Although it has not been officially announced, Google is about to change the landscape of cheap mobile phones, the entry range, forever. You will not license mobiles with less than 2 GB of RAM unless they use their operating system designed for these devices: Android GO .
Google is fully focused on the beta of Android 11 and the launch of new phones such as the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5. However, a leaked copy of the Device Configuration Guide obtained by the guys at XDA, has revealed to us an interesting detail. All future devices that want to run the operating system must have more than 2 GB of RAM or they will not be certified by Google.
And by now, we already know what it means to be without Google’s license. .. right Huawei?
The Android GO exception
The Internet giant proposes that all those phones that have a quantity of RAM less than 2 GB, should use Android Go as an operating system to ensure good performance of the device. On top of that, phones with 512 MB of RAM will no longer be able to use Google services , the famous GMS, which means they have reached the end of their support.
These are the great changes included in the Google document that will change the landscape of cheap mobiles in 2020 :
- Starting with Android 11, devices with 512 MB of RAM (including updates) cannot count preloaded Google Mobile Services (GMS).
- All new products with 2 GB of RAM or less that are released with Android 10 or Android 11 must be an Android Go device.
- Previously released 2GB RAM devices will remain Android as before.
The changes are expected to take effect starting in the fourth quarter of 2020, when Android 11 officially launches and OEMs begin receiving updates for their mobile devices. It is the smartphones with 2 GB or RAM that have already worked with previous versions of Android that “get rid” of this new measure.
What does it mean for the user?
Until now, the mobiles that used Android Go were those that had 1 GB of RAM or less. Now the limit is placed at 2 GB with the aim of improving the performance of these phones with more limited specifications, one of the great virtues of Android GO. On paper it is a reduced version of Android so it does not come with so many Google apps installed from the factory, but rather they use “Lite ‘or’ Go ‘versions of the company’s applications, such as Maps Go and Gmail Go.
Manufacturers such as Samsung, OPPO, LG or Xiaomi will be seen to do without their own layers of personalization unless their mobiles have at least 3GB so mobiles with 2 GB of RAM or less could not work with ColorOS , One UI, LG UX or MIUI. Huawei mobiles, as they cannot use a licensed version of Android regardless of their RAM, will not be seriously affected.
Source>XDA Developers