Wikipedia

Android Go

Android Go
Android Go 14 home screen with Pixel Launcher
DeveloperVarious (mostly Google)
OS familyUnix-like (modified Linux kernel)
Working stateSecurity updates only
Initial release8.1 (Go Edition) / December 5, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-12-05)
Latest release16 (Go Edition) / November 7, 2025; 15 days ago (2025-11-07)
Marketing targetLow-end/ultra-budget smartphones (with 3 GB and 4 GB RAM)
Supported platformsarm64-v8a (64-bit)
armeabi-v7a (32-bit)
Official websitewww.android.com/versions/go-edition/

Android Go, officially Android (Go edition),[1] is a stripped-down version of the Android operating system, designed for low-end and ultra-budget smartphones (but also used by some tablets[2][3][4]). It is intended for smartphones from 2GB to 4GB[5][6] of RAM and was first made available with the release of Android Oreo.

The first phone pre-installed with Android Go is the Alcatel 1X, which was released in February 2018. Android 16 Go Edition is expected to released in November 2025. [needs update]

Features

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Android Go has platform optimizations designed to reduce mobile data usage (including enabling Data Saver mode in Google Chrome by default), and a special suite of Google Mobile Services designed to be less resource and bandwidth-intensive. The Google Play Services package was also modularized to reduce its memory footprint.[7] The Google Play Store will highlight lighter apps suited for these devices.[8][9]

The operating system's interface differs from that of stock Android, with the quick-settings panel giving greater prominence to information regarding the battery, mobile-data limit, and available storage; the recent apps menu using a modified layout and being limited to four apps (in order to reduce RAM consumption), and an API for allowing mobile carriers to implement data-tracking and top-ups within the Android settings menu.[7] Some system services, such as notification access, split screen and picture-in-picture mode, are disabled to improve performance.[10]

Most devices running Android Go use Google's "stock" Android GUI, although there are several manufacturers that still use customized GUI.

Versions

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Version Android version
numbers 		Minimum RAM
required 		Android Go
release date 		Android release
date 		Days after
release 		End of
support 		Ref.
8.1 Oreo (Go edition) Unsupported: 8.1 512 MB December 5, 2017 December 5, 2017 0 October 4, 2021 [11]
9 Pie (Go edition) Unsupported: 9 August 15, 2018 August 6, 2018 9 March 7, 2022 [12]
10 (Go edition) Unsupported: 10 September 25, 2019 September 3, 2019 22 March 6, 2023 [13]
11 (Go edition) Unsupported: 11 1 GB September 10, 2020 September 8, 2020 2 March 27, 2024 [14]
12 (Go edition) Unsupported: 12 December 14, 2021 October 4, 2021 71 March 31, 2025 [15]
13 (Go edition) Supported: 13 2 GB October 19, 2022 August 15, 2022 65 2026 [16]
14 (Go edition) Supported: 14 December 15, 2023 October 4, 2023 72 Current [17]
15 (Go edition) Supported: 15 3 GB March 21, 2025 September 3, 2024 199 [18]
16 (Go edition) Latest version: 16 November 7, 2025 June 10, 2025 150
Legend:
Unsupported
Supported
Latest version

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Android (Go edition)". Android. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
  2. ^ "Lenovo Tab E7 | Easy-to-use entertainment tablet | Lenovo AU". www.lenovo.com.
  3. ^ "Lenovo Tab E10 | 10.1" family entertainment tablet | Lenovo US". www.lenovo.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  4. ^ "Lenovo Tab M7 (3rd Gen) Specifications" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  5. ^ "Google won't let cheap Android phones and tablets ship with only 16GB storage anymore". Android Authority. 2025-04-14. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
  6. ^ Vlad. "Here are Google's new minimum RAM and storage requirements for Android phones". GSMArena.com. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
  7. ^ a b "Android 8.0 Oreo, thoroughly reviewed". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  8. ^ ""Android Go" will strip Android down for ultra-low-budget phones". Ars Technica. Conde Nast. Archived from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  9. ^ "Android Go could help make Android O a runaway success". Engadget. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  10. ^ "Android (Go edition)". Android Developers. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  11. ^ "Introducing Android Oreo (Go edition) with the release of Android 8.1". Blog. Google. 5 December 2017. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  12. ^ "Android 9 Pie (Go edition): New features and more options this fall". Blog. Google. 15 August 2018. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  13. ^ "More improvements for Android on entry-level phones". Blog. Google. 25 September 2019. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  14. ^ "Android 11 (Go edition): New features coming to more devices". Blog. Google. 10 September 2020. Archived from the original on 11 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  15. ^ A closer look at Android 12 (Go edition) Archived 2022-04-08 at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ^ "Android 13 (Go edition): Easier to update and tailored just for you". Google. 19 October 2022. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  17. ^ "itel Launches itel P55T Smartphone with Android 14 (Go edition) and Long-lasting Battery". December 16, 2023. Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  18. ^ "Xiaomi Redmi A5 4G - Full phone specifications". www.gsmarena.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
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