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Android 13 (Go edition) debuts Material You and will arrive in 2023
Today, Google announced that it will be releasing Android 13 (Go edition). It will feature numerous enhacements, along with customizability through Material You.
Android Go has been around for quite some time and is a project that brings Android's power to devices with limited memory and storage capacities. It has been five years since its inception, and the project still moves forward. Every year, Google has brought new enhancements to the platform, and with Android 13 (Go edition), things will be no different.
Android 12 (Go edition) promises a faster, smarter and more privacy-friendly experience
Google today announced Android 12 (Go edition) -- the latest iteration of its software for affordable, entry-level phones. Read on to learn more.
After officially announcing Android 12 earlier this year, Google gave us our first look at Android 12L -- an upcoming feature drop for foldables, tablets, and Chrome OS devices. The company recently rolled out Android 12L Beta 1 for Pixel devices, giving users a chance to experience the update ahead of the stable release next year. Now, Google has officially announced Android 12 (Go edition) -- the latest iteration of Android for entry-level devices.
HMD Global's new Nokia C20 Plus offers 1-year replacement guarantee and Android 11 Go
HMD Global has unveiled the Nokia C20 Plus, an entry-level smartphone with Android 11 Go edition, a 6.5-inch HD+ display, and dual cameras.
Today HMD Global unveiled the Nokia C20 Plus, the company’s latest entry-level smartphone for the Indian market. Similar to the Nokia C20 and C10 that launched earlier in April, the new phone targets first-time smartphone buyers, offering entry-level hardware and Android 11 Go edition at an ultra-affordable price tag.
Google is making it easier to switch to guest mode on Android Go devices
In a bid to further improve user privacy, Google is making it easier for Android Go users to switch to guest mode.
Android Go is a version of Android designed for ultra-cheap smartphones. It’s optimized to deliver a smooth user experience on phones with less than 2GB RAM and comes pre-loaded with a special suite of Google apps designed to use less bandwidth and have a smaller memory footprint. While the overall premise of Android Go is to make core Android features more accessible to less powerful devices, it doesn’t skimp on privacy and security features either. In fact, Android 11 Go, which was announced last year, offers the same privacy protections as the full-fledged Android 11 version, including a one-time permission model for apps requesting access to the camera and microphone, auto-reset permissions, and more. Now in a bid to further improve user privacy, Google is making it easier for Android Go users to switch to guest mode.
Google's Camera Go app for budget phones is rolling out HDR photography support
The latest update for Google Camera Go brings HDR photography support to a handful of entry-level Android devices.
Google released a trimmed-down version of the Pixel's Google Camera app, called Google Camera Go, earlier this year in March. At first, the app was quite barebones, and it didn't include most of the cool features that you'd find in the full-blown Google Camera app. However, Google has been working on bringing support for some of those novel features over the last few months. For instance, back in April this year, we first learned that the company was working on adding HDR support to Google Camera Go. Then in October, the app received Night Mode support, and Google confirmed that it would be adding HDR support in a future update. As promised, the company is now finally rolling out HDR support with the latest Google Camera Go update.
Instagram Lite is a 2MB app that removes Reels, Shopping, and IGTV for a clean, no-frills experience
Instagram Lite is a no-frills version of the regular Instagram app, offering a fast and responsive user experience in a 2MB size. Read on!
At the "Facebook Fuel For India" event today, Instagram launched Instagram Lite, a no-frills version of its photo and video sharing service. At less than 2MB in size, Instagram Lite is primarily developed for users with limited internet bandwidth and low-memory phones (read Android Go edition phones). However, we believe it will have an equally strong appeal to those who have grown frustrated with the cluttered user experience on the main app as a result of continuous feature downpour over the past months.
Nokia C1 Plus is a crazy cheap 4G smartphone headed for Europe
The Nokia C1 Plus is the latest ultra-affordable smartphone from Nokia, boasting 4G support, Android 10 (Go edition) and more at €69.
Nokia on Monday announced the Nokia C1 Plus, a slightly upgraded version of the last year’s ultra-affordable Nokia C1. The main takeaway of the Nokia C1 Plus is that the phone now offers 4G connectivity, making it one of the cheapest Android smartphones on the market. It should be noted that a proper successor already exists in the form of the Nokia C2, which was announced in the first half of this year.
Gmail Go app mistakenly became available for Android 10+ devices
Google mistakenly made Gmail Go, a less bloated version of the regular Gmail app, available for more users.
