Google has been launching lighter versions of its apps for low-end Android devices, and the latest is Gmail Go, available now on Google Play.
Entry-level devices with low specifications often have trouble running full-fledged apps, but Google wants to help. The company already released "Go" versions of Google Maps, YouTube, Gboard, Files, and more.
These "Go" apps are lighter and require fewer resources, so they play nice even with low-end devices with 1 GB of RAM or less. Entry-level devices typically come with limited storage as well, so Google's "Go" apps also take up less space than their regular counterparts.
Gmail Go Features
Google's Gmail is the latest to be optimized for low-end devices, and Gmail Go promises a fast experience without taking such a heavy toll on the device as the regular Gmail app.
"The Gmail you love, now lighter and just as fast," Google touts in the app's description on the Play Store.
Gmail Go offers a smart inbox designed to make it easy for users to organize their emails and store important messages. Users get notifications whenever they receive a new email, and they can read it and reply either online or offline. Google also touts powerful search that allows users to quickly find the emails they're looking for.
At the same time, Google also promises that Gmail Go will keep one's inbox spam-free, and offer 15 GB of free storage space. The app also supports multiple accounts, which means that users can also set up other email addresses such as Yahoo Mail, Outlook, or other.
Smart Inbox
The Gmail Go smart inbox is similar to that of Inbox by Gmail, which takes a smart approach to declutter the inbox. Rather than listing all messages regarding of topic and category, this smart inbox will group promotional and social emails under different tabs, for instance, while showing more important e-mails more prominently.
The smart inbox is not only easier on the eyes because it minimizes clutter, but it also makes it easier to find a specific email because they're all categorized. Users can also add labels to their e-mails and create new categories or folders.
Gmail Go App: Small And Lightweight
The regular Gmail app takes up 20.66 MB of storage and consumes roughly 47 MB of space with use. It may not sound like much, but along with a slew of other apps and content, it can become a problem on Android phones with limited storage. The new Gmail Go app, meanwhile, weighs in at just 9.51 MB and it should not consume more than 25 MB of space once installed and in use.
For now, Gmail Go is available only in a few countries and it's only compatible with devices running the latest Android 8.1 Oreo, but Google should expand the app's availability later on.
