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Google reveals the first ultra-cheap Android One smartphones

The new initiative kicks off with downloadable YouTube videos in India

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Google has unveiled the first smartphones to run on its Android One platform, a standard designed to help push affordable smartphones in the developing world. The initiative kicks off in India, where Micromax, Spice, and Karbonn are all selling phones with 4.5-inch screens, 1GB of RAM, 5-megapixel main and 2-megapixel front cameras, 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processors, dual-SIM slots, microSD expandable storage, and FM radios.

Android One devices will ship with support for more languages, including Hindi, and feature more local publications in Google Play Newsstand. Google is also making a special version of YouTube available which will allow Indian users to download videos and re-watch them multiple times without incurring excessive data charges. The first phones are expected to retail for 6399 rupees ($105).

Similarly inexpensive smartphones have been around for a while, but Android One represents a concerted effort from Google to put its stamp on the user experience. These phones will all run close-to-stock Android without heavy manufacturer customizations, and Google will be able to push software updates itself. This should avoid the situation that arose a few years ago in other parts of the world, where low-powered phones were stuck on early versions of Android without any hope of an update, leaving customers unable to access new apps and services. Google has adopted a similar strategy at the higher ends of the market with its Nexus and Google Play edition devices that run stock Android.

Indian customers on carrier Airtel will be able to download software updates, including the upcoming Android L release, for the first six months of ownership. Google and Airtel are also offering 200MB of data a month on top of the regular cap for downloading apps from the Play store.

HTC, Lenovo, and others are signing up

After India, Android One phones are set to make their way to Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal before the end of the year. Google says phone manufacturers including HTC, Asus, Acer, Panasonic, and Lenovo are joining the program, alongside chip maker Qualcomm.

India is the second biggest mobile market in the world, but hasn’t yet achieved strong smartphone penetration. As such, it’s a major growth opportunity for the likes of Google and Microsoft, which has achieved some success in certain parts of the world with its low-cost Nokia Lumia Windows Phone handsets. Handset makers like Micromax are also producing cheap Windows Phone devices, but with Android One, Google may have found a way to provide a consistent experience on the world’s most prevalent mobile ecosystem to a whole new audience.

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Android One launches in Europe with a decent and affordable smartphone

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Today Google announced that it has officially expanded Android One to Turkey. The launch represents the program’s debut in Europe, and brings the total count (so far) to seven countries. Android One, which Google unveiled last September, aims to spread affordable smartphones throughout the developing world. The devices run a close-to-stock version of Android, though up until now the hardware has been somewhat underwhelming.

But in Turkey, Google is partnering with General Mobile to roll out a phone that, based on technical specs, sounds more than decent. Sure, it’s pretty ugly thanks to that faux leather rear case and bad «General Mobile» font, but as a phone this thing should do just fine.

Unlike most other Android One devices that contain Mediatek processors, this one’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chip and 2GB of RAM. It’s got a 5-inch «HD» (which almost certainly means 720p) IPS screen that’s covered by Gorilla Glass 4. For cameras, you’ve got a 13-megapixel sensor around back and a 5-megapixel selfie cam. And best of all, this smartphone supports LTE; it’s the first Android One product to do so.

«Our goal with Android One is to empower more people to do great things with the internet by putting a high-quality, up-to-date smartphone into their hands,» Google said in a press release. And perhaps for the first time, this phone leaves little to debate about that «high-quality» part. The jump in quality does demand a slightly higher price, though; the General Mobile 4G retails for around $260.

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Android 12 public beta is now available: here’s how to install it

Try Google’s latest update for yourself

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Google unveiled Android 12 at its opening I/O 2021 keynote, and now you can try the new update yourself as part of the first public beta. The Android 12 public beta is currently available for Google’s Pixel phones (Pixel 3 and up) and will also come to devices from OnePlus, Lenovo, Asus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Tecno, TCL, Vivo, Xiaomi, and ZTE. You can enroll your Pixel phone on Google’s Android beta site or find specific instructions for other supported phones on the Android Developers page.

Android 12 brings a cornucopia of new features, but the most exciting are the new visuals. Along with new animations, widgets, and a modified lock screen, Android 12 also offers theming, with the ability to change the colors used across the OS just by changing your wallpaper. Not all of the dramatic visual changes will be available in this first beta, but they should roll out over time as we get closer to release.

Google is tweaking other aspects of the Android experience as well, like notifications and quick settings. It’s also making some improvements to privacy and security, with indicators for when your phone’s camera or microphones are in use, and easier access to all of your apps’ various permissions in one dashboard. For a more in-depth look at Android 12, you can check out our full preview. If you want to get started with the beta right now, head below for instructions.

Which phones currently work with Android 12 beta?

• Pixel 3, 3 XL
• Pixel 3A, 3A XL
• Pixel 4, 4 XL
• Pixel 4A, 4A 5G
• Pixel 5
• Asus Zenfone 8
• OnePlus 9, 9 Pro
• Oppo Find X3 Pro (model CPH2173)
• TCL 20 Pro 5G
• Vivo iQOO 7
• Xiaomi Mi 11, Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11I, Mi 11X Pro
• ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G
• as well as models from Sharp, Tecno, and Realme

How to install the Android 12 beta

The process of how you get Android 12 beta on your phone ranges from requiring just a few clicks to something more involved. For this beta download, it’s considerably easier to get the it on one of the supported Google Pixel phones.