Google offers quite a few 'Go' variants of its apps, which are designed for entry-level devices running Android Go. These include apps like Google Go, Google Assistant Go, Gallery Go, Google Maps Go, Google Camera Go, and many more. The company keeps adding new apps to the lineup ever so often, and it offers a stripped-down version of the Gmail app on the Play Store. The Gmail Go app brings a lighter Gmail experience, featuring just the essentials.
Hands-on with Night Mode in Google Camera Go: Democratizing Low-Light Photography
We tried out the newly introduced Night Mode on the Google Camera Go app designed origianlly for low-end Android Go smartphones.
If there's one area Google's Pixel smartphones remain undefeated, it is definitely in camera software. Most of the magic in the Google Camera app happens on the software side. Even though the tech giant continues to use the same 12.2MP primary camera on its smartphones since the Pixel 2, the software algorithms backing the Google Camera's phenomenal "computational photography" keep improving significantly with each new Pixel smartphone. Google's incredible camera processing has inspired developers, including some of the most notable personalities on the XDA-Developers forums, to modify the Google Camera app to run on non-Google smartphones. Similarly, for low-end and budget devices, developers have also ported Google Camera Go, a lightweight version of Google's camera app for Android (Go Edition) devices, which was recently updated with a Night Mode.
Google Camera Go adds Night Mode for better budget phone photography in low-light
Google Camera Go, a trimmed-down version of the Pixel's camera app, is now getting Night Mode and HDR support.
Google Camera Go is a trimmed down version of the Pixel's Google Camera app. The app was released earlier this year in March with the Nokia 1.3, a Snapdragon 250-powered entry-level device that runs Android 10 Go Edition. As you'd expect, the app is quite barebones, and it doesn't include most of the cool features that you'd find on the full-blown Google Camera app. However, Google has been working to bring new features to the app to give entry-level smartphone users a taste of its computational photography prowess. Earlier this year in April, we learned that the company was working to bring HDR support to Google Camera Go. But while the feature is yet to make its way to users, Google has now announced that it's introducing Night Mode to the Google Camera Go app.
Google announces Android 11 Go Edition with support for 2GB RAM devices
Following the recent Android 11 stable rollout, Google has now announced Android 11 Go Edition for devices with up to 2GB RAM.
Following the first stable release of Android 11 earlier this week, Google has now announced Android 11 Go Edition — a toned-down version of Google's latest software release for devices with low amounts of RAM. The latest update builds upon the features introduced in Android 10 Go Edition last year and brings a couple of new features to further improve speed, reliability, and security on entry-level Android devices.
Google plans to make Android Go Edition required for new low RAM devices
Android Go has never been a requirement for low-end devices, though that's exactly why it exists. Starting soon, that may be changing.
In 2017, Google announced a modified version of Android for low-end devices. "Android Go Edition" was built specifically for devices with 1GB or less of RAM. In conjunction, Google has released lightweight "Go Edition" versions of many of its popular services. Android Go has never been a requirement for these low-end devices, though. That could change soon, however.
Reliance Jio and Google partner to develop entry-level smartphone for India
Reliance Jio and Google have entered into a collaboration to develop an entry-level smartphone in India, with optimized Android and Play Store experience.
Earlier today, Google revealed that it had signed an agreement with Indian telecom giant Reliance Jio to invest ₹33,737 crores (~$4.5 billion) in Jio Platforms Ltd. for a 7.73% equity stake in the company. This marked the first investment from Google's recently announced Google For India Digitization Fund, which aims to accelerate India's digital economy by funding ₹75,000 crores (~$10 billion) in the region over the next five to seven years. Alongside the investment, the two companies have announced a commercial agreement to develop an entry-level smartphone for the Indian market. Curiously, at the Reliance AGM held earlier today, Reliance announced that it will develop an OS in collaboration with Google.
Google is testing HDR photography for Camera Go on budget Android Go smartphones
The Camera Go app for Android Go Edition phones comes with a hidden HDR toggle. We got the setting to surface, but it remains non-functional for now.
Google Camera Go is a watered-down version of the Pixel's Google Camera app. The app was released on the Nokia 1.3, an Android Go smartphone, and we recently went hands-on with the apk to see what the app can do. While the app itself is barebones, what excites us is the sheer potential it has in democratizing the Google Camera experience, extending the camera magic beyond the exclusive Pixel, all the way to the opposite end of the market. And to prove our point, we have now spotted upcoming HDR photography features on Camera Go, which can enable HDR on low-end Android devices.
Google Camera Go Hands-on - GCam for the masses!
We managed to get our hands on the Google Camera Go application, to show you what the app does for Android Go Edition devices like the Nokia 1.3. Read on!
