Android Go, officially Android (Go edition), is a stripped-down version of the Android

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...

, designed for low-end and ultra-budget

smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...

s (but also used by some tablets). It is intended for smartphones with 2 GB of

RAM Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

or less and was first made available with the release of Android Oreo. The first phone pre-installed with Android Go is the Alcatel 1X, which was released in February 2018. A Go Edition is planned for Android 16, and will be released alongside the main version.

Features

Android Go has platform optimizations designed to reduce

mobile data Mobile broadband is the marketing term for Wireless broadband, wireless Internet access via mobile network, mobile (cell) networks. Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a Tablet computer, tablet/smartp ...

usage (including enabling Data Saver mode in

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by default), and a special suite of Google Mobile Services designed to be less resource and

bandwidth Bandwidth commonly refers to: * Bandwidth (signal processing) or ''analog bandwidth'', ''frequency bandwidth'', or ''radio bandwidth'', a measure of the width of a frequency range * Bandwidth (computing), the rate of data transfer, bit rate or thr ...

-intensive. The

Google Play Services Google Play Services is a proprietary software package produced by Google for installation on Android devices. It consists of background services and libraries for use by mobile apps running on the device. When it was introduced in 2012, it pr ...

package was also modularized to reduce its

memory footprint Memory footprint refers to the amount of main memory that a program uses or references while running. The word footprint generally refers to the extent of physical dimensions that an object occupies, giving a sense of its size. In computing, t ...

. The

Google Play Store Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store, Play Store, or sometimes the Android Store (and was formerly Android Market), is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certifie ...

will highlight lighter apps suited for these devices. The

's interface differs from that of stock Android, with the quick-settings panel giving greater prominence to information regarding the battery, mobile-data limit, and available storage; the recent apps menu using a modified layout and being limited to four apps (in order to reduce RAM consumption), and an

API An application programming interface (API) is a connection between computers or between computer programs. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how to build ...

for allowing mobile carriers to implement data-tracking and top-ups within the Android settings menu. Some system services, such as notification access,

split screen Split screen may refer to: * Split screen (computing), dividing graphics into adjacent parts * Split screen (video production), the visible division of the screen * ''Split Screen'' (TV series), 1997–2001 * Split screen, a focusing screen in a ...

and

picture-in-picture Picture-in-picture (PiP) is a feature that can be found in television receivers, personal computers, and smartphones. It consists of a video stream playing within an inset window, freeing the rest of the screen for other tasks. For televisions, ...

mode, are disabled to improve performance. Most devices running Android Go use Google's "stock" Android GUI, although there are several manufacturers that still use customized GUI.

Versions

Android Go was made available to OEMs for Android 8.1 until Android 15.

References

External links

* {{Android Android (operating system) Smartphone operating systems Tablet computers introduced in 2017 ARM operating systems

Features

Versions

See also

References

External links