Google I/O 2017: Google Announces Android Go, Lightweight OS For Cheap Devices

Google has announced Android Go, a lightweight version of Android O for devices with very low specs. Android Go will work on entry-level devices that only have 512MB to 1GB of RAM.

Google announced Android Go during its annual I/O conference in Mountain View California. Devices running Android Go will still have the Google Play Store, but the apps will be optimized to work smoothly. The optimized apps for the lightweight OS should have a download size of less than 10MB and should work well for devices with slow processors.

An example of an optimized app for Android Go is YouTube Go, which is able to preview videos first even before loading it, according to TechCrunch. Users will also have the option to choose which quality to play the video in even before playing it so that it won’t consume much data.

YouTube Go will also let users download videos for offline viewing if they’re connected to a Wi-Fi network. The app has already been launched earlier this year, but only in India.

Optimized apps will be promoted on the Google Play Store with the new section “Optimized for your device.” Users should see the new section in the Play Store if they’re using a smartphone running Android Go.

Google says that these apps will use less RAM, storage and mobile data. The company is also making sure that its own apps, like Chrome and Gboard, will do the same. Android Go users will still have access to the entire app catalog in the Play Store.

Facebook and Microsoft’s Skype have already released apps that are optimized to run smoothly on Android Go. All app developers can also learn how to optimize their apps for the new lightweight OS by going to Google’s new webpage.

“Part of Android’s mission is to bring computing to everyone,” Google said in its blog post. “We’re excited about seeing more users come online for the first time as the price of entry level smart phones drop, and we want to help manufacturers continue to offer lower-cost devices that provide a great experience for these users.”

Google just announced that it there are currently 2 billion Android devices that are being used worldwide. Introducing Android Go is part of the company’s effort to get the next 2 billion. With Android Go, Google is effectively targeting customers in developing markets where entry-level, ultra-cheap devices are more widely used than flagships.

“There are now more Android users in India than there are in the U.S.,” said Sameer Samat, the VP of product management for Android and Google Play. “Every minute, seven Brazilians come online for the first time.”

Android Go will ship sometime in 2018 for all devices that have a RAM size thats 1GB or less. As for Android O, that is expected to be released around October 2017.

Google’s Android Go seems to have some similarities with the company’s Android One initiative, which was first announced back in 2014. Google’s initiative was to sell its very cheap Android One smartphones in developing markets to get first-time users in order to grow its number of Android users.