Android 13 Go Edition Raises Minimum System Requirements: Google Retiring Lightweight OS?

Google has indicated Android 13 Go edition is under active development and should arrive early next year. The company has, however, increased the minimum system requirements needed to support the smartphone operating system. This suggests Google might gradually retire the relatively lightweight OS, or the company is indirectly forcing manufacturers to embed better hardware in their phones.

Google Android Go 13 Inching Closer To Mainstream Android OS

Google maintains and develops a lightweight fork of the mainstream Android smartphone operating system. The Android Go edition isn't supposed to be resource-hungry, and hence, shouldn't require powerful and relatively expensive hardware.

Incidentally, Android Go has the necessary backend processes and functions that go into the mainstream Android OS. Google tries to trim down the Android Go iterations by reducing visual elements, commonly called "eye candy". Some of these customizations include app opening animations, transition effects, transparency, and others.

Strangely, Google seems to be taking the opposite approach with the Android 13 Go edition. The company is adding a version of the "Material You" system. Although not as versatile as in the regular edition, this feature will allow users to pick one of four color schemes based on the wallpaper they use. This feature was absent in the Android 12 Go edition.

Android 13 Go also adds Google's streamlined Google Play System Updates platform. As the name suggests, this is a backend process that keeps the devices updated. The system will receive and apply security patches. Google claims the system will avoid a full update of the device, and only pull new features.

Apart from the aforementioned functions, the Android 13 Go edition also gets a few features from the regular OS. However, these new additions could demand more resources, and that's what's happening.

Is Google Slowly Retiring Android Go Edition?

Google has raised the minimum system requirement for the Android 13 Go edition. The Android 12 Go edition's system needed devices to have at least 1GB of RAM. The upcoming version mandates at least 2GB RAM. Incidentally, 2GB RAM had always been the minimum system requirement, but Google has now categorically mentioned the same and added that devices will need 16GB of storage.

Android 13 Go edition certainly requires more resources than its predecessor. Hence, even 2GB RAM might not be enough. In other words, several older Android Go phones could struggle with the new update even if they have 2GB of RAM.

There aren't many devices in India with 2GB or less RAM. But manufacturers may now have to embed at least 3GB RAM or perhaps more, to ensure devices function reliably.

Google could be gradually increasing the system requirements to make the OS redundant. This would allow the company to continue developing the mainstream Android OS, and retire Android Go in the future.