Google hosted the Google for India event at the capital on Tuesday and announced various apps and services tailor-made for India. The announcements from Google included Android Oreo Go, Google Go, Files Go and YouTube Go. Apart from this, Google also announced Google Assistant for Reliance Jio’s 4G feature phone, JioPhone.
With these announcements, Google is increasing its focus on India, which is a big market for the search giant. Google has timed the launch of Google Go and Android Oreo Go very well as many budget 4G devices have been launched in India in the past few months. Google today also announced an India-first feature, a two-wheeler mode in Google Maps.
Android Oreo (Go Edition)
Android Oreo Go was announced back at the Google I/O and today Google announced that it will be based on Android 8.1 Oreo and be called Android Oreo (Go edition). It will allow low-end devices with as little as 512MB RAM to run Android Oreo smoothly. The OS will come with built-in data management features and come pre-installed with Google Go apps such as Google Go, Google Assistant for Android Oreo (Go edition), YouTube Go, Files Go and more.
Google has mentioned that the Android Oreo Go has been optimized to be 15% faster, provide 2X more storage, comes with inbuilt data saver and scans optimized for low data usage.
Google Go
Google Go is a new app from Google Search that allows users to access various services in an easy to use interface. The app is currently available as a preview in India and Indonesia. It is very simple to use and is fast even on entry-level phones, making discovering, sharing and finding content easier.
Google Go has three features which makes it good for entry-level smartphones. First, the app comes with a tap-first user interface, which allows users to explore new ideas and find things with just a tap. Second, it is light on data and storage, making it ideal for low-end devices that often have limited storage. Third, the app allows users to switch between English and Hindi and find answers in either language.
Google Assistant for JioPhone
Google also announced the Google Assistant for Reliance Jio’s 4G VoLTE feature phone, the JioPhone. The JioPhone’s basic plan will come with 500MB data per day and millions of first-time internet users will be able to use the Google Assistant using voice commands in English and Hindi. The assistant will help a user in making calls, send text messages, play music and videos, browse the internet and access other apps and services.
Files Go
Files Go is a file and storage manager from Google that allows users to free up space, find files and share these files offline with people nearby. Google has been testing this app for over a month and during this period it has found that an average user has saved 1GB storage space because of using this app.
The app is currently available in the Play store and can be downloaded on all Android devices. Here are the features of Files Go:
• Free up space: Provides suggestions about which file to delete, uses Google mobile vision technology to identify unused apps, large files, duplicate files or low-resolution videos and memes.
• Find files faster: It uses smart filters to organize images, videos and documents, allowing you to find the required files quickly.
• Backup: Allows you to backup files and folders to Google Drive.
• Offline sharing: Allows you to share files with nearby devices without using any data.
Two-wheeler mode in Google Maps
Google has also introduced a two-wheeler mode in Google Maps, which is an India-first feature. The two-wheeler mode in Google Maps will now show routes and shortcuts that were earlier excluded because they were not accessible by cars and bigger vehicles, along with customized traffic and arrival time estimations. The two-wheeler mode will also show landmarks on the route, allowing the users to easily navigate to their destination.
