Web giant Google has devoted a lot of time and resources to the more device-friendly ecosystem that it’s building around the new Go branch of Android, and three major features headed to the Files Go app is the latest evidence of that devotion. For starters, the most basic new feature on the list is file searching. Users can now search for files by name and find them anywhere on their device. The app will also now tell you where duplicate files are so that you can root out others or find interesting files that you may have forgotten about. On top of all of that, Files Go now syncs up with Google Photos, and will notify you when photos and videos have been backed up, giving you the chance to delete them in order to save space.
The search feature throws the full weight of Google’s mobile searching prowess into Files Go by porting over a number of beloved search features from the main Google app. Instant results, search history, autocomplete and filters are all on board, making searching in Files Go one of the easiest and fastest file searching experiences on the platform. The new functionality with duplicate files ties into an existing function that roots them out and prompts you to delete them in order to save space.
Files Go is the default manager in Android Oreo Go edition, a lightweight version of the newest Android that can run on fairly minimal hardware, all the way down to only 512MB of RAM. Essentially, phones that are so cheap as to have specs on par with 2010-era flagships like the original Samsung Galaxy S or the old and well-loved Nexus One can reap most of the benefits of the modern Android ecosystem with this new version. Android Oreo Go edition comes with a number of revamped default apps made for lower space and RAM usage, which means that Android Oreo Go edition leaves more room for user-addressable storage compared to full-fat Android. It’s designed around managing the constraints of a lower-end device and getting out of the user’s way, allowing them to simply use the smartphone instead of being stuck running all sorts of optimizations and workarounds.