Last month, Nokia announced the Nokia 8.3, Nokia 5.3 and Nokia 1.3 smartphones. While everyone may be interested in the higher-end 5G device, the humble Nokia 1.3 also demanded some attention thanks to one key detail. The Nokia 1.3 with its Snapdragon 250 SoC runs Android 10 Go Edition, with upgrades planned to Android 11 Go Edition and Android 12 Go Edition too. The most exciting part about this admittedly low-end, €95 device is that it is the first phone to feature Google Camera Go.
Google Camera Go brings Portrait Mode photography to budget Android Go smartphones
Google Camera Go is a special version of the Google Camera app designed for budget Android smartphones running Android Go.
Earlier today, HMD Global announced a trio of new smartphones: the Nokia 8.3, the Nokia 5.3, and Nokia 1.3. While the Nokia 8.3 and Nokia 5.3 run regular Android 10 with a handful of HMD Global's customizations on top, the Nokia 1.3 runs Android 10 (Go Edition), a special version of Android that's optimized for budget smartphones with a weaker processor and lower RAM capacity. Although the Nokia 1.3 has the low-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 and only a single 8MP rear camera, the Nokia 1.3 can actually take portrait mode shots. That's because the Nokia 1.3 has the new Google Camera Go app, a stripped-down version of the Pixel's camera app for Android Go devices.
Google announces Android 10 (Go Edition) with Adiantum encryption support for budget smartphones
Google has now announced Android 10 (Go edition), their latest version of Android Go for budget phones based on Android 10. Check it out!
Earlier this month, Google publicly released the final version of Android 10 to the masses, which has now rolled out to several devices, including the Essential Phone, the Redmi K20 Pro, and the OnePlus 7/7 Pro. Additionally, many other devices have been confirmed to come with Google's newest software out of the box, including the Huawei Mate 30/Mate 30 Pro, the OnePlus 7T series, and more. It's set to come pre-installed in most 2020 devices, and of course, this includes entry-level smartphones. Google's Android Go edition has helped to optimize budget devices greatly, and Google has now announced the latest version of Android Go, Android 10 (Go edition).
GCA Launcher is an Android Go-friendly launcher inspired by Chrome OS and Pixel Launcher
GCA Launcher, or Go Custom Android Launcher, is a launcher built with Android Go users in mind, giving them Chrome OS and Pixel Launcher inspired features.
When it comes to app launchers, Android users are absolutely spoilt for choice. OEM UX skins come with their own launchers, such as Google's Pixel Launcher, OnePlus Launcher, MIUI Launcher, POCO Launcher, and others; while we also have our favorites like Nova Launcher and Lawnchair from third-party developers. Most of these launchers aim at providing ample customization options to users and other utility-enhancing features. However, the side effect of constantly adding on new features is that you eventually require more powerful hardware to smoothly run some of these launchers. However, for users on Android Go devices, constant feature additions taxes the already limited hardware. With that in mind, GO Custom Android Launcher, or GCA, is designed and built keeping in mind the needs of the Android Go community as well as other Android users in mind.
[Update: Still Planned] Google is working on adding an Android Go image to the Android Studio Emulator
Android Go is Google's stripped down version of Android that's available on lower-end phones. Developers at the moment can't test their applications in the Android Studio emulator, but that's set to change.
Android Go is Google's stripped down version of Android based on Android 8.1 Oreo, and is designed to run on lower-end hardware with reduced RAM and storage requirements. It was announced last year and recently we saw it reach its first devices. For developers, it holds an exciting prospect. While some devices will be launching with Android Go onboard, there's nothing stopping a custom ROM developer creating their own build of Android Go and running it on any device. This is great, but Google has deemed it necessary to create Android Go specific applications due to the storage and RAM constraints - at least, in the case of YouTube Go and Google Maps Go to name a few. When creating apps, developers can use the Android Studio Emulator to test their applications but this isn't the case when it comes to Android Go. You can't test your apps on an Android Go based emulator as Google hasn't added the image.
[Update: Goes Global] Google Go will soon integrate Google Assistant Go and Google Lens
The Google Go app within Android (Go Edition) will soon get direct access for the Assistant Go and Google Lens as well as a Discover feed.
Google has been perceptive about the needs and expectations of low-income users, who desire a lag-free Android experience but can only afford smartphones with the basic hardware. To fulfill these requirements, Google launched Android (Go Edition), which is tailored to run on smartphones with limited resources. In Android Go, the suite of Android apps is also optimized for smartphones with low power and can be identified by the suffix "Go" following the usual app name. These apps include Google Go, Assistant Go, Files Go, Gmail Go, Maps Go, and added very recently to the list is Gallery Go, which is a lightweight media gallery app announced by the tech giant at the Google for Nigeria event yesterday.