Google wants people in markets without high-speed internet to still be able to quickly and easily use its services. And boy, is it making some pretty cool features to go about that. For example, the company has announced a new recently announced a new Lite Mode for its News & Weather app that seriously cuts down on the amount of text and images that are being downloaded by the phone.
Google isn’t stopping there though — a recent teardown of the Google app shows that it too will be getting the Lite treatment. In fact, Lite Mode may actually be live for some users already, according to a report from Android Police.
It seems as though the the Lite Mode in the Google app will be very similar to that in the News & Weather app. You’ll have the option of turning it on or off, or you can set it to switch on automatically when it thinks it’s necessary.
It’s not all that surprising that the Google app is getting a Lite Mode, and it’s likely we’ll see more of Google’s apps become more data friendly as time goes on. That’s because Google wants everyone to be able to use its services — even those in markets like India, where high-speed internet may not be as common or as cheap as it is in the United States.
Lite Mode isn’t the only change coming to the Google app — it will also be getting some Google Assistant integration and interfaces for adding rooms in the house and setting up ways to purchases. Many of these features we already knew were coming, but weren’t yet added into the consumer version of the app — just reference in previous teardowns.
The new Google app is rolling out now, so if you don’t have it yet, hold tight — it should be on its way to your device soon.
