In late 2017, Google introduced Android GO, a reduced version of its mobile operating system for devices with fewer resources. Android Oreo (Go Edition) was the denomination chosen for that variant of Android 8.1 Oreo with lighter services and adapted to work on phones with 512 MB or 1 GB of RAM.
In August 2018, Android 9 Pie (Go Edition) was announced, which occupied 500 MB less space than the previous version and promised to boot faster. Now that we know that Android 10 Go will soon arrive , it is a good time to remember all the Go versions of Google services that you can find right now on Google Play (Google Files, for example, has already lost the surname “Go”).
Google Go
The Google Go search application occupies only 7 MB and, according to the company, offers optimized results to save 40% of data. It is specially designed to search with slow connections and smartphones with little space.
Google Maps Go
It is the simplest version of Google Maps in a progressive web application and, according to Google, occupies 100 times less space on the phone than the full version. It is designed to work on devices with limited memory capacity and unreliable networks without affecting the speed to obtain the location, updates on real-time traffic, indications and information on public transport in the city.
Navigation for Google Maps Go
It is a complementary application of the previous one (Google Maps Go) to receive detailed voice prompts in real time. It is optimized for low memory phones and cannot be used independently, but to use it, you have to start looking for a route in Google Maps Go and touch the Navigation button.
Google Photos Gallery Go
Gallery Go is a light, fast and intelligent photo and video gallery created by Google to find photos quickly thanks to automatic organization and edit them with simple tools such as automatic adjustment. It comes in a small file that takes up very little memory and has been optimized to work offline.
Google Assistant Go
It is the light and fast version of the Google Assistant, but, for now, it is only available in English. Although it does not have all the functions of the full version, it does allow you to make calls, send text messages, play music, get directions, check upcoming events or weather information, ask questions …
Gmail Go
This is a lighter version of Gmail, but Google says it is just as fast. It comes with a smarter inbox, spam blocking, 15 GB of free storage and support for several Gmail or other vendor accounts (Outlook.com, Yahoo Mail or any other IMAP / POP mail). In addition, it allows you to answer emails whether you have an Internet connection or not.
YouTube Go
YouTube Go was born in 2016 in India as an app designed to download and share videos offline, but it soon spread to more emerging markets (not available in all countries). It has been designed to operate with low memory and lower speeds, and allows you to control the use of data and storage, among other possibilities.
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