Hot on the heels of the stable Android 11 update rollout, Google has announced the latest iteration of Android Go. Android 11 Go Edition comes with gesture navigation support as well as performance, reliability, and privacy improvements. To recap, Android Go Edition is a stripped-down version of Android aimed at entry-level smartphones, especially in emerging markets.
Google claims that Android Go has powered over 100 million entry-level devices since its inception in 2018. Android 11 Go Edition will be available starting next month on all devices with up to 2GB RAM. With the expansion to 2GB from 1.5GB earlier, devices will have an additional 270MB of free memory.
Android 11 Go Edition features
As discussed above, one of the biggest new features is support for devices with 2GB RAM or less. Android 10 Go Edition was made for devices with less than 1.5GB of RAM. On devices with 2GB RAM, Android 11 Go Edition will also offer up to 900MB of additional free storage. Secondly, Android 11 Go Edition brings with it 20 percent faster application launch times. Google has achieved this by pre-fetching app data so that ‘cold’ starts are as fast as ‘warm’ starts. Basically, this should allow Android 11 Go users to switch between apps more easily.
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Android 11 Go Edition also comes with a conversation section in the notification shade. Similar to the implementation in the full-blown Android 11, conversations across all messaging apps will be displayed in this section. This will make it easier for users to manage and respond to messages. As large-screen smartphones have become commonplace, Android 11 Go also features gesture-based navigation. Users can go to the home screen, navigate backward, and switch between apps with swipe gestures similar to the ones found in Android 11.
Several privacy and security improvements are also present. Google claims Android 11 Go smartphones have access to the same industry-leading privacy protections as any Android device. One-time app permissions allow users to grant applications access to sensors such as microphone, camera, or location, for just one instance. Additionally, app permissions will “auto-reset” if an app is not used for an extended period of time. Users will immediately receive a notification of the change and can choose to re-grant the permissions if they wish so.
