Google making cheap Android phones support its latest software

San Francisco - Google is making another go at getting cheap Android phones

to support its latest software, an attempt to lock more consumers in the

developing world into the internet giant’s services.

The new program, called Android Go, was announced at the

Alphabet Inc. division’s I/O developer conference on Wednesday in Mountain View, California.

It bakes features directly into Google’s mobile operating system that are

designed specifically for cheap phones, including software to manage cellular

data costs. The service will launch in 2018.

Google releases a new Android operating system every year,

but most devices running the software use older versions. These phones do not

get as frequent security and feature updates, a persistent problem for the

company. 

Read also:  What's the sales strategy for Google's phone?

India has

more active Android users than the US, Sameer Samat, a Google

executive, said on stage on Wednesday. But in countries like this, the high

cost of mobile data is a major barrier to consumers buying Smartphones and

using Google services. 

Android Go has a feature that more easily tracks mobile data

usage and ties automatically with the billing systems of wireless carriers,

Samat said. Google also designed the service to minimize data usage on

bandwidth-hungry services like YouTube.

Previously, Google tried to solve this low-end phone issue

with a program called Android One. The service was designed to tailor the

latest Android operating system for phones costing around $100 or less.

However, it failed to take off in key markets, like India, because the companies that

manufactured the devices couldn’t make much money just selling the hardware.

In an interview, Samat said that the Android One program is

continuing, although it dropped the earlier effort to work with phones at the

$100 price point.

Less Data Usage

Android Go will only be available on phones that run

Google’s upcoming software version, available next year. So far, most

manufacturers have avoided shipping the latest Android on cheap phones to save

costs. But Samat said the changes coming with Android Go will convince the

hardware partners to change course.

The new software is designed to run versions of Google apps

that require less data. Samat mentioned YouTube as one app, but declined to

name others. Google will also be curating a list of apps in its digital store

that are designed for light data usage. "That’s a selling proposition that

people can get excited about," Samat said.

Facebook Inc. tried a similar app-curation strategy picking a suite of services to "zero-rate," or subsidize the data

charge. That effort fell flat after considerable pushback in countries like India. Samat

said Google isn’t using zero-rating in its initial Android Go version.

On stage, Samat demonstrated a novel way for Android users

to track their mobile data usage and even pay their monthly or pre-paid

mobile-phone bills via Google Play. Google has set up carrier billing options

in its Play store in 55 countries with 140 telecom partners. The company

doesn’t disclose its Play store sales. Samat declined to share any carrier or

manufacturing partners Google has with Android Go.

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