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Back at Google I/O 2017, Android Go was announced as a new effort by Google to bring the latest version of Android to even the cheapest of devices. It’s no secret that super-budget devices (less than $100) have issues with keeping up with the likes of the mid-rangers or flagships due to the fact that the internals just can’t handle the software.
Today, Google confirmed that Android Go is being made officially available to manufacturers and developers. It’s unlikely that you’ll see Android Go on any device in the next month, but it’s possible we could see something announced at CES or MWC that is powered by this version of Android.
What makes this so special is that it is based on Android Oreo, so you’ll be getting the latest and greatest version out of the box. Plus, it has been specifically designed for devices that have either 512MB or 1GB of RAM.
When it was announced, Google offered a three-pronged approach:
- OS: the Android system itself is going to get faster through extensive changes to things like the runtime.
- Reworked Google Apps: Google is putting it on themselves to introduce new versions of their apps that are designed to use less data. This began with the soft launch of YouTube Go as well as the data saver feature in Chrome.
- Encouraging Developer Participation: Google’s apps aren’t all we have on Google Play, of course, so Google is trying to get developers to make similar efforts by launching a new Android Go section in Google Play that highlights the best apps built for these devices.
This move is the latest made by Google to hopefully add to its already massive userbase of 2 billion users. But considering that Google has its eyes set on 3 billion users, this is one of the ways to make that happen.
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