Google Go: A very compelling ultralight alternative to search for information on Google

4 min read

Today Google has officially launched Android Go Edition, an ultralight version of Oreo that promises to easily adapt to devices with low RAM. More than seeing it as an excuse to continue presenting cheap mobiles, we take it as an attempt to optimize Google’s software.

Instead of trying to lighten their main apps that have ended up becoming monsters devouring RAM, companies are betting to offer Lite versions. Very similar to the main one but with simpler menus clearly focused on speed and simplicity. It is not the first of this style that we tried, but almost all of them leave us with a very good feeling.

Google Go, the ultralight version of the search engine

Google Go
Image Source: Google Image

Google Go is the ultralight version of the Google app for Android. This is a renewal of Google Search Lite, which we were able to test a few months ago. Now it is translated into more languages, sections have been added and its operation is even faster.

When you open the application, you ask us to set the language. Once there, it takes us to the main screen where, through circular icons of different colors, it moves us from one click to various tools such as YouTube, Google Translate, Maps or search of websites, images or GIFs. We also have voice search. The idea is to click and a search tab will open that will recommend us topics.

Google facilitates searches at deeper levels than usual. In fact, the contextual and semantic information of Google plays a very important role. They no longer offer us so many links but the information that Google has better organized. Here they try to lighten the consumption of data, strengthen their position as an intelligent assistant and accustom us to a type of search further away from the desktop.

The search for images and GIFs is also very well adapted, with large suggestions that will be updated as we write. From a click we will access the most trending queries. The images are quite compressed and we have lost along the way the possibility of saving offline pages that we did have in Search Lite.

Continue Reading: How to unlink connected apps to your Google account

In the same way the weather options or Google Translate work in a simple way. We do not have very elaborate graphics or all the tools of instantaneous translation of the translator, but the main part.

One of the few customization options that Google Go allows is to change the main wallpaper. Beyond that, everything is very basic.

Google promises consumption of up to 40% less data compared to the traditional Google application. This difference is not noticeable in terms of results, since it almost always offers the same. But we have it organized in another way. Taking more space the contextual information and with less space for the rest of results.

Here we leave a comparison of search between Google Go (left) and Google Search (right). In the Lite application we do not have Doodle, we do not have a complete search engine and there is less space for the first link. But it shows us the same number of mountains next to the data of its height, just what we had requested.

From the side menu of adjustments we have a few options. Change the additional language of the search, since Google Go is very focused on countries like India where users are accustomed to using different languages.

We have the option of using lightweight websites to save even more data. Change your Google account, activate notifications and filter by secure search.

The installation of Google Go occupies less than 5MB and once installed on our device does not go much higher. A clear difference from the standard Google official application that always stays in the background and RAM consumption is much higher.

With these Lite applications not only do we get 512MB or 1GB phones have no problems, it is also achieved that mobile with 8GB, 16GB or even 32GB can install a greater number of applications as space is optimized better.

One last detail is the Google Go search widget. It clearly has a less careful design, we can not write directly and we do not have the OK function, Google. But these are details after all.

Those interested in trying Google Go can download the APK since Google Play is still limited by countries. A single application such as Google Go does not make the difference, but Android Go looks good because it offers almost the same as we have now but for much less resources.

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