Just a few days after the release of the regular Android 11, Google announced the Android 11 (Go Edition). The new update, essentially the watered-down version of the latest Android release, is intended for devices with up to 2GB of RAM. This is not the same as previous Android (Go Edition) updates provided for devices with up to 1.5GB RAM. In terms of performance enhancement, Android 11 (Go Edition) is known for bringing a 20% faster app launch experience than what is available on Android 10 (Go Edition).
Android 11 (Go Edition) features
Google says in a blog post that it will make it easier for Android 11 (Go Edition) users to switch between apps by bringing a faster app launch experience. The new Android (Go Edition) release comes with a special place in the notification section for all the messages called conversations. It’s also part of the regular Android 11 release that started earlier this week for Pixel phones.
Android 11 (Go Edition) also brings one-time permissions that allow you to grant in-app access to specific sensors, such as your microphone, camera or location. There is also a feature to support self-reset permissions – to reset permissions for an app you have not used for a long time. Both one-time permissions and auto-reset are available in the standard Android 11 release.
Google has added gesture-based navigation support to Android 11 (Go Edition) in addition to making it easier for users to work on smartphones with larger displays. It allows you to go to the home screen, navigate backward and switch between apps using simple swipes – another feature that is already available for regular users, since the release of Android 10 in September last year.
Android 11 (Go Edition) requires expanded memory
Unlike its predecessors designed for devices with Android 10 (Go Edition) and 1.5GB of RAM, Android 11 (Go Edition) has expanded the memory requirement to 2GB.
Expanding to 2GB RAM gives an additional 270MB of free memory. This extra free memory allows you to run another three to four applications in the background. Also, Google says that Android (Go Edition) on 2GB devices will have up to 900MB of additional free storage space.
“As these memory-intensive features come to entry-level smartphones, our partners are urging us to improve performance on these devices, especially around speed, storage, and memory. So, from next month, Android (Go Edition) will be available on all new devices with up to 2GB of memory, ”said Sagar Kamdar, VP, Product Management VP, Android Product.
Google has told The Edge that Android 11 (Go Edition) will only be available for newer phones with 2GB of RAM, rather than an update to current models. Google says manufacturers need to decide if they want to launch their phones with Android 11 (Go Edition) or Android 10 (Go Edition).
However, like phones, including the Nokia C3, have recently launched with a full-fledged operating system, Google has not clarified whether smartphone vendors will be required to offer Android 11 (Go Edition) on devices with 2GB of RAM instead of the regular Android release. Gadgets 360 has reached out to Google for clarity before this.
