What you need to know
- Google has announced Android 10 (Go edition) for entry-level smartphones.
- Android 10 (Go edition) brings faster performance and improved security.
- With Adiantum encryption, low-cost phones will be able to encrypt data with zero impact on device performance.
Google introduced the Android Go platform in 2017 – designed specifically for entry-level smartphones featuring just 1GB of memory or less. The company is now promising to deliver a better experience for entry-level device owners with the new Android 10 (Go edition).
Google claims the new Android 10 (Go edition) offers faster and more memory-efficient switching between apps and is more reliable as well. App launch times are said to be 10 percent faster than Android 9 (Go edition).
More importantly, Android 10 (Go edition) comes with a new form of encryption called Adiantum, which can encrypt data while ensuring device performance is not affected. This will help make entry-level phones much more secure than their predecessors.
In addition to announcing Android 10 (Go edition), Google also highlighted some of the recent updates that were rolled out apps designed for Go edition phones. Google Go now comes with an AI-powered read-out-loud feature, while Gallery Go can organize photos by the people and things users take photos of, using on-device machine learning. Popular apps such as Facebook Messenger, Twitter, Uber, and Spotify have also been redesigned to be Go-ready in the past year.
Additionally, Google announced that over 500 manufacturers have launched more than 1,600 devices running Android (Go edition) in the last 18 months. In a few markets, consumers can now pick up an Android (Go edition) smartphone for as low as $27.
