Android 12: GO Edition
Google first launched Android Go in 2017 with the goal of helping more people get the most out of the operating system through affordable phones.
According to the company, more than 200 million people are currently actively using an Android Go phone.
Google also has announcement that some of these affordable devices are getting an update from Android Go 12, bringing a host of new Standard Edition features to more devices.
With the upgrade, the company wants to create a faster, smarter, and more privacy-conscious experience. It also makes these phones more accessible by improving functionality for multilingual users and introducing new devices that take data costs into account.
Apps on your device launch up to 30% faster and with smoother animations. This means they open immediately without having to wait.
Google has also created a splash screen API so that all developers can consistently provide a seamless experience when users launch their apps.
Android Go 12 automatically saves battery life and storage by hibernating apps that haven’t been used for long periods of time, which is especially useful for devices with limited storage.
Meanwhile, the updated Files Go app allows you to recover files within 30 days, so you can delete unnecessary files to free up space.
And Android Go 12 also makes it easier to understand your content. By going to the recent apps screen, you see options to listen to the news and translate any onscreen content into your preferred language.
Android Go 12 makes apps run faster
Apps are an essential part of the smartphone experience. But downloading them can sometimes incur additional data charges.
With the new version of the operating system, you can conserve data by sharing apps directly with your neighbors using Neighborhood Sharing and Google Play.
Besides, you can share your device with your friends or family without worrying about privacy. Google simplifies the experience for guest users by making profiles available directly through the lock screen.
And you can easily go back to the guest profile before sharing your device and reset it when you’re done.
And the operating system gives you more transparency about which applications access your data. It also gives you more controls to limit the amount of private information your apps can access.
To do this, Google is adding a new privacy dashboard. You see a snapshot of apps accessing certain types of sensitive data, like your microphone, and revoke permissions if necessary.
And a new privacy indicator in the status bar tells you specifically when your apps are accessing your microphone or camera.
Google also gives you more control over the amount of information you share with apps. And with the new coarse location permissions, you can restrict apps to only see your approximate location instead of your exact location.