For a Pixel, begin by visiting the Android 12 beta site to enroll your phone in the beta. You should be able to find your phone listed when you click “View your eligible devices.” After you enroll your device, you might be nudged via a notification on your phone that the software is ready to install. If you want to check manually, open the settings menu on your phone, then head to System > System Update. Tap “Check for update” to see if you can download the new software.

If nothing happens right away, your only option is to keep waiting. In the past, I’ve gotten the beta update on my phone within minutes of enrolling, though sometimes it takes hours. It may take over 24 hours for the software to be ready to install on your phone, so hang tight.

As for supported phones from other brands like OnePlus, Realme, Sharp, and others, follow the instructions on each page from Google’s list of eligible phones, as the process for installation seems to differ depending on the manufacturer.

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Android 101: how to free up space on your phone

Make more room for your data

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

It can happen all too easily, especially if you’ve got an Android phone with less than 128GB of storage: one day, you try to install a cool new game or an intriguing new app, and you can’t. You’ve run out of space.

Don’t panic. If you’re not ready to buy a new phone, and your phone doesn’t have a handy microSD slot for some extra storage, you can probably still pick up a decent amount of free space with some simple house cleaning. Here are some suggestions on how to get back some of that storage.

Note: These were tested using a Pixel 3 phone running Android 12. Depending on your phone’s make and operating system, your directions may vary slightly.

Use Android’s “Free up space” tool

Android has a built-in tool to help you increase the amount of useable storage on your phone. It’s easy to find:

• Go to your phone’s settings, and select “Storage.” You’ll see information on how much space is in use and a list of file categories.
• Tap on the “Free up space” button.
• You’ll be moved to Google’s Files app — specifically, to its “Clean” feature, which offers suggestions on how to free up space by getting rid of junk files, deleted screenshots, large photos, backed-up media, and unused apps; there may be other suggestions as well.

The “Free up space” button can help clean up your phone’s storage.

The Files app can offer a number of ways to clear out old files.

There are other handy tools in the “Storage” section. For example, you can find out how much space each of your apps takes up:

• In Storage, tap on Apps. You’ll get a list of all your apps, along with how much space each is taking.
• Tap on the app name. You can now see the app size, how much of the available storage is being used by user data, and how much space is being used by the cache. Two buttons let you either “Clear storage” or “Clear cache.”

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In Storage > Apps, you can see how much space apps take up.

It’s a good idea to clear your cache to save space.

(Note for newbies: it is usually safe to clear the cache. However, before you hit “Clear storage,” check to see what your user data is. You don’t want to accidentally delete any important media or documents.)

Finally, there is a hidden toggle for a feature called “Smart Storage,” which gives your phone permission to automatically remove backed-up photos after 60 days. It will also automatically remove backed-up photos and videos if the storage on your device has less than 25 percent space left. You turn it on (or off) via Google’s Files app.

• Open the Files app and tap the three parallel lines in the upper left corner.
• Select Settings.
• Look for the Smart Storage setting and toggle it on.

Go to the Settings for the Files app.

Toggle Smart Storage on.

Check your apps

A good way to save space is to make sure you’re not clogging up the works with apps that you haven’t used in months. It’s all too easy to download an app, try it out, and then let it sit while you go on to other things.

If you’re curious about how long it’s been since you’ve used certain apps, here’s how to find out:

• Tap on your Play Store app.
• Tap on your personal icon in the upper right corner and select “Manage apps & device.”
• Select the Manage tab. On the line below that, the Installed button should be highlighted; if it isn’t, tap on it.
• To the right of the Apps heading, you’ll see the sorting icon. Tap on that and select “Least used.”
• Now, you can see the apps that you’ve only used occasionally (if at all) on top of the list. You won’t necessarily want to get rid of them — sometimes an app is fine to have around just in case — but you might catch some that you really don’t need anymore.

The Files app helps you manage all the apps on your phone.

You can sort your apps by the least used.

Store your photos online

Photos and videos can be some of the most space-hogging items on your phone. Luckily, if you’ve got an Android phone, you’re probably already uploading your photos to Google Photos — and can therefore take them off your phone.

First, check to make sure you are backing up your photos to your Google account.

• Open the Photos app.
• Tap on your personal icon in the upper right corner. If you’re backing up your photos, you should see a “Backup complete” entry in the drop-down menu.
• If you’re not backing up your photos, then select “Photos settings” > “Back up & sync.”
• Make sure that the “Back up & sync” toggle on top of the page is set to “On.” You should also check which account is listed under “Backup Account.” If you have more than one account, you can switch to whichever you want to use.

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If your phone is not backing up your photos, go to Settings > Back up & sync.

Toggle “Back up & sync” on.

There are other options as well. For example, you can choose the quality of the photos you want to upload and whether you want the phone to upload photos when you’re using cellular data.

Now that you’re sure your photos are being backed up, you can delete them from your phone. It’s very likely that there is already a notice on top of the Photo app’s front page offering to free up memory from your device; if not, it’s easy to do.

• In the “Photo settings” menu, tap on “Free up device storage.”
• You’ll get a window saying how much memory and how many items will be removed. Select the “Free up XX” at the bottom of the page.

You’ll be told how much space you’ll free up.

Keeping your photos in the cloud will save space on your phone.

Still running out of space? Then, unfortunately — or luckily, if you’re looking for a good excuse — it may be time to start thinking about a new phone, one with more storage space and perhaps that also offers you the chance to offload your data onto a micro-SD card.

Update October 21st, 2021, 2:15PM ET: This article was originally published on August 9th, 2019, and has been updated to account for changes in Android.

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