Android Go

Android Go
Android Go 14 home screen with Pixel Launcher
DeveloperVarious (mostly Google)
OS familyLinux
Working stateSecurity updates only
Initial release8.1 (Go Edition) / December 5, 2017; 8 years ago (2017-12-05)
Final release16 (Go Edition) / October 28, 2025; 12 months ago (2025-10-28)
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), is a stripped-down version of the Android operating system, designed for low-end and ultra-budget smartphones (but also used by some tablets). It is intended for smartphones with 4 GB of RAM or lower 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.

Features

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. The Google Play Store will highlight lighter apps suited for these devices.

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 uses a modified layout and is 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. Some system services, such as notification access, split screen, and picture-in-picture mode, are disabled to improve performance.

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

Versions

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
9 Pie (Go edition) Unsupported: 9 August 15, 2018 August 6, 2018 9 March 7, 2022
10 (Go edition) Unsupported: 10 September 25, 2019 September 3, 2019 22 March 6, 2023
11 (Go edition) Unsupported: 11 1 GB September 10, 2020 September 8, 2020 2 March 27, 2024
12 (Go edition) Unsupported: 12 December 14, 2021 October 4, 2021 71 March 31, 2025
13 (Go edition) Unsupported: 13 2 GB October 19, 2022 August 15, 2022 65 March 2, 2026
14 (Go edition) Supported: 14 December 15, 2023 October 4, 2023 72 Current
15 (Go edition) Supported: 15 March 21, 2025 September 3, 2024 199
16 (Go edition) Latest version: 16 4 GB October 28, 2025 June 10, 2025 140
Legend:
Unsupported
Supported
Latest version

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "UMIDIGI A75x Price/Specs/Review-UMIDIGI". www.umidigi.com. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Android (Go edition)". Android. Archived from the original on 2025-12-09. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  3. ↑ "Lenovo Tab E7 | Easy-to-use entertainment tablet | Lenovo AU". www.lenovo.com.
  4. ↑ "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.
  5. ↑ "Lenovo Tab M7 (3rd Gen) Specifications" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-11-07. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  6. ↑ "Google won't let cheap Android phones and tablets ship with only 16GB storage anymore". Android Authority. 2025-04-14. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
  7. ↑ Vlad. "Here are Google's new minimum RAM and storage requirements for Android phones". GSMArena.com. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
  8. ↑ Kastrenakes, Jacob (2018-02-24). "The first Android Go phone is here". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  9. 1 2 "Android 8.0 Oreo, thoroughly reviewed". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  10. ↑ ""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.
  11. ↑ "Android Go could help make Android O a runaway success". Engadget. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Android (Go edition)". Android Developers. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  13. ↑ "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.
  14. ↑ "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.
  15. ↑ "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.
  16. ↑ "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.
  17. ↑ A closer look at Android 12 (Go edition) Archived 2022-04-08 at the Wayback Machine.
  18. ↑ "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.
  19. ↑ "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.
  20. ↑ "Xiaomi Redmi A5 4G - Full phone specifications". www.gsmarena.com. Retrieved November 2, 2025.