Android Go, officially Android (Go edition), is a stripped-down version of the Android operating system, designed for low-end and ultra-budget smartphones (but also used by some tablets). It is intended for smartphones with 4 GB of RAM or lower 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.
Features Android Go has platform optimizations designed to reduce mobile data usage (including enabling Data Saver mode in Google Chrome by default), and a special suite of Google Mobile Services designed to be less resource- and bandwidth-intensive. The Google Play Services package was also modularized to reduce its memory footprint. The Google Play Store will highlight lighter apps suited for these devices.
The operating system'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 uses a modified layout and is limited to four apps (in order to reduce RAM consumption), and an API 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, and picture-in-picture mode, are disabled to improve performance.
Most devices running Android Go use Google's "stock" Android GUI, although several manufacturers still use a customized GUI.
Versions
Version Android versionnumbersMinimum RAMrequiredAndroid Gorelease dateAndroid releasedateDays afterreleaseEnd ofsupport8.1 Oreo (Go edition) 512 MB0October 4, 20219 Pie (Go edition)August 6, 20189March 7, 202210 (Go edition) September 3, 201922March 6, 202311 (Go edition) 1 GBSeptember 8, 20202March 27, 202412 (Go edition)October 4, 202171March 31, 2025A closer look at Android 12 (Go edition) .13 (Go edition)2 GBAugust 15, 202265March 2, 202614 (Go edition)October 4, 202372Current15 (Go edition)September 3, 202419916 (Go edition)June 10, 2025140
See also Comparison of Android Go products Android One, a version of Android originally designed for entry-level and budget devices One UI Core, a similar software developed by Samsung for entry-level Galaxy smartphones from 2019 to 2023
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