Android Go, an exclusive OS edition released by Google to enhance the performance on low-end Android devices. It has been around for approximately two years and offers one of the most seamless OS experience on low-end phones with minimal specs and comes quite close to the stock Android experience too.
If you’ve recently bought an Android Go smartphone, here are the top 11 lite apps, which are tweaked to function better than their standard counterpart in low-spec phones — so that you get a similar experience without lag or jitter.
These apps are also useful if you have got an old smartphone running an earlier version of Android as these are lightweight, consume fewer data and load faster on slower networks, drain less battery and also serves as an alternative to the full-size app.
Spotify Lite
Download size: 10 MB
Compatible with: Android 4.3 and above
Released in July 2019, Spotify Lite allows users to stream music seamlessly on low-spec as well as Android Go phones. In addition to the standard features on the primary app, the lite version also comes with an option for users to set data limit and even a single-tap option to clear the cache, which can prove useful for low-ram Android Go phones.
You can find Spotify Lite here
Facebook Lite
Compatible with: Android 4.0 and above
Some people prefer the lite version of the Facebook lite app entirely over the Facebook app. The full-fledged Facebook app is very resource-hungry, consuming a lot of battery and storage (up to 200 MB after you download and login). For every web page opened, the entire page is cached on the device — making the app heavier as time passes.
The Facebook lite app is much like its bloated counterpart. It allows the user to search for his friends on the platform, upload pictures or updates, get notifications for when a friend likes or comments on a picture, and so on. Users can also save their photos in the photo albums through the app and can help save phone memory.
You can find Facebook Lite here
Also read: Facebook vs Facebook Lite: Which app should you use?
Clean Master Lite
Download size: 6.3 MB
Compatible with: Android 4.0 and above
The app is specially made for Android phones with RAM less than 1 GB. The app highly accelerates device performance by freeing up the RAM, which in turn saves more battery. It also has a ‘battery saver’ option that puts apps running in the background on hibernate mode.
The Clean Master app provides the ‘delete junk files’ option to clear up the cache memory, ad junk, residual junk files to better increase device performance.
You can find Clean Master Lite here
Twitter Lite
Download size: 910 KB
Compatible with: Android 5.0 and above
The Twitter lite app provides functionalities like tweeting, retweeting, personal messaging, following different people and trending hashtags on the platform.
Also, by turning on the data saver mode, you can control the download of the images or videos.
You can find Twitter Lite app here
Skype Lite
Download size: 17 MB
Compatible with: Android 4.0.3 and above
The Skype Lite app is used to make phone or video calls to anyone on Skype. These calls can be made to people personally or in groups. In case one doesn’t have a Skype account or has forgotten the password to his account, he can join the group chat via an invite link that will log him as a guest on the lite app.
The app also comes with an ‘SMS insights’ function that allows you to pay bills, check train schedules for booking, check bank and wallet balances, and so on. The app also provides ‘Skype Bots’ that uses AI technology that helps you to search for better news, play games, and so on.
Also read: 10 best YouTube downloaders and converters
LinkedIn Lite
Download size: 1.1 MB
Compatible with: Android 4.4 and above
The app is extremely fast to use, and users can search for jobs efficiently by use of keywords. You can easily filter the search for the company you would prefer to search around for work.
The app is useful in terms of establishing a network with people who work in a similar field or one in conjunction with yours.
You can find LinkedIn Lite here
YouTube Go
Download size: 8.9 MB
Compatible with: Android 2.3 and above
The app lets you watch or download videos from among three quality options to your phone’s internal memory or SD card.
The app also lets you take a preview of the video you want to watch or download. The app is especially suited for use when you have slow internet connections.
You can find the YouTube Go app here
Also read: Top 7 Watch Faces for Galaxy Gear and Active
Shazam Lite
Download size: Less than 1 MB
Compatible with: Android 4.0 or above
The app lets you identify music in the surrounding even when you have a slow internet connection. Once the track is identified, you get its lyrics and related tracks.
Line Lite
Download size: 3.7 MB
Compatible with: Android 4.1 and above
Line Lite lets you send messages and make video calls for free. You can easily add your friends by typing in their ID or from your contact list.
The app also supports group chats and calls.
Also read: Gmail vs Gmail Go: What’s the difference?
Opera Mini
Download size: 3.7 MB
Compatible with: Android 2.3 and above
This web browser lets you keep a track on the data you have consumed while you surf the internet seamlessly. The app also has an inbuilt ad-blocker and gives you the added functionality of downloading videos online.
The app provides a ‘night mode’ option that dims the screen automatically according to the ambient light.
CM Security Lite Antivirus
Download size: 1.2 MB
Compatible with: Android 2.3 and above
This app is especially suited for phones with less than 1 GB RAM. It provides fast and efficient user experience and scans files on the SD card and phone in just seconds. The app also provides ‘On-Install’ scanning by which newly installed apps are scanned for any vulnerabilities.
You can be sure for no viruses to have entered your device memory when you weren’t alert to manually scan it as the app also automatically routine scans your device for any malware, viruses or trojans passively.
You can find CM Security Lite Antivirus here
