Google Announces Android Go For Smartphones with 1GB RAM or Less

Android Go is Google's attempt at creating an optimised version of its mobile OS for low-end smartphones. It's mainly a set of features and apps for Android designed to limit both devices' system resources and mobile data, helping people in developing nations have a reasonable mobile experience.

This new android Go is divided into 3 new components which are the Operating System, Google apps and an optimised third-party apps.

The upcoming Android O will feature optimization for devices with 1gb ram or less. The optimization will focus majorly on limiting RAM usage and also data usage.

Google will achieve this with the newly-added ability to see one's data usage directly from the notification bar. Google also said these data statistics can now be pulled directly from supported carriers, and thus be more reliable than current implementations.

Google has also promised to rework some of its own apps with data saving versions. For instance, the data saver feature in Google chrome will be turned on by default on Google Go, also a light and data conscious version of YouTube called "YouTube Go" will also ship with the android Go instead of the standard version.

The YouTube Go will also come with a lot of built-in data saving features one of which is the option to preview a YouTube video in a series of screenshots so as to help the user decide if it's worth watching. 

YouTube Go will also allow users download videos for offline viewing with the ability to share to other people through an offline peer to peer connection which can be either Bluetooth or WiFi direct.

Google will also design an exclusive playstore version for android Go. The special playstore version will only consist of light apps which focuses on RAM usage and data management, examples are Facebook lite and Skype lite.

The Go configuration will feature all the three components explained above It will be available starting from Android O and exclusively to android phones with 1gb RAM or less. According to Google, Android Go powered smartphones will start shipping from 2018.