Android Go – How does Google’s lightweight ecosystem compare to the original?

Android Go is Google’s lightweight mobile platform that aims to run on lower system specifications than usual. It’s aimed at developing and lower-income areas, where devices with poor processors and small amounts of RAM will be most prevalent. It exists basically to make sure that those in developing nations can still avail of applications and products in the smartphone world. As such, lower specifications requires some applications to be reworked in order to work within smaller RAM constraints. YouTube Go, Maps Go, Gmail Go, and Google Go are all examples of these applications, and third-parties offer them too. But that’s not all, as a number of modifications are made to keep system requirements even lower. RAM compression, reduced system memory usage, and better memory management ensures the device will be as quick as can be.

But when it comes to a smartphone, its worth is defined by the applications it can run. How good, really, is the Android Go suite of apps that are currently available? We will compare the pre-installed Android Go applications against their normal counterparts to find out.

Android Go vs Regular Android – What’s the Deal?
What are the differences between the operating systems? On an unmodified Android Go version, there are very few. What’s interesting is that Android Go, much like its full-fledged counterpart, is not released directly to Android devices like those in the Android One program. The software is shipped off to phone manufacturers who then modify it and add their own applications and software. The upcoming Samsung Android Go device is an example of that. Nearly all of Android Go’s changes are under the hood, things the regular user won’t see in day-to-day usage. In theory, though, there’s absolutely nothing stopping an OEM from going a step further and making even more changes. It’s still familiar and feels the same, and that’s the whole point. There have been some small changes to the system, but nothing that’s hugely noticeable. The only UI change I could really spot was how the Recent apps are displayed, as shown below. I was unable to spot any other major differences between the two on my testing device running completely stock Android Go, as Google’s vision is that the operating systems functionally remain the same.

Interestingly, the Recent apps switcher changes intend to “trick” the user. The thumbnail expands to fill the screen while the application loads, which isn’t noticeable on a lower resolution device. It’s a neat little trick which makes the device seem faster than it is.