Lightweight Google Go app launches worldwide

A lightweight version of Google’s search app designed to take up less space and work on slower internet connections has been released globally for the first time.

Google Go had previously only been launched in some developing countries where data and higher-powered mobile phones are less readily available.

The app has now been made available to all Android users on the Google Play Store.

The company said the app “helps you access information, both online and in the world around you, even with an unstable connection”, adding that “it does this while using less storage and memory, helping your phone stay fast”.

Google also confirmed that this latest version of the Go app will include its Lens technology, which can identify, translate and read out words spotted through a phone’s camera when pointed at a sign or menu.

The app also features an artificial intelligence-powered “read out loud” feature, which can read out the contents of a web page to a user should they so wish.

A report by the Wall Street Journal, published in 2017, has suggested that many emerging internet users will also rely on voice and video to interact with their devices.

The Go app is part of Google’s Next Billion Users scheme, a range of new products and features designed to help the next billion people to come online, the majority of whom will be on mobile, research suggests.

The company has previously released a number of lightweight apps and other services designed for emerging markets.