After a limited launch in Indonesia and India, the lightweight Google Go—a lightweight version of the Google search app has been launched worldwide for Android users. It was first launched in 2017 for the emerging markets where users have limited access to fast internet, first-time users, and users with the low-end Android devices
After a year and a half of beta testing, now it is available worldwide in 7MB size. It is designed to run on devices with low configuration, and it is also empowered to remember your search results when you are back after a connection drop.
Currently, the app is available on Play Store & according to Google—it will run on Android devices running on Lollipop (5.0) and above. Going by the claim of Google, the app’s search results could save up to 40% of your data. So it will be delightful for the users who have limited data packages to use.
Talking about its functionality—beyond regular search, it includes voice search, image & GIF search, comes with an easy switching ability between languages, and has the ability to tap through trending topics. Additionally, it has the ability to have web pages read loudly, which is powered by AI.
To make this version more promising, Google also announced the introduction of the lens at the Google I/O developer conference 2019. The lens feature allows users to point their phone camera at real-world objects to get relevant information. Lens has the ability to read the text out loud & can highlight the worlds as they spoke. So it will be a boon for users who struggle to read. A user can also get the meaning of a particular word or translate it with a click. Lens has added an extra 100 KB addition in Google go app and increased its size up to 7 MB.
As per the availability of data from Sensor Tower, it has already been downloaded 17.5 million times globally. If we bifurcate this data in terms of downloads in a nation, then it is 48% in India, 16% in Indonesia, 14% in Brazil, 6 % in Nigeria, and 4% in South Africa
Without a shadow of a doubt, it has been launched for the emerging markets along the lines of Gmail Go—a trimmed version of Gmail; Gallery Go—a trimmed version of Gallery to manage your photos. It seems like Google doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned to make a highly interactive user experience. A few days ago, they have extended their app review process from 24 hours to 72 hours to take on malicious apps containing adware or worse.
