Google releases Android Oreo (Go edition) and Android 8.1 on Wednesday

Google will release Android Oreo (Go edition) on Wednesday. Manufacturers can use the stripped-down Android version for budget smartphones. The operating system takes up little space and includes Google Data Saver features to save on mobile data.

Google makes Android Oreo (Go edition) of Android 8.1 available to manufacturers on Wednesday. The company expects to release devices with the operating system in the coming months. Google introduced Android Go last May at its developer conference I/O. The regular version of Android 8.1 will also be released on Wednesday.

The Go edition runs on Android Oreo smartphones with 512MB to 1GB of ram. Google has made optimizations in three parts: the operating system, the apps and the Play Store. By reducing the size of the operating system and the pre-installed Google apps, smartphones with Oreo (Go edition) would have 50 percent more storage capacity than with Android Nougat.

The operating system includes modified versions of existing apps: Google Go, Google Assistant Go, YouTube Go, Google Maps Go, Gmail Go, Gboard, Google Play, Chrome and the Files Go app. The Files Go app is a file manager that advises on, among other things, removing spam and unused apps.

The developer promises that the stripped-down variant will receive the same security updates as the regular version and Google Play Protect is also present, which should keep malware at bay. Users can install any Android app, but Google is setting up a special section to bundle Go-optimized apps. The company has let the release coincide with the wide availability of Android 8.1, which will also appear on Wednesday and will bring a series of small improvements, such as clearer battery information about Bluetooth accessories.