Google Unveils Android Oreo (Go Edition) For Low-end Phones
Tobenna Ezike
The Android Mobile Operating System is a very robust software that shines brightest, when hooked onto devices with top-notch specs. Meanwhile, low-end devices with smaller specs (less RAM and slower processors) struggle to keep up the pace. Low storage, sluggish performance and at times, app incompatibility, are some of the more common issues that plague the smaller and cheaper devices running Android.
Google has been working on a slimmer version of Android for low-end devices and has finally made it public. Along with the launch of Android Oreo 8.1, Google has also launched Android Oreo (Go Edition). According to them, the software is tailored to run on devices with 512MB to 1GB of memory.
Android Oreo (Go edition) comes with some optimizations that make it suitable for smaller devices:
The Operating System now includes performance and storage improvements with data management features and security benefits built-in.
Google Apps have been optimized to be lighter and relevant to the unique needs of people who are new to the world of mobile.
Google Play Store, specially highlights the apps designed to work best on your device model.
According to Google, the average app now launches 15% faster on the Oreo Go edition of Android, and the operating system and preinstalled apps now occupy 50 percent less space on your device’s storage giving you more space for music, photos, videos, and whatever files you wish to store on your device. An inbuilt data saver controls how much data is used across all your apps, helping you save on mobile data.
The software also comes with Google Play Protect, a security feature that works to keep your device, data and apps safe. It scans your app installs, even when you’re offline, no matter where you downloaded them from.
Google has also redesigned the preinstalled apps to fit the Go edition. It includes Google Go, Google Assistant Go, YouTube Go, Google Maps Go, Gmail Go, Gboard, Google Play, Chrome, and the new Files Go app by Google. The new apps take up way less space on your phone (some are less than 5MB) and also consume less data and resources, while running.
Android Oreo (Go Edition) is available worldwide and should start shipping with new devices in the months to come.