Google, a american search engine giant founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in year 1998 acquired Android a operating from Andy Rubens in year 2005 for $50 million which they didn’t released back then but later on Google partnered with HTC a Taiwanese mobile company then they together build world’s first Android powered smartphone named HTC Dream.
HTC Dream is released on Sept 23, 2008 with Android’s first version 1.0 that has no codename but from Android 2.0 Google started naming it’s Android versions with code names that are based on desserts like for instance Android 3.0 Honeycomb, Android 4.0.3 Ice cream sandwich after that Android 5.0 as lollipop etc.
Thankfully, Android is an open source project which means anyone can build thier own custom version of Android OS with optimizations like reduced or added extra features with custom skins etc for smartphones based on software and hardware specifications due to that eventually almost all mobile companies started building thier own OEM specific Android OS to ship with smartphones.
Fortunately, smartphones powered by Android are less expensive and on each and every new version of Android Google released plenty of amazing features with security updates to fix bugs and required loop holes on existing Android versions to protect users privacy and at the same time to compete with Apple inc. iPhone iOS.
Apple inc. a popular American company well known PC aka personal computers maker made world’s first revolutionary multi-touch display smartphone named iPhone was released by it’s founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007 that comes with powerful mobile hardware and advanced operating system that has no name in it’s first release but based on desktop version of OS X after that from iPhone 2 Apple inc. named it’s operating system as iOS
Both Android and iOS are modern operating systems equipped with thier own powerful and advanced features and technologies made for smartphones which can totally replace keypad mobile phones and it’s operating systems like Java and Symbian OS etc due to that people around the world gradually shifted to Android or iOS smartphones.
iOS is closed source operating system of Apple inc. exclusively only available on iPhones which are pretty expensive so majority of people mainly from developing countries like India, Vietnam etc preffered to buy Android powered smartphones as they’re available at affordable prices especially since year 2014 when alot of china mobile companies started selling low price smartphones globally.
There are many differences between Android and iPhone smartphones in terms of hardware or software technologies but at the end they are operating systems for smartphones to make calls, sms and to install softwares or search world wide web like on PC so you’ll find numerous similar features with little or big changes accordingly.
Anyhow, now Android has more then 70% worldwide market share but as Google on each upgrade of Android OS added more features due to that latest Android OS versions are not only big in size but also incompatible with old smartphones due to many software and hardware limitations to name a few storage, memory etc.
However, most people are buying such smartphones which are fully compatible with new Android OS version but some companies make low end smartphones which comes with less powerful hardware due to that they won’t have capacity to run latest Android OS version but still alot of mobile companies manage to Install latest Android OS on low end smartphones.
Unfortunately, latest Android OS version won’t work in full extent even if developer make ultra optimizations due to hardware incapability on low end smartphones so Google aknowledged it and made Android Go version that was optimized very well to work on low end smartphones smoothly.
Android Go is lite version of Android OS initially released in year 2018 with Android 8.0 Oreo that comes with less features and Go apps which are not only small in size but also use less resources as they’re specifically developed for low end hardware smartphones with less storage and memory etc but still Android Go didn’t got thumping success.
Even though, Google continuously working and released new versions of Android Go but most people are unaware of it as now a days large percentage of people showing interest and pushing thier budget to buy mid range smartphones which comes with full Android OS and works super fine so most likely there is need of Android Go.
There are some users who for personal or tight budget reasons still buy and use low end ultra budget smartphones for them Android Go will work effectively and efficiently but even mobile companies who make low end ultra budget smartphones preffering to use old versions of Android OS with security updates over Android Go as people not showing much interest in it.
But, In case, you have existing low end ultra budget smartphones with outdated Android OS software that don’t support new full Android OS versions still you can upgrade thanks to Android Go as it’s open source many third party developers around the world build latest Android Go version custom roms for low end smartphones to make them stay up to date for more years.
In order to install custom roms you have to unlock bootloader and flash custom recovery like TWRP aka team win recovery project on smartphones after that you have choose and install right custom rom that was developed specifically for your smartphones from trusted portals like XDA but all this process voids warranty.
Anyway, very few mobile companies are releasing Android Go smartphones even there are few low end smartphones has Android Go customs roms as majority of
mobile companies and third party developers are very much focused on Android OS so on that basis it is clear and evident that Android Go is not in wide usage.
Even though, most people don’t buy and use Android Go smartphones yet Android Go apps are popular like Google Go, Maps Go, Files Go etc as they are small in size it will save ram and storage on smartphones so even if Google hold the developement of Android Go for whatever reasons they may continue to update Google Go apps.
The future of Android Go is still bright and stable as the mid range smartphones that we use now to get full Android OS will become low end smartphones in future as mobile companies keep on increasing and providing alot of features on smartphones so considering that Android Go is reliable and futuristic project from Google.
If Google shift it’s focus to other operating systems that they own like Fuchsia OS in near future then there is possibility that they may discontinue Android OS and it’s Go version but it is unlikely to happen as Android OS is strong project they will surely continue Android OS at the same time simultaneously maintain FuchsiaOS.
+ What happened to Fuchsia OS, A operating system from Google.
Finally, this is what happened to Android Go a operating system from Google for low end ultra budget smartphones, are you an existing user of Android Go? If yes do say your experience and mention why you like and use Android Go in our comment section below, see ya 🙂