MANILA, Philippines – There's a new software experience coming for low-end Android smartphones, and it's meant to provide improved services for the next billion users of the Internet who are now coming online on less beefy technologies.
Announced on Tuesday, December 5, Android Oreo (Go Edition) will be launching as part of the Android 8.1 rollout on December 6.
In effect, Android Go (Oreo Edition) is meant to be used with phones that have 512MB to 1GB of memory and is optimized for such devices, with the apps and tweaks to support the needs and technological constraints of the phones owned by the user set.
Specifically, the Go Edition of the operating system will have storage improvements and performance upgrades, as well as the built-in data management and security features.
Aside from the operating system, a suite of Google apps will be made available for the Go Edition that are "designed to be lighter and relevant to the unique needs of people who are coming online for the first time." These include the Files Go file manager, YouTube Go, and Google Go which is a renamed Search Lite app.
These will be served on a tuned version of the Google Play Store that will provde access to all apps, but also highlights applications that are meant to work best on your device – such as Google's lighter apps and other services with lighter version such as Twitter or Facebook, presumably.
Partner devices – specifically entry-level smartphones running Android Oreo (Go Edition) – will be made available in specific territories "in the coming months."
More information on Android Oreo (Go Edition) is available on its release page. – Rappler.com