. Though people will be allowed to download any app, the stores will highlight those designed to work best on the user’s device.
Performance and storage space
The Android Oreo (Go edition) will ensure speed and reliability on entry-level devices, which means the average app will be 15 percent faster on devices running Android Oreo (Go edition). As entry level devices usually have little storage space, Google said it optimised the OS and enhanced its preinstalled Google apps to take up 50 percent less space, resulting in a doubling of available storage on entry-level devices.
Lighter apps
The apps preinstalled on Android Oreo (Go edition) devices will include Google Go, Google Assistant Go, YouTube Go, Google Maps Go, Gmail Go, Gboard, Google Play, Chrome, and the new Files Go app by Google.
Google Go, a new app to find information, optimises data by up to 40 percent, weighs less than 5MB in size, and has a simple, tappable interface. The app is available to preview initially in India and Indonesia, targeting first-time mobile internet users.
With Google Assistant for Android (Go edition), Google said people will be able to quickly send messages, make calls or set alarms, with their voice and a single touch of the screen. A special version of the Google Assistant will be available first in India with operator Reliance Jio. The Google Assistant for the JioPhone, built for India in both English and Hindi, offers a rich set of data services to help make phone calls, text, play music and videos, navigate and search the internet, and access other apps and services through voice commands.
The new app Files Go will help people clean up space on the phone and stay organised. Google said initial tests showed the average user saved 1GB of space with the app.
Data saver
Devices running Android Oreo (Go edition) will also come with Google’s data saver features turned on by default. For example, Data Saver in Chrome saves the average user more than 600MB of data per year. People will also be able to manage which apps can use background data with the feature.
The Android Oreo version also boasts the same security features as all others, with in addition Google Play Protect built-in.
Google noted that Android has grown to more than 2 billion active devices around the world, with more users in India than the US. Partner phones running Android Oreo (Go edition) will hit shelves in early 2018, the company said.
