Image used with permission by copyright holderIt’s been roughly a week since Google announced the launch of Android Go — a pared-down version of Android 8.1 Oreo, designed to run on lower-end devices packing between 1GB and 512MB of RAM. Mostly useful in developing markets like Brazil and India, Android Go is focused on reducing the install size of the operating system to less than half of that of Android 7.0 Nougat, and ensuring that essential services can run on a device with significantly less power than most smartphones running Android 8.0 Oreo.
A big part of this drive is the creation of a number of smaller, “Go-style” Google apps, made to work on lower-end hardware. Essentially pared-down versions of existing Google apps, Google also announced that we should expect more compact versions of Google Maps, YouTube, Google Assistant, and Gmail. Files Go, a slim-line file managing app has already been launched, as has a lightweight search app, Google Go, and now low-end users can access a lightweight maps app with Google Maps Go on the Google Play Store. Google Maps Go gives users the ability to see their location, get directions to a place via car, train or bus, or by walking, and even allows users to add filters to their map to see satellite imagery, public transport, or an overlay of the current traffic.
A comparison between Google Maps Go (left) and Google Maps (right) on the Galaxy S8Image used with permission by copyright holder
The app will only be downloadable for a specific subset of Android smartphones; any device that has less than 1GB of RAM, and is running Android 4.1 or newer. It’s a very specific band of users, and unlike the implementation of Files Go, which was made available as a general file managing app for any Androidsmartphone.
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Key to the low impact of the app is that it’s not really an app at all — the app icon is a link to a Progressive Web App (PWA) version of Google Maps (as noted by Android Police). PWAs allow users to access apps without downloading them, and this means that they’re extremely low-impact on a device’s resources. It also means you can try out the app for yourself without needing a compatible phone. Simply access this link on your phone or PC, and you should be able to access Google Map Go — it may try to send you to your normal Google Maps app, but you can circumvent that by holding the link and opening it in a new tab.
Google just announced 10 huge updates for your Android phone
Google I/O, the annual everything-Google-software fest, has kicked off. As usual, Android takes center stage. From enhanced privacy and Google Wallet upgrades to theft detection and app safety checkups, there’s a lot to look forward to here.
From Android 15 features to more general Android updates, here’s a breakdown of all the major Android announcements from I/O 2024.
Making life easier with Google Wallet
Google is making it easier for you to find and download Android apps
Google announced a wide range of features for Android phones at the I/O 2024 developers conference earlier today. However, the event was not all about user-facing changes. The company also revealed a handful of new tricks for developers to showcase their apps effectively while maintaining a vigilant eye on safety.
Among the most important changes -- one that is also going to make life easier for users - is support for more payment options. The most notable of these is support for installment subscriptions, which has already yielded positive results for developers in the early access phase.
Google just released the first Android 15 beta. Here’s what’s new
Google has just released the first public beta build of Android 15, marking an end to the developer-focused test phase. The beta version’s release also means that Android 15 is finally in a state where it can be tried by the masses without people having to worry about too many bugs leaving their phone in a sorry state.
The first beta version of Android 15 doesn’t introduce a ton of new features, as most of the notable additions have already appeared in the Developer Preview builds. Google’s blog post, however, mentions the following features as the key highlights
