If you’ve been seeing a lot of “Go” apps released by Google, that’s because they are looking to power a lighter version of Android for devices that have lower RAM or memory than mid-tier or high-end devices. We’ve seen the likes of Maps Go, YouTube Go, Files Go, etc, and now we get another addition to this lightweight family. Gboard is now available for devices that are detected to have low RAM or for those who want to sideload it on their Android 8-running devices.

There are of course differences between the full version of the Gboard and this Gboard Go. You have the standard themes, gesture typing, and even integrated search. But other features like GIF search, stickers, one-handed mode, are understandably missing, since the point is to make the app lighter for those smartphone users that don’t have a lot of RAM to work with. Gboard Go will only use 40MB of your RAM as opposed to the 70MB that you get for the regular version.

If you have a smartphone that has limited memory or if your other apps are already taking up much of your RAM, then having lightweight versions of popular apps is very useful. You will of course lose some of the features that you enjoy from the full versions, just like what we’ve said about Gboard Go, but in exchange, you get functioning apps and more memory on your device.

Gboard Go doesn’t have a listing on Google Play Store, but it shows up as an option for when your device is low on RAM. Users can also sideload it through an APK file. However the app only seems to work for devices running on Android 8.1 but hopefully it will also be available for other devices soon.

VIA: Android Police

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