Google launches Android 11 Go to make apps 20% faster

Google has launched Android 11 Go edition for low-powered, entry-level devices, following the release of Android 11 earlier this week.

The tech giant is touting that the newest update to Android Go edition will make apps launch 20% faster when compared to the previous iteration, allowing users to switch between apps without their devices getting bogged down. 

Much like Android 11, the latest update to Android's Go edition includes new privacy enhancements, such as one-time permissions, where users will be able to grant an app access to specific sensors like the microphone, camera, or location for one instance only. Other privacy enhancements include app permissions "auto-resets" for apps that have not been used for an extended period of time and the introduction of Safe Folder, a new feature that allows users to protect specific files from being opened or accessed by storing them in a 4-digit PIN-encrypted folder.

The update will also see Android 11 Go edition devices gain access to gesture-based navigation.

Whereas Android 11 is currently available for devices from Google's Pixel line -- Pixel 2 and newer, OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Realme, Android 11 Go edition will be available for all new devices with up to 2GB of memory. 

Since Android Go edition was launched in 2017, over 100 million entry-level devices have installed the operating system, Google said.

When the operating system was first launched, Google said the aim was to ensure people with lower socio-economic backgrounds could still get access to computing.

"To make sure billions more people can get access to computing, it's important that entry-level devices are fully functioning smartphones that can browse the web and use apps," said Sagan Kamdar, Android's director of product management at the time.

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