Gboard Go APK now available for devices on Android 8.1 with low RAM

Google has been steadily rolling out slimline (Go) versions of its biggest apps for devices with low power and limited internet access. The latest of these, the Gboard keyboard, has now been spotted on APK Mirror (via Android Police).

The person who uploaded the file found it in the Google Play Store—it’s only showing up there for low RAM devices, apparently—and amended the build.prop. The uploader said the Go version of the app occupies around 40 MB of RAM compared to 70 MB in the regular app, but its lightweight nature means there are a couple of sacrifices, including GIFs, stickers, and emoji search.

If you’re running Android 8.1 Oreo and want to check it out, you can install it now over the regular Gboard version—just note that you’ll have to uninstall updates via the Google Play Store to get back to the regular version. Find it at APK Mirror here.