In a bid to increase Internet adoption in the country, Google has unveiled its lightweight operating system (OS) as Android Oreo (Go Edition) for smartphones with lower specifications.
Android Oreo (Go) is essentially made for entry-level Android smartphones with less than 1 GB RAM and hence uses less storage space, less memory and still runs smoothly.
Originally announced at Google I/O 2017 annual developer conference, this OS is a toned down version of the latest Android Oreo OS which is currently present in high-end devices.
The new OS and pre-installed apps have been optimised to take up 50 percent less space that would double the amount of available storage on entry-level devices, the company said.
Android Go is the most secure version of Android till date with features such as Google Play Protect (that uses system and Cloud-based scanning to verify apps downloaded from the Google Play Store) integrated into the OS. Play Protect features around-the-clock device scanning and keeps the device protected even when it is offline. The scans are optimised for low data consumption.
The company will also gradually roll out a suite of its popular “lightweight” apps that will include Google Go, Google Maps Go, YouTube Go, Gmail Go, Google Assistant Go, Files Go, Gboard, Chrome and Google Play Store. The search engine giant said the apps especially designed for Android Go will load at least 15 percent faster due to user interface (UI) optimisations along with built-in data management and security features.
Low-end smartphones running Android Oreo Go will also come with Google’s “data saver” feature turned on by default.
“Data Saver” feature in Chrome browser saves the user more than 600MB of data per year. The user can also manage which apps can use background data with the built-in feature, giving them more control over how data is used. The company also unveiled one of the optimised apps, “Files Go” which was earlier available in beta mode, for all Android smartphones.
“Files Go” app lets the user free up space using the company’s mobile vision technology, find files faster, and share files without using any data.
“The average ‘Files Go’ user is saving 1GB of space so they can do more on their phone. It was built for Android Go devices, but we’re also making it available on the Google Play Store,” the company said.