Google plans to release a new version of Android Go based on the Android 9 Pie platform.
The current version of Android Go, Google’s slimmed-down variant of Android for low-cost devices, is based on Android 8 Oreo. Chiefly, the revised version of Android Go tackles performance. It will allow for faster device boot times and offers about 500 MB of additional on-device storage. It also introduces verified boot for additional security and a new dashboard for tracking and monitoring data consumption.
Google has been busy updating the Android Go version of its core apps, as well. For example, Google Go now offers the ability to read web pages aloud and highlights each word as it goes. YouTube Go uses less data, Maps Go includes offline navigation, Files Go permits peer-to-peer file transfers, Assistant Go supports additional languages as well as more device actions, and Android Messages is 50% smaller and includes caller ID and spam detection.
Google expects to release the Android Go Pie edition on new devices later this fall.
