Google unveils Android 13 (Go edition): More than just the basics

Android Go’s story starts five years ago when Google announced Android Oreo (Go edition) with the release of Android 8.1. It was a new operation system specifically designed to run on the most affordable Android smartphones available on the market.

At that time, Android Oreo devices with 512MB to 1GB memory came with all the Go optimizations, which included a tuned version of the Google Play Store, a new lineup of Google apps specifically designed to be lighter, as well as performance and storage improvements to the OS with data management features and some minimum security perks.

Fast forward five years and we rarely hear about a new company launching a new smartphone that has 1GB RAM, let alone 512MB RAM. While Google continued to upgrade Android Go edition with new iterations of the lighter OS, handset makers slowly but surely raised the minimum hardware specs of what we’re now calling “low-end” or “entry-level” smartphones.

That’s great because Google has just revealed Android 13 (Go Edition), a new and improved version of the Android (Go edition) launched five years ago. Apparently, there are over 250 million monthly active devices powered by Android Go right now, yet it’s safe to assume that not everyone will get to experience Android 13 (Go Edition).

It’s hard to believe the handset makers will redirect resources into upgrading some of their cheapest smartphones to Android 13 (Go Edition), but the good news is we’re getting more affordable phones that will run an improved, yet lighter version of Android OS.

Faster, smoother software updates

One major benefit for having a phone running Android 13 (Go edition) is support for Google Play System Updates. Typically, updating the software in a phone takes some storage space, which most low-end devices can’t afford to lose. However, with Google Play System Updates, Android 13 (Go edition) devices will regularly receive important software updates, other than major Android releases.

Basically, your phone will automatically receive critical updates without compromising storage availability on the device and you won’t have to wait for your phone’s manufacturer to push a software update (unless it’s an Android Go edition upgrade).

Another important upgrade over the previous version of Android (Go edition) is the addition of Material You, which will allow users to customize their phone’s color scheme to sync with the wallpaper. For example, when setting a wallpaper image on your phone, you’ll be presented with four corresponding color scheme choices to choose from.