Android 12 may have started rolling out on an official basis just 2 months ago but, in real sense, it has been with us for a while now. Since May, to be precise. At least in its beta status.
While that is so, we had not yet heard of Google’s plans for what has become a tradition since 2017: the Go version of Android 12.
Now, thanks to an announcement made a few days ago, we know that not only does the Go edition of Android 12 exist and should begin showing up on devices in the new years, it is actually worth looking forward to!
According to Google, just as is the case with Android 12, with the Go edition, it focused a lot on improving the performance, a key concern on the devices that are expected to run it where meagre system resources, in order to justify their low entry-level pricing, are the norm.
“Apps on your Android 12 (Go edition) device will launch up to 30% faster and with smoother animation — meaning they’ll open instantly, with no more waiting on a blank screen,” Google’s Group Product Manager for Android, Charmaine D’Silva, notes in a post on its blog.
Another performance boost that will also end up saving users some battery juice, thereby killing two birds with one stone, is the automatic hibernation of applications that have not been used for extended periods of time.
Aware of the status of some of the users of the devices that will be powered by Android Go, not only are the current data-saving tools and features that are central to the Android Go experience retained, they are enhanced further by the integration of Google’s Nearby Share feature, which allows data transfer between devices by using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, with Google Play to allow users to share apps directly with nearby devices instead of turning to the Play Store every time and using up their precious mobile data bundles.
The same privacy controls that have been introduced to Android with version 12, like limiting apps to accessing only an approximate location instead of the precise one and notifying users on the notification bar when apps are using the microphone and camera, are also available to Android 12 Go edition users